The supplement industry faces a reckoning as consumers become better informed about the products they put into their bodies. Personal health and wellness is in the spotlight now more than ever, and many consumers are at a loss and rethinking their approach to everyday health.
I recently spoke with Faraz Jamal, founder and CEO of Mikra, a biological health company. Micra's first product, an antioxidant-rich dietary supplement that fights oxidative stress at the cellular level, is called CELLF. It has made a splash in the healthcare industry with its advanced cell delivery system and short list of ingredients. Using data from over 150 human clinical studies as well as conducting our own clinical trials of dietary supplements, CELLF's Mikra formula has proven extremely popular with a rapidly growing user base.
Gary Drenick: Micra has entered a very crowded nutritional supplement realm, with many companies making claims that are rarely supported by real data. What makes your approach different?
Faraz Jamal: It's very easy for companies to fool you and claim that their products make you feel good. Dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA, but many of these companies' claims are untested. No one forces these brands to live up to their promises, so it's impossible to find someone who not only tests their own products for effectiveness but publishes the data, but that's exactly what we've done with CELLF.
The formula we chose for CELLF, a powerful oxygen-free blend of antioxidants to keep it active, is backed by hundreds of third-party studies. Additionally, we spent months conducting rigorous clinical product testing to not only demonstrate that the product works, but also to inform CELLF of any changes we plan to make in the future to make it more reliable.
We will release all exam dates in near future. This is information that companies usually keep secret, but we strongly believe in the advancement of science.
Drenick: Your first product, CELLF, promotes cellular health with antioxidants. Can you explain what other antioxidants don't do?
Jamal: The biggest hurdle for any supplement is where it can be used. Stomach and intestines are an aggressive environment. They break things, it's their job. Imagine taking an antioxidant and then expecting it to pass through your digestive system and be absorbed into your lower small intestine. We know it doesn't work and most of what you take with you will perish before you use it.
CELLF works differently. Antioxidants are protected as they pass through the top of your digestive system. They are trapped in a barrier that keeps them intact long enough to reach the parts of your intestinal tract where they are absorbed and used by your cells. This is something you won't find with the antioxidants you find on drugstore shelves.
Drenick: You talk a lot about "health." Can you explain what that means and how it changes with age?
Jamal: Now you can go to the doctor, get a blood test or a physical exam and get a health certificate, but how you actually feel can change from day to day. Physical health and wellness are sometimes two different things. Your health span is a measure of how you feel, and your life expectancy is a measure of how long you live.
According to a recent study by Prosper Insights & Analytics, 75% of American adults regularly take painkillers. More than 50% of adults take antacids, and another 43% take fiber supplements or laxatives. That's a lot of people who may be "healthy" by some indicators, but for one reason or another they don't pass the life expectancy test. In the same survey, more than 75% of adults reported taking vitamins or supplements. So it's clear that people are open to taking steps to make themselves feel better, but the choices they make may not be the right ones.
Through decades of research on antioxidants, we know that their ability to fight oxidative stress at the cellular level offers many benefits. They can reduce fatigue, clear brain fog, improve heart health, and even slow down biological aging. This is the daily food that really improves health.
Drenick: When people talk about long-term health goals, they often refer to longevity. Should we really be focusing on living longer than looking at our day-to-day well-being?
Jamal: It's natural to look at life and want more. I think people can be a bit misguided when they see life as something that can be prolonged at any cost, even at the expense of everyday happiness.
Health has many faces. We know we need to eat nutritious foods, exercise, spend time outside, and reduce our stress levels. If all goes according to plan, these things will help you live longer. But nobody is perfect, and over the years we've all made mistakes or fallen victim to bad habits.
These bad decisions accumulate and are critical to solving these problems. CELLF helps peel away those microscopic layers and bring to life the smallest building blocks of who you really are. It will make you feel better tomorrow than today, and the longer you take it, the stronger the effect.
Drenick: People have a right to be skeptical of new supplements on the market. What changes are needed across the industry to change public opinion and skepticism?
Jamal: As I said earlier, the FDA does not have the power to force companies to substantiate their claims. Although the company notes that the claims have not been verified by the FDA, there are many things they say that may not be true. It is not something that can be changed.
I think what could change is consumers learning more about the science behind the products they eat. We've seen small shifts in thinking over the years and people have decided there are things they want to avoid. This is promising because people are so proactive about taking care of their health.
For us at Mikra, transparency is truly something we hope becomes normal. We tell you exactly what our products are, what they do, what the studies show, and you know why we make the choices we do before we put them in your body. This is very important to us and I hope this trend continues across the industry.
Drenick: Thank you Farage for taking the time to explain the addition and share your thoughts. As consumer skepticism about supplements grows, it's clear that evidence-based evidence will set companies like Micra apart.