Exakta

At different life stages, we can experience a higher biological need for more precise nutrient supplementation and support: growing children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and seniors. It is for these groups that Dr. D’Adamo created the Exakta formula. Exakta is a precise proprietary blend of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and botanical concentrates and extracts.

Dr. D’Adamo carefully formulated Exakta to be easier to assimilate, utilizing only highly bio-available vitamin and mineral sources like Vitamin A from 100% micro-algae Beta Carotene; Vitamin C from natural-source acerola berry (rather than the typical corn-derived ascorbic acid); highly-buffered Calcium from Maerl seaweed; and Omega 3 EPA/DHA Fish Oil Blend. Also blended into the Exakta formula is Arabinogalactan, to support immune system balance and provide soluble fiber and prebiotics.

Exakta also offers potent antioxidant support from Green Tea and four highly concentrated berry-fruit extracts. Unique to this formula is iron in a basic, cautious, bio-available form and amount to support the recommendation for pregnancy, and the typical, increased demands in seniors.

Exakta comprises several categories of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and a proprietary blend of isolates, concentrates, extracts, and essential fatty acids. Exakta also contains 9 mg of iron. Iron is an

essential nutrient where there can be a higher biological demand as for example in pediatrics and geriatrics, and during pregnancy. The National Academy of Science (NAS) recommends pregnant women take a supplement containing 30 mg. of iron a day during the 2nd and 3rd trimester. Most of this iron is needed during the last 3 months because that is when baby is accumulating it for use during early life. Moms also need this extra iron to replenish their red blood supply and to accommodate the demand created by increased blood volume. Exakta contains a basic, cautious, bioavailable amount of iron in the form of iron succinate, to help support this NAS recommendation for pregnancy, and to help support the typical, increased demands in pediatrics and geriatrics.

Highlights of the Exakta formula include:

• Vitamin A as 100 % Beta Carotene from Dunaliella salina, a single celled, salt-water micro-algae that accumulates massive amounts of carotenoids under appropriate growth conditions.
• Vitamin C from acerola berry, providing a natural source from this fruit rather than the typical corn derived ascorbic acid.
• Vitamin D as cholecalciferol (D3), one of the two physiologically important forms of Vitamin D.
• B Vitamins in bioavailable forms, including Vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin, a form actually found in nature. Typically, cyanocobalamin, a binding of cobalamin (B12) with cyanide is used as the B12 source for many B12 supplements.
• Calcium in the form of a seaweed derived calcium from calcified Maerl seaweed harvested in the pristine waters off the coast of Northwest Ireland. Maerl calcium has one of the lowest levels of undesirable contaminants and has a broad enough buffering range to work effectively among the widely differing digestive capabilities of each ABO blood type.
• Mineral components in forms that are designed to be easier to assimilate, including zinc from zinc picolinate, and selenium from L-Selenomethionine.
• One of the most unique additions to the Exakta formula is the Proprietary Blend of isolates, concentrates, extracts, and essential fatty acids. These include:
• Arabinogalactan, included to support immune system balance as an adaptogen, serve as a source of soluble fiber, and provide pre-biotic support for pro-biotics, and healthy intestinal flora.
• Highly concentrated fruit extracts of  Elderberry (Sambucus Canadensis), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), and Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). These darkly pigmented fruits each provide potent antioxidant activity, and are defined further below:.
• Elderberry Fruit contains several flavonoids. The primary flavonoids are anthocyanidins called cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyaniding 3-sambubioside. Elderberries also contain rutin, isoquertin, and hyperoside (1,2). Elderberry also contains 3% tannins and essential oil (1,2,3). The major protein of elder is a lectin called Sambucus nigra agglutinin IVf (4). The elderberry anthocyanidins are thought to have immunomodulating effects and possibly anti-inflammatory effects (5). Elderberry extract has both antiviral and immunomodulating effects. Elderberry extract also inhibits hemagglutinin activity and replication of several strains of influenza viruses A and B (6). Elderberry also seems to increase production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukins and tumor necrosis factor (7).
•  Black Cherry Fruit has several health benefits, which include a high iron and alkaline count. It can alkalize and mineralize blood, and s able to neutralize the organism acids. It has laxative qualities, and is recommended against anemia due to its high iron content.
• Blueberry Fruit is high in fiber and vitamin C. Blueberries also contain anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, which appear to have antioxidant activity (8,9,10). Ethyl acetate extracts of blueberry fruit inhibit ornithine decarboxylase, which is a key enzyme in tumor progression (11). Preliminary research from animal models suggests that the antioxidant effects of blueberry extracts might have anticancer activity and potentially reduce normal oxidative cellular damage that occurs with aging (11,10,12,13). Blueberry, like its relative, the cranberry, also appears to prevent bacterial adhesion to the bladder and bacterial colonization (14,15).
• Cranberry Fruit is acidic, but does not acidify the urine as previously thought. Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, also known as condensed tannins, and a high-molecular weight compound that has not yet been identified. These constituents seem to interfere with bacterial adherence to the urinary tract epithelial cells (16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23). For example, proanthocyanidins seem to be capable of “wrapping” around Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is the cause of most urinary tract infections (UTIs), and preventing it from adhering to the urinary tract wall (24,25,26). It probably also has this effect against other urinary tract pathogens (27). Cranberry, however, does not seem to have the ability to release bacteria which are already adhered to the urinary tract epithelial cells (28). Laboratory evidence suggests that fructose in cranberries might also contribute to the anti-infective activity (14,24,15). Cranberry juice has shown antibacterial activity in culture medium against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis (24,25,21). Whether urinary concentrations of the active constituents reach bactericidal levels is currently a topic of research (21). Preliminary data suggest that a high molecular weight cranberry constituent might prevent adhesion of plaque bacteria that cause periodontal disease (29). Cranberry compounds might also prevent adhesion of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the stomach (30). Early evidence shows that cranberry juice might increase the antioxidant capacity of plasma (31). There is also preliminary evidence that the proanthocyanidin fraction of cranberry might have anticarcinogenic activity (11). Cranberry, as well as many other fruits and vegetables, contains significant amounts of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid, the active metabolite of aspirin, has anti- inflammatory, antiplatelet, and antitumor effects. Cranberry juice contains about 7 mg of salicylic acid per liter. Drinking three 250 mL servings of cranberry juice daily for two weeks increases serum salicylate levels. It also increases excretion of salicylic and salicyluric acids (a salicylic acid metabolite) in the urine (32,33,34).
• Green Tea: The applicable parts of green tea are the leaf bud, leaf, and stem. Green tea is different than black and oolong teas because it is not fermented. Black tea is fully fermented and oolong tea is partially fermented. Green tea is produced by steaming fresh leaves at high temperatures. This process inactivates certain oxidizing enzymes, but doesn’t decrease polyphenols. Polyphenols such as flavanols, flavandiols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids are abundant in green tea. Flavanols including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epicatechin (EC), are all referred to as catechins. These seem to be responsible for many of the proposed health benefits of green tea (35,36,37), which include the areas of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, and impaired immune function. Green tea has also been shown to be helpful in dieting to achieve optimum weight.
• Omega 3 Blend: Fish such as herring, kipper, mackerel, menhaden, pilchard, salmon, sardine, and trout contain oils with high amounts of long-chain, polyunsaturated fats called omega-3 fatty acids. These fish oils are especially high in the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA seem to have different physiologic effects than their precursor alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid (38,39). Alpha-linolenic acid, even with long-term consumption, doesn’t have the same effects as fish oils on triglyceride concentrations, on tissue DHA concentrations, or on in vitro susceptibility to oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (39). Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils have anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic effects because they compete with arachidonic acid in the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways. Fish oils inhibit the arachidonic acid synthesis of thromboxane A2, which causes platelet aggregation and vasodilation. Fish oils can also cause increased production of prostacyclin, a prostaglandin that causes vasodilation and reduces platelet aggregation (40,41,42). Omega-3 fatty acids seem to suppress COX-2 expression and the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 alpha and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha (43).

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