LEHI, Utah, Feb. 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: NATR ), a leading natural health and wellness company engaged in the manufacture and direct sale of premium-quality nutritional and personal care products, today announced it is opening a multi-million dollar research center to uncover the effects of nutritional products on the human body.
Americans spend over $34 billion annually on nutritional supplements. 1 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34 percent of Americans have metabolic syndrome and are three times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Globally, 39 percent of adults were overweight in 2014, and 13 percent were obese. 2 Additionally, heart disease is a factor in over 30 percent of all deaths. 3
"The Hughes Center for Research and Innovation is designed to help combat health mega-trends driven by diet and lifestyle choices through natural, nutritionally therapeutic products," said Gregory L. Probert, Nature's Sunshine Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Combining our scientists with new technology, we will continue to lead development of effective herbal and nutritional products for consumers worldwide by studying supplement interactions at a molecular level."
"We are opening the most advanced research center of its kind to discover solutions because we are deeply committed to identifying the most effective natural products to combat these growing mega-trends," said Probert. "We are thrilled Utah Governor, Gary Herbert, is officially opening this significant expansion, which is a signal of economic strength and nutritional supplement advancements."
Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, the multi-million-dollar Hughes Center allows scientists to analyze interactions between the body's systems and nutritional supplements at a molecular level, thereby guiding discovery to the most bioactive and efficacious formulations.
"The Hughes Center for Research and Innovation incorporates some of the most advanced technology in the industry," said Dr. Matthew Tripp, Nature's Sunshine Chief Scientific Officer. "For example, the Flexmap3D can analyze 500 analytes, such as genes and proteins, from a single human sample, such as a drop of blood."
"Moreover, with this machine, 144,000 data points can be analyzed in one hour, which provides rapid quantitative analyses of various biomarkers."
A team of chemists, biologists and physicians will work from the 5,400 sq. ft. center, which includes labs, clinical space and exam rooms for consultations and clinical studies.
About Nature's Sunshine Products
Nature's Sunshine Products (Nasdaq: NATR ), a leading natural health and wellness company, markets and distributes nutritional and personal care products through a global direct sales force of over 660,000 independent Managers, Distributors and customers in more than 40 countries. Nature's Sunshine manufactures most of its products through its own state-of-the-art facilities to ensure its products continue to set the standard for the highest quality, safety and efficacy on the market today. The Company has four reportable business segments that are divided based on the characteristics of their Distributor base, similarities in compensation plans, as well as the internal organization of NSP's officers and their responsibilities (NSP Americas; NSP Russia, Central and Eastern Europe; Synergy WorldWide; and China and New Markets). The Company also supports health and wellness for children around the world through its partnership with the Sunshine Heroes Foundation. Additional information about the Company can be obtained at its website, www.naturessunshine.com .
1 Nutrition Business Journal, Supplement Business Report 2014
2 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
3 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/
Tim Brown Richter7 PR 801.557.1466 cell
