There is a movement called “slow living” that is central to reducing anxiety and enhancing quality of life. According to Wikipedia, slow living is “a lifestyle emphasizing slower approaches to aspects of everyday life.” (Check out more about slow living here.)

Another key example of why slow is the way to go is sustained-release (SR) formulations. Used in the pharma industry for several decades, sustained-release technology extends viability of the content of the delivery form. In a review of sustained-release formulas, the authors assert, “The drug plasma concentrations remain inside the therapeutic range for longer compared to the conventional formulations. In addition, sustained release formulations may increase the likelihood for the patient to respond to the therapy since drug formulations are generally characterized by one daily given dose.”

The concept works for dietary supplements and herbal ingredients as well, and Nutriventia is at the forefront of SR in the natural products industry.

At Inventia, we have been pioneering the use of time-release technology for close to four decades. When Nutriventia Co-Founder and Executive Director Vishal Shah first walked the SupplySide West show in 2016, he was very surprised that this was not being utilized in the natural products industry. The use case is the same – whether it is prescription drugs or natural actives. If the active moiety is eliminated from the body very quickly, then multiple doses are needed, which is inconvenient.

Shah viewed this empty niche as a perfect opportunity to develop a range of long-acting actives. We spent the next two years creating a platform using clean-label excipients that comply with global food and dietary regulations. Our first time-release ingredient was CaffXtend® and we have not stopped since!

Sustained-release ingredients keep the consumer foremost in mind to deliver efficiency and efficacy. When you think about it – most people do not want to be beholden to multiple doses per day to ensure the effect they seek is indeed reached. And they also do not want to “take it on faith,” either.

After innovating our process, we then designed and performed studies – both in vitro and human clinicals on our SR ingredients. What we found is evidential and also exciting. We can say with total confidence that Nutriventia’s technology provides true sustained release.

Caffeine is an example of a popular ingredient that tends to need constant replenishment for sustaining energy. CaffXtend was formulated to be released gradually throughout the day in small amounts to prevent jitters or the well-known caffeine crash.

A human study investigated the differences between CaffXtend sustained-release caffeine and immediate-release caffeine. In the study, 15 participants consumed 200 mg sustained-release caffeine and 200 mg immediate-release caffeine. The researchers looked at the bioavailability and characteristics such as “relaxed,” “jittery,” “tired,” “tense,” headache,” “overall mood,” and “mentally fatigued. The sustained-release caffeine was evaluated by participants to have significantly better scores in “jitteriness,” “tiredness,” “alertness” and “overall mood” for 8 to 12 hours.

Adaptogens are perfectly suited for extended-release. Ashwagandha root extract in particular is still a chart-topper. Prolanza™ ashwagandha is delivered in small increments to maintain a predictable blood level of withanolides and reduce the frequency of dosing. Prolanza is encapsulated into a matrix that provides a sustained release for over 8 hours, with a corresponding clinically substantiated presence of 24 hours in plasma. Consumers only need one dose of 300 mg Prolanza™ to achieve the adaptogenic effect.

Two studies in healthy humans were conducted with Prolanza that support its actions. One comparative pharmacokinetic open-label randomized crossover trial compared the bioavailability of Prolanza and a leading branded ashwagandha ingredient. Results showed that Prolanza had a three-fold more prolonged half-life elimination of total withanolides, indicating its sustained-release action. Additionally, Prolanza showed 5-fold higher absorption and nearly 12-fold superior bioavailability (8 to 12 hours in serum) than the comparison ashwagandha.

Results of a second randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 100 healthy adults showed that those who supplemented with 300 mg Prolanza for 90 days exhibited statistically significant and clinically relevant reductions in perceived stress (9.3-fold using Perceived Stress Scale) and serum cortisol (1.7-fold) compared to the placebo group.

The approaching winter is driving millions of healthy consumers to maintain optimal immune response and vitamin C is typically high on the immune supplement “must buy” list. C-Fencevitamin C is granulated with hydrophilic matrix polymers for extended-release throughout the day, which helps protect neutrophils from oxidative stress.

A pharmacokinetic study on C-Fence showed it can provide all-day sustenance. The randomized placebo-controlled study assessed bioavailability of vitamin C in plasma of 18 participants who consumed a single 500 mg dose of vitamin C as C-Fence. The results showed that the vitamin C was well absorbed and that levels of vitamin C were sustained well above the baseline values for the entire 24-hour study duration. The average time to achieve maximum levels in plasma was about 4.5 hours, in contrast to the typical 2- to 3-hours seen with immediate-release formulations.

Additionally, vitamin C plasma concentrations remained at much higher levels than at baseline and higher than even the peak concentration in the placebo group at 12-, 16-, and 24-hours post-dose. The authors noted that these findings confirm the slow and sustained-release characteristic of C-Fence.

Melotime™ is a sustained-release melatonin that is released systematically during 8 hours of sleep. After consumption, 50% of the dose is released in the first hour and this is followed by the release of the remainder at each one hour for 7 hours, helping the individual to achieve extended slumber.

Clearly, a slow, sustained-release supplement is often superior to those that peak and collapse. Taking it slow never felt so good!