All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S04E13.The.Science.Behind.Supplements.720p.WEBRip.x264-KOMPOST_track3_[eng]

[Richard Sheffield] Join us,
Tomorrow's World Today.

As we journey through
the worlds of inspiration,

creation, innovation
and production.

To find the ideas
and technologies

that are shaping our future.

On this episode, we visit
the world of innovation,

to explore, how humans can get
more nutrient absorption.

Discover how technologies
inspired by nature

are benefiting the supplements
we take today.

From Inventionland
world headquarters,

here's your host George Davison.

No matter how well
you take care of yourself,

no matter your workout regimen,

you simply can't
turn back the clock

let alone stop it.

The simple fact is

we're all getting older
every single day,

but there are things
that you can do

to live a life that's healthier.

There are scientists inventing
all sorts of new formulas

for vitamins.

They're also utilizing
time-tested herbal traditions.

These new formulas
are giving us,

well, a more natural wellness.

When you hear
the word fermentation

you're probably thinking beer,

but did you know,
that vitamins and minerals

can also be fermented.

It was discovered
that when they are,

they can also help
to breakdown the key nutrients

and then combine them
with probiotics

and whole foods,
so that body can absorb

all that goodness quicker.

Fermented multivitamins

are unlocking the power within.

So, I'd like to find out more
about the technology

the processes and the promise

of these nutrients and Vitamins.

I'm sending Darieth, to Vermont

to report back
on what she finds.

[Darieth Chisolm] Hey, George, I'm
here in this beautiful spot in Vermont,

nestled just above
the green mountains

surrounded by the finest
that nature has to offer.

And it's the natural spot
to begin to learn about

the story of a company
that has been a true pioneer

in the field
of dietary supplements

and one the very first
to combine herbs,

food and nutrients
to promote natural wellness.

The company I'm talking about
is called New Chapter,

and it's roots go back to 1982.

So, follow me as we discover,

how supplement are made
and used.

[instrumental music playing]

I'm really excited to learn the
whole story behind New Chapter.

Starting from the very beginning

and more importantly, what the
mission is behind this company

and how it has grown over
the past nearly four decades.

This is an amazing facility,

just as beautiful as the
countryside surrounding it.

But I know, there's
a whole lot more

to this place than just
what meets the eye.

I wanna find out
all about the products

that have been created
and developed here.

And for that I'm meeting
with Charlotte Traas,

who will give me more
on the back story

and where they grew
the very first herbs.

Hi, Charlotte.

Hi, Darieth welcome to Vermont

[Darieth] Oh thank you,
I'm ready to learn more.

[Charlotte] Well New Chapter
was found in 1982,

and we are known
for being leaders

in innovation within
the supplement industry.

We were one
of the first companies

to ferment multi-vitamins

made with organic ingredients
as well as organic herbals.

And when you ferment them,

they actually work differently,

you know they're formulated
for absorption.

[Darieth] So, let's talk a
little bit about some of the first

herbs and ingredients
that you used.

[Charlotte] Sure,
so New Chapter sources

from all over the world
where things grow best,

like turmeric from India

or elderberry, from small
family farms in Austria.

And then we also
ferment those ingredients

and include them
into our multivitamins.

[Darieth] With all this sourcing
you're doing from around the world,

you do a lot,

something tells me
you don't do it alone,

tell me about some
of your partners.

[Charlotte] No, we have many
quality partners that we work with,

one that really stands out
is the Rodale Institute.

The Rodale Institute
is known for being leaders

in regenerative agriculture.

Why don't we go in
and take a look?

[Darieth] Yeah.

You know, Charlotte
I really love

coming to co-ops
and going to farmers markets.

It's so great
to see such beautiful

fruits and vegetables.

But I'm curious,
why is it that we can't really

get all of the nutrients
that we need

out of all of these gorgeous
fruits and vegetables?

[Charlotte] Well you can, but
the truth is, most people don't.

Unfortunately, our fruit is
lot less nutrient dense now

than it was in the 1970s.

In fact, you'd have to eat

eight oranges today
to get the same nutrition

that you would've gotten
out of one orange, in the 1970.

[Darieth] Really, is that
because of soil turnover?

[Charlotte] Yes, and that's
why it is so important

to take a multivitamin.

It's really like
nutritional insurance.

But, we also partner with
really important situations

like the Rodale Institute

and they're really
helpful at putting

nutrients back in to the soil,

to make more nutritious food.

In fact, they've actually
setup a tour for you

of the Rodale Institute.

It's in Pennsylvania,

so, it's about
a five hour drive.

Okay, well, we are used
to driving and travelling.

So, I'll head over there,
but I'll be back,

'cause I have
more questions for you.

[Charlotte] Well, have a safe
trip and enjoy New England.

[Darieth] Okay, I will, thanks.

[Darieth] Well,
I've made it here

to the Rodale Institute,
to learn more about,

regenerative organic agriculture

and how they grow
and compare conventional

versus organic crop.

So, let's check in
with Dr. Drew Smith.

-Hi, Drew,
-Hi, Darieth, how are you?

- Good to see you.
- Oh, good to see you.

So tell me a little more about
the work, that you do here.

[Drew] Well, Rodale Institute
is the birthplace

of Regenerative
organic agricultures.

So, we produce organic crops.

We also do research,
education and outreach

about organic agriculture.

[Darieth] But let's talk
specifically about the difference

between conventional and organic
growing and why you do this research?

[Drew] Yeah, we have, what
we call the farming systems trial,

now in its 40th year and it's
a side-by-side comparison,

of organic
and conventional practices.

Conventional meaning
the standard

chemical approach
to agriculture.

[Darieth] So, how important
is this for someone who's

maybe trying to choose between

conventional versus organic
foods and ingredients?

[Drew] We think it's vital.

We have seen,
that over the last 70 years,

there has been a decline in
the nutritional quality of our food

and at the same time,
our soils have degraded.

So, we have demonstrated
in our farming systems trial

and other research projects,

we can improve soil health

and we can produce crops
and yields that are comparable

to the conventional system.

And our goal was to demonstrate

that as you improve soil health,

you can improve the
nutritional quality of food

and ultimately human health.

So, I'd love to show you

-around the farm,
-Yeah.

[Drew] Why don't we take a look?

[Andrew] We're on our way to
the vegetable systems trial,

but I wanted to show you
an example

of the research that we do here.

Here we have corn growing
to the right

using our standard

organic practices using tillage,

where we've demonstrated,
that we can produce yields

comparable to
the conventional system.

But right next to it,

we have a no-till system,

where we, we not use tillage.

And we... developed the system
without the use of herbicides

to grow no-till corn
and other crops.

And what we will be able to show

over a long period of time

is that we can have yields,
in corn and other crops

that are comparable
to our standard organic system

without the use of tillage.

And this is an example
of the kind of systems that we

are working on here,

that are effective, efficient

- and regenerative.
- Hmm.

[Drew] So, Darieth,
we're now in the middle

of the vegetable systems trial,

where we are growing
organic vegetables

and here we have organic
uh, vegetable plots

and just 30 feet away,

we are growing
conventional vegetable plots.

And we're comparing soil health

as well as nutritional quality

of the fruits and vegetables
grown there.

We're specifically,
growing root crops

like potatoes, which is the most

consumed vegetable in the world.

Uh, fruit crops like
butternut squash

as well as leafy greens.

[Darieth] How do you research
or measure the nutritional density?

[Drew] Well,
after we harvest the crops,

we process them in the lab,

and then we measure in
the nutrients.

And these are vitamins,

minerals, amino acids, proteins

as well as bioactive compounds.

Such as Lycopene, Beta-carotene

and anthocyanin

which we're now learning are
critically important for human health.

[Darieth] And how does all of
this relate to your relationship

with New Chapter?

[Drew] Well, New Chapter's
a philanthropic partner

that is specifically funding
the vegetable systems trial.

And without
philanthropic partnerships,

uh, we really couldn't
run these trials.

[Darieth] I'm heading
back to Vermont

to take another look
at their process.

Understanding the critical role

that regenerative organic
agriculture plays

in the company's mission.

[Charlotte] When you
smell this kimchi,

what do you smell?

[man] Ooh, nasty.

[Charlotte] That's the power
of fermentation in action.

When you think of fermentation,

what's one of the first things
that comes to your mind?

- [man] Beer.
- [Charlotte laughs]

[inhales]
Yes.

But the cool part is, is that

fermentation actually
transforms foods.

It starts with simple
things, like cabbage

and turns it into kimchi

or milk and transforms
into yoghurt.

You would never give a
6-month-old baby milk, would you?

But yoghurt is so gentle
on the stomach,

thanks to fermentation.

And it's actually
one of the first foods

that doctors recommend
that you give a baby.

[Darieth] And how is
fermentation used in your products?

[Charlotte] It's so cool.

We start with
a Saccharomyces cerevisiae

which is a fancy name
for brewer's yeast, right?

And we create a broth,

and we feed the Saccharomyces,
the nutrients.

It's like, vitamin A, vitamin C,

so that it actually
incorporates in to

the cell structure of
the Saccharomyces cerevisiae,

[Darieth]
And what about probiotics?

Yes, a lot of fermented foods
are probiotic rich

and that's why we add probiotics

into our fermentation process.

Do, multivitamins help
with nutrient deficiencies?

[Charlotte] Absolutely,

multivitamins are a lot
like nutritional insurance.

Many adults are vitamin D3
deficient, right?

And multivitamins help cover
your bases,

especially during the winter,

when you're probably
not getting enough sunlight.

[Darieth] And what about
your other products?

[Charlotte] We have many
other products that incorporate

fermented nutrients like,

our Bone Strength Take Care
has fermented D3 in it,

or we make a fermented
turmeric product as well.

- [Darieth] And fish oils?
- [Charlotte] Absolutely.

Let's wrap up here and I'll
show you our sustainable fish oil.

[Darieth] We are here
along the water in New England

and that brings me to this
question about fish oil

and why it's important
to take fish oil?

[Charlotte] Well,
your body needs fats

to function properly,
especially your brain

which is why you should have

omega's to fulfill healthy fats

'cause, you know,
fats really got a bad rep

that they were all bad,
but they're not.

And that's why we make
our Wholemega,

which is wild
Alaskan Salmon Oil.

[Darieth] Why do you go
to Alaska to source it?

[Charlotte] Because our oceans
are very fragile,

and the wild Alaskan salmon
is sustainable.

What happens is, is that

the fillets go to
your seafood counter

and we use the trim
or what's left over

to press and make Wholemega.

[Darieth] There are lot of fish
oils out here and a lot of choices

but how do you know that
you're choosing the right one

and it's actually doing

what it's supposed to be doing?

[Charlotte] Wholemega was
clinically tested and shown to reduce

triglyceride levels by 8.5%,
in just two weeks.

That's amazing.

Hey, Charlotte welcome to

Phipps Conservatory,
in Pittsburgh.

Thanks' so much. I've never
been here before, it's amazing.

It is amazing, it's so great
to see you again.

It's so good to see you too.

Why don't we take a walk
and check it out?

Sound's great.

So Charlotte, I would assume
that most people

worry that they're actually
getting the ingredients

that are listed on the bottle.

How do they know?

Well, they don't.

Adulteration which is when
the ingredient is something

different than it says
on the side of the bottle

happens more often
than it should.

At best, it means you'll get
a product that doesn't work.

At worse,

it could be down
right dangerous.

Like when it was found that
they were including peanut skin

in some grape seed
extract products.

Really, how does
your company ensure it's...

New Chapter partners with
cutting edge third party labs

like Alkemists, to ensure
plant identity.

We call it giving our
botanicals a little TLC.

- TLC?
- HPTLC.

So, what is that?

It's High Performance
Thin Layer Chromatography.

It's a great way to identify
plants and botanicals.

- So, tell me more.
- Sure

High Performance
Thin Layer Chromatography

is a great plant identity test.

It measures different
phytochemicals within the plant

against world class samples,

to make sure a plant is
what it says it is.

So, does every
supplemental company do this?

No, that's what makes New
Chapter special and unique.

We really try
to go the extra mile

to ensure quality
for our customers.

[Elan M. Sudberg]
Alkemists labs and New Chapter

have been partnering
for over a decade.

At Alkemists Labs, we help
our clients be the botanical best,

by first making sure they have
the correct starting ingredients.

What makes HPTLC special

is that it tells the clearest
and most unarguable

story about a plant's identity,

by matching
phytochemical fingerprints

of the test sample
to the chemical finger prints

of a control sample.

I think the consumers
feel trust.

I think they feel like,

they're proud of their purchase,

when they look at
a brand that shows

the whole quality story

and not just use
of proprietary methods.

Or stands
behind confidentiality.

[Darieth] I've made it here to
the board room at New Chapter

and I'm joined with the general
manager Blaine Streisand.

Blaine, let's get started
talking a little bit about

National Safety Foundation,
who are they?

[Blaine] So the NSF is
a third party organization,

who has been around since 1944.

There focus is on, uh,

certifying that all products
meet public health

and safety standards.

We do extensive partnering
with them,

uh, mostly around ethical
and sustainable sourcing.

[Darieth] So, you also work
with them on an assessment tool,

tell me a little more about
that and how that works.

Yeah, they've helped us develop
an ethical sourcing assessment tool.

To make sure that each
and every supplier

abides by a standard

and a threshold that is
essential to meeting

New Chapter's
high quality standards.

Whether it be
sustainable sourcing,

whether it be
high quality ingredients

whether it be
paying farmers for wages,

whatever it may be,

this is a foundational platform

that New Chapter is built off of

to ensure that every
single product

that we deliver to the market

is consistent,

high quality and efficacious
for the end user.

[Darieth] So, it sounds to me
like they are really important

to you meeting
the responsibility

to your end consumer.

[Blaine] That's correct,
not only do they help us

partner with suppliers
who provide us

these highest quality
ingredients

for our products today,

but we also work with them
very diligently

on how to find new suppliers
for the future.

[Darieth] We are under
an incredible

amount of stress these days
and our nutrition is challenged.

Why is supplementation
is so important

now and in the future?

[Blaine] We need to focus
on eating good foods

and also supplementing them,

where we're
nutritionally deficient.

And it's important for the...

for us in the future,
to make sure

that we're working with
manufacturers and suppliers,

who are focused
on ethically sourcing,

sustainability
and regenerative farming

to improve the overall
nutritional outtake of food

and also supplementation.

[Darieth] You know, I
generally take something back

for George,
and so is there something

that you might recommend?

[Blaine] Yeah, there is
one product that I suggest,

to, to George,
one of our multivitamins.

It's a Man's 55+,

uh, multivitamin and I'd
encourage him to take this.

He needs it and I'm sure
he'll use it.

- [Darieth] So, thank you so much.
- Wish him the best.

[Darieth] Thanks.

[Blaine] Our mission is to

raise the bar
on health and wellness

for people on planet.

And we're gonna continue
to do that.

The question is how
much more do we do

and how much further do we push?

And the key will be
building, uh,

principles and pushing people
around us,

to continue to keep up
the pace that, that we are.

If we stay true
to our principles,

we will have done
a very good job.

Of course, no one
is going to look

like they do in 25 to 30 years.

The world is evolving
in incredibly rapid pace.

Uh, but we have, what I believe,

is a foundational mission,

that I think should be
part of who we are

for the best of the future
of the brand.

Charlotte, here's George.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- Hi, Charlotte.
- [Charlotte] Hi.

- Welcome.
- [Charlotte] Thank you.

Well, I hope you don't mind,
I set the table for us.

Looks great.

And I went in on
the New Chapter purple today.

I like your style.

Thank you.

Well, please have a seat.

Thank you

Well, I was hoping

you could talk a little bit
about the supplement world.

I mean, I find this interesting,

you know, this industry
has found a way to

blend science
and nature together.

And, uh,

I know you're
an expert in that area,

can you talk with me about it?

Absolutely, I think
it's a great definition

of what we do at New Chapter.

- Connecting science, with nature.
- [George] Hmm.

But it's also
what makes us unique.

You know, we go to
the ends of the Earth,

to find the best
ingredients that we can.

And we try to source them
sustainably whenever possible,

Well let's talk
about sustainability.

In your world why is that
so important Charlotte?

[Charlotte] Well,
sustainability really should be

at the heart
of everything we do.

You know, our Earth's resources

- are finite.
- Hmm.

And so, we have
to protect them to ensure

that our industry keeps going.

And if I was to ask you

well, you know, what are
the two most important,

uh, features to think about
what would be they be?

[Charlotte] Definitely,
sustainability

and quality.

Well, I tell you
that consumer trust

is hard to earn isn't it?

- [Charlotte] Absolutely.
- Mm-hmm.

You know, trust is really key.
And how we build that

- is with transparency.
- Hmm.

Today, I brought an HPTLC,
that stands for

High Performance
Thin Layer chromatography.

Aka, it's a plant identity test.

- All right.
- And basically what it shows

is that New Chapter's ginger

matches up with a world class
botanical sample of ginger.

And that way we know
that our ginger is

not only phytonutrient rich,

but also from an identity angle

so that you know, that we're
giving you authentic ginger.

What a nice find.

- Very authentic.
- Absolutely.

It's how we partner with
Alkemists Labs.

- Yes.
- And they get it,

it's just that extra step
we take in quality,

and we deliver that
to our customers.

We think of it
as wellness well done.

There you go.
Well, thanks for coming in.

Thank you, I also brought you
a couple gifts.

This is our Ginger Force,
it's made with

regeneratively farmed
supercritical ginger.

[George] Wow, thank you.

This is a multivitamin.

[George] Hey it says 55 +,
on here is that for me.

Am I 50 yet, I don't know.

- Thanks Charlotte.
- Thanks George.