You don’t have to look very far these days to find inspiration. In fact, you’ve never had to. Everyday, just by observing what’s going on around you, you witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Whether it’s climbing tall mountains, finishing a triathlon, or hiking the Appalachian Trail, or beating the odds associated with breast cancer, adjusting and living an fulfilling life after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, or managing a family while a spouse is serving your country overseas, inspiration can be found most anywhere you choose to look.

All of us face challenges. Some challenges, like athletic competitions, are self-imposed. Others, like overcoming illness or living with disease, are not. For D.J Gregory — who was born 30 years ago with cerebral palsy, underdeveloped lungs, entangled legs, and told by doctors he’d never walk — facing down challenges and overcoming obstacles takes on an entire different meaning.

As you saw from the above ESPN video, D.J Gregory challenged himself to something most of us couldn’t fathom attempting… walking every hole of every round of every event on the 2008 Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour — which turned out to be a trek of 1,000 miles.

Anytime I feel overwhelmed or like giving up, all I have to do is consider how hard D.J Gregory has to work just to make his way across a room (let alone the 1,000 mile journey he successfully completed in 2008).

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Recently, Triathlete magazine discovered PureFit Nutrition Bar’s enthusiasm for supporting worthy causes like Team Triabetes. As a result, PureFit received a nice mention on page 24 of the magazine’s July issue (click on the image–below right–for a much larger version):

If you’re unfamiliar with them, Team Triabetes is the triathlon training and support club for diabetic triathletes. In coordination with Triabetes, the group’s members aim to revolutionize the way people approach diabetes through inspiration to achieve their goals, education of the patient and medical communities about diabetes and exercise, and exploration of the physiological and social foundations of successful diabetes management.

Magazines like Triathlete probably do not receive as much credit as they should for keeping those of us who participate in and follow the sport of triathloning up-to-date and informed. Each month, Triathlete — the category leader for multisport athletes and enthusiasts nationwide — celebrates and captures the essence of the triathlon lifestyle through engaging articles and photographs. If you have never read Triathlete, the July issue, which features PureFit on page 24 and is on newsstands now, is a great place to start!

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Busting Common Soy-related Myths & Claims
By Robb Dorf

Almost every food has its time in the spotlight as the new “super food” — eggs, milk, coffee, chocolate, red wine and countless others. At any one time, magazine articles, newspaper headlines and TV segments praise a food’s amazing benefits; then a few months later (or sometimes even days or weeks), a completely new set of messages come out proposing the exact opposite.

Now it’s soy’s turn. For years, we heard nothing but positive things about soy’s cancer-fighting, heart-healthy and overall health benefits. Lately, however, word on the street is that some of those healthful claims about soy are overstated, while some are even perpetuating myths like soy does more harm than good.

Although a few negative claims have surfaced recently, there’s no need to banish soy from your diet. Let’s look at some of the most widely held soy-related myths & claims and the research that shows that soy continues to be a healthy choice.

Myth/Claim #1: Soy can contribute to cancer growth

Soybeans are rich in isoflavones, compounds that are similar to the female hormone estrogen. In some tissues, these substances mimic the action of estrogen, while in others they block the action. Recent studies on the effect of isoflavones are conflicting: Some research suggests they may reduce cancer growth, while others suggest their estrogenic activity could contribute to cancer growth.

A 2008 study in the Nutrition Journal stated that there is little clinical evidence to suggest that isoflavones increase the risk of breast cancer in healthy women or worsen the prognosis of breast cancer patients (see note 1 at end of article). Although a few recent studies have shown that soy may not offer the level of protection against cancer as once thought, other recent studies still suggest that soy plays a protective role against some cancers, including breast, colorectal and prostate cancers (see references 2-4 at the end of this article).

Bottom line: Moderate intake of dietary soy is safe, though the safety of concentrated soy supplements (e.g., pills, powders) needs further study. The American Cancer Society continues to state on their Web site that eating or drinking soy products is considered safe for those who aren’t allergic to soy, and notes that using soy foods as a substitute for some servings of animal protein is one way to reduce red meat and animal fat intake. Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, notes “just don’t expect the soy alternative to taste like red meat. That is, don’t expect the soy burger to taste like a hamburger.”

Myth/Claim #2: Soy has no positive effect on cardiovascular health

After a careful review of human studies, in 1999 the FDA gave permission for manufacturers to include a claim on their food labels that a daily intake of 25 grams of soy protein may reduce heart disease risk. Today, the degree of soy’s positive effect on heart health has come into question.

A recent study reviewed the findings in a majority of 22 randomized trials in which isolated soy protein with isolflavones (compared with milk or other proteins) decreased LDL cholesterol on average by just 3%, down from an earlier study’s findings of 12.9% (see references 5 and 6 at the end of this article). Although the more recent study showed a less significant effect on cholesterol, it still concluded that soy’s fiber, vitamins, minerals and low content of saturated fat can benefit cardiovascular and overall health. In addition, a 2005 study concluded that soy protein can reduce blood pressure and may help prevent and treat hypertension, a leading risk factor for heart disease (see reference 7 at the end of this article).

Bottom line: Although the current research shows that soy may not protect against heart disease at the level once believed, it’s still a healthy source of protein, fiber, minerals and is a great alternative to red meat — the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Source Web site suggests two to four servings per week to replace red meat.

Myth/Claim #3: Soy decreases fertility and testosterone in men

The effect of soy on men’s fertility came into question in a 2008 study that showed a decrease in sperm concentration — but not motility, morphology or ejaculate volume, which indicate sperm quality — in men who ate soy compared to those who did not (see reference 8 at the end of this article). The most significant effect was found in men who were overweight or who had a higher concentration of sperm to begin with. According to the National Infertility Association, the normal range for sperm is between 40 million and 300 million per milliliter, and counts of 20 million are considered healthy if morphology and motility are normal.

In the 2008 study, the reduction on average was 35 million, which still leaves a well-above-average sperm count for those at the top of the range who showed the most significant reduction. An earlier study in which healthy volunteers took a supplement containing 40 mg of isoflavones daily for two months also showed no effect on semen quality (see reference 9 at the end of this article).

There have been several studies on soy’s effect on testosterone, offering varying conclusions, including two recent studies on purified isoflavones and soy foods in men’s diets that found no significant changes in testosterone levels (see references 10 and 11 at the end of this article). A recent analysis of 29 trials and 32 treatment groups found no significant effects of soy protein or isoflavone intake on testosterone levels (see reference 12 at the end of this article). Based on this latest analysis, there doesn’t appear to be any cause for concern for men who enjoy a few servings of soy foods each week.

Bottom line: The 2008 study that showed a decrease in sperm concentration was most pronounced in men who had a higher-than-average sperm count to begin with and it showed no decrease in sperm quality. As for soy reducing testosterone in men, there’s simply not enough current evidence that shows this to be the case.

Moderation is the key

Though the degree to which soy may protect against particular diseases may have come into question lately, soy continues to be an excellent source of protein as part of a balanced diet. Soy is a complete protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, and is a great, low-fat alternative to red meat.

As author Nancy Clark suggests, you should enjoy soy as a quick-and-easy, cook-free protein source that takes on the wonderful taste of native cuisines, such as in Chinese stir-fries or Indian curries. Or, more easily, enjoy soy milk with breakfast cereal or a soy-containing nutrition bar before or after a workout.

About the Author: Robb Dorf, founder and CEO of PureFit, Inc. — maker of the award-winning line of PureFit Nutrition Bars — has a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise physiology and more than 15 years of experience in the health and nutrition industry. Visit www.purefit.com for more information about Robb and PureFit Nutrition Bars.

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References

1. Messina M, Wood C. Soy isoflavones, estrogen therapy, and breast cancer risk: analysis and commentary. Nutr J. 2008 Jun 3;7:17.

2. Yang G, Shu XO, Li H, Chow WH, Cai H, Zhang X, Gao YT, Zheng W. Prospective cohort study of soy food intake and colorectal cancer risk in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Feb;89(2):577-83.

3. Lakshman M, Xu L, Ananthanarayanan V, Cooper J, Takimoto CH, Helenowski I, Pelling JC, Bergan RC. Dietary genistein inhibits metastasis of human prostate cancer in mice. Cancer Res. 2008 Mar 15;68(6):2024-32.

4. Badger TM, Ronis MJ, Simmen RC, Simmen FA. Soy protein isolate and protection against cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Apr;24(2):146S-149S.

5. Sacks FM, Lichtenstein A, Van Horn L, Harris W, Kris-Etherton P, Winston M; American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Soy protein, isoflavones, and cardiovascular health: an American Heart Association Science Advisory for professionals from the Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006 Feb 21;113(7):1034-44.

6. Anderson JW, Johnstone BM, Cook-Newell ME. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy protein intake on serum lipids. N Engl J Med. 1995;333:276-82.

7. He J, Gu D, Wu X, Chen J, Duan X, Chen J, Whelton PK. Effect of soybean protein on blood pressure: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2005;143(1):1-9.

8. Chavarro JE, Toth TL, Sadio SM, Hauser R. Soy food and isoflavone intake in relation to semen quality parameters among men from an infertility clinic. Hum Reprod. 2008 Nov;23(11):2584-90.

9. Mitchell JH, Cawood E, Kinniburgh D, Provan A, Collins AR, Irvine DS. Effect of a phytoestrogen food supplement on reproductive health in normal males. Clin Sci (Lond). 2001 Jun;100(6):613-8.

10. Kumar NB, Krischer JP, Allen K, Riccardi D, Besterman-Dahan K, Salup R, Kang L, Xu P, Pow-Sang J. A Phase II randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of purified isoflavones in modulating steroid hormones in men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2007;59(2):163-8.

11. Maskarinec G, Morimoto Y, Hebshi S, Sharma S, Franke AA, Stanczyk FZ. Serum prostate-specific antigen but not testosterone levels decrease in a randomized soy intervention among men. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2006 Dec;60(12):1423-9.

12. Hamilton-Reeves JM, Vazquez G, Duval SJ, Phipps WR, Kurzer MS, Messina MJ. Clinical studies show no effects of soy protein or isoflavones on reproductive hormones in men: results of a meta-analysis. J Am Dietetic Assoc. (in press).

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PureFit is humbled by the fact that so many grocery stores, gyms, and specialty retailers choose to carry and recommend our bars (over 2,500 at last count). Recently, larger chains have started to take notice, including Costco.

Costco is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the world (based on sales volume), and the fifth largest general retailer here in the United States. As of today — June 1, 2009 — we are pleased to announce you can now find PureFit Nutrition Bars at the following Costco locations in Texas:

• Costco Austin: 10401 Research Blvd.; Austin, TX 78759
• Costco Arlington: 600 W. Arbrook; Arlington, TX 76014
• Costco Duncanville: 250 W. Hwy. 67; Duncanville, TX 75137
• Costco El Paso: 6101 Gateway Blvd., West Bldg 3; El Paso TX 79925
• Costco East Plano: 3800 N. Central Expressway; Plano, TX 75074
• Costco Ft. Worth: 5300 Overton Ridge Blvd; Ft. Worth, TX 76132
• Costco Houston: 3836 Richmond Ave.; Houston, TX 77027
• Costco Katy: 1150 Bunker Hill Road; Houston, TX 77055
• Costco Lewisville: 851 Highway 121; Lewisville, TX 75067
• Costco San Antonio: 5611 UTSA Blvd.; San Antonio, TX 78249
• Costco Selma: 15330 IH-35 North; Selma, TX 78154
• Costco Sonterra Park: 1201 N. FM 1604 E.; San Antonio, TX 78232
• Costco South Austin: 4301 W. William Cannon Dr.; Austin, TX 78749
• Costco Southlake: 2601 E. State Hwy. 114; Southlake, TX 76092
• Costco West Plano: 1701 Dallas Parkway; Plano, TX 75093
• Costco Willowbrook: 12405 North Gessner Rd.; Houston, TX 77064

Thanks to Costco and all of our Texas customers for supporting us.

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Like many people I know, Florida triathlete Stacy Lane was looking for a healthy nutrition bar when she called our office to inquire about PureFit Nutrition Bars. A few weeks later, Stacy sent me the following message:

Hi Robb,

I wanted to let you know that I received the samples of your Pure Fit Bars and absolutely loved them. A review of your product has been posted on my blog. Thank you again for the samples and for putting such a great product on the market. I will definitely be a loyal customer.

Have a great day!

Stacy Lane

The only thing better than receiving a letter like that is reading the review Stacy posted on her blog:

I have been meaning to tell you guys about the Pure Fit Bars I tried the other day. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the bars because someone (ahem…my hubby) deleted them off of the camera. The bars are all long gone now so just imagine a protein bar in a white wrapper and the words Pure Fit.

Robb over at Pure Fit sent me a sample package of the bars and they were absolutely amazing! I received four of the bars and I enlisted my sexy man and a couple of friends to help with the taste testing. Pure Fit Bars contain NO dairy, wheat, gluten, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils or trans fat and it was recently named “Nutrition Bar of the Year” by Bike magazine. The texture of the Pure Fit Bars are very similar to a Jay Robb protein bar and the taste is excellent. Let me share with you what one of my review helpers thought:

“I tried the Berry Almond Crunch Pure Fit bar. Now, I am not normally a berry bar head but as I kept on chewing, the taste surpassed my preconceived thoughts. This bar leaves a nice berry taste in your mouth even after you swallow…the berry flavor lingers. I love that this bar has 18 grams of protein and it is very filling and satisfying.”

My other reviewers were just as impressed with these bars and gave it rave reviews. They all asked where they could pick up more of these bars. I have seen these bars at various grocery stores in my area and they also sell them at my gym. I am sure if you look around your local natural foods store you will find them. However, the Pure Fit bars are also available online at http://www.purefit.com. Check them out because they are delicious!

Thanks, Stacy, for trying our bars and writing that review. To learn more about her quest to someday capture the Hawaii Ironman World Championship, visit Stacy’s blog: Eating to Live Love Laugh Tri.

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Question: What do you get when you combine 2 Honda Accord EX-L V6 sedans, 10 forklifts, 30 tents, 35 garden hoses, 578 portable toilets, 1,040 trash boxes, 5,000 volunteers, 14,400 bananas, $220,000, and 1,146,000 disposable cups?

Answer: The LA Marathon, of course!

As you can see, it takes a lot of people and resources to support a 26.2-mile race on city streets, including great companies like PureFit Nutrition. If you’re running in Monday’s 24th edition of the LA Marathon, be sure to stop by and see us in booth # 1138 during packet pickup, which takes place alongside the massive Run/Ex/09 Exposition at the Los Angeles Convention Center on both Saturday and Sunday.

Admission to Run/Ex/09 is free and open to the public, so even you are not running in this year’s race, you can still benefit from meeting Team PureFit in person. Stop by our booth (# 1138) for samples of the award-winning line of PureFit Nutrition Bars, great deals on our products, or just to say hello.

Run/Ex/09 Expo times:

• Saturday, May 23: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The race itself is run on Monday, Memorial Day (May 25), and if you like watching road races but cannot make it out to watch in person, it’s your lucky day. Coverage of this year’s LA Marathon is considerably expanded, with the NBC4 television broadcast being streamed in its entirety by UniversalSports.com, and a first-ever, play-by-play radio broadcast that will air on TalkRadio KABC 790 AM. In addition, the Marathon itself will be providing live race tracking and provide a live Twitter feed all during the race weekend.

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While most major grocery stores now offer dedicated sections for wheat-free and gluten-free foods, many people may be wondering how to tell if what is being promoted as wheat- and gluten-free really is what it claims to be.

Less than five years ago, wheat-free and gluten-free foods were rare and difficult to find. Unfortunately, as demand has grown, so has the controversy surrounding what should be considered wheat- and/or gluten-free.

For many, the problem lies in the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet determined how many parts per million (ppm) are permissible for a food product to be labeled “Wheat-Free” and/or “Gluten-Free.” Current research suggests that for people with celiac disease, the maximum safe level of gluten in a finished product is probably less than 0.02% (200 parts per million) and possibly as little as 0.002% (20 parts per million).

For the most part though, the three major U.S.-based celiac support organizations — the Celiac Sprue Association, Celiac Disease Foundation, and the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America — agree on what the standard should be: Less than 10 ppm. Without getting too technical, that simply means less than 10 parts per million, or an almost untraceable amount of either wheat or gluten.

While the organizations mentioned above advocate for an FDA Ruling insuring food manufacturers making the wheat-free and gluten-free claim are indeed testing at less than 10 ppm, I want you — our customers — to know that PureFit Nutrition Bars are tested for wheat and gluten on an annual basis. Without fail, our test results always come back from a lab used by the Celiac Sprue Association as “BLQ” (Below the Limit of Quantitation), with less than 5 ppm for both wheat and gluten.

Clearly, just in case you were wondering, PureFit Nutrition Bars are worthy of the wheat-free and gluten-free designation, and as long as I am running the company, that will never change. In the meantime, I will continue sending batches of our bars out for testing. Even though I know they will show “less than 5 ppm,” I will still post the test results and hope you are snacking on one of our bars when you read them.

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One of the questions I frequently receive from customers — especially road and mountain biking enthusiasts — is why is it so difficult to find PureFit Nutrition Bars at their local bike store. Despite  having an excellent track record among the nation’s top 100 bike shops, the majority of bike stores across the U.S. continue to overlook us, and here’s why:

1. It’s the economy, stupid: Bike stores feel the impact of the current ‘down’ economy just like retail businesses in every other sector of society. Just yesterday, for example, we learned retail sales fell for a second straight month in April, which is a disappointing performance that raises serious doubts about whether consumers are regaining their desire to shop, let alone shop for high-end bicycles sold by independent retailers. My educated guess… most bike shop owners are not presently focusing on adding new nutritional items, even if they take up minimal shelf space and are excellent for cyclists.
2. It’s a $2.00 item: Lets face it; bike storeowners and managers like to sell bikes. Reliable and performance-driven bikes cost between $500.00 to $5,000.00 and even more. Bike stores have a tough enough sales job as it is, let alone the wherewithal or desire to educate consumers on the virtues of a $2.00 nutrition bar (which, I might add, won’t melt in its packaging, making it ideal for both road and mountain bikers).
3. It’s all about the cost: That’s right; consumers are buying their nutritional items — like most perishable goods — at the most inexpensive places they can find. This trend has not gone unnoticed among bike storeowners and the employees they hold accountable for buying in and displaying products like PureFit Nutrition Bars. Nowadays, enthusiasts — regardless of what kinds they are (bike, running, kayaking, hiking, etc.) are turning to discount vitamin stores, online retailers, and membership club stores like Costco for the best deals in town. Long gone are the days when bike shops could count on the majority of their customers buying everything for a Saturday morning ride from them. In these economic times, which I believe are far from over by the way, consumers are not only cutting back, but they tend to buy only what they need and at the cheapest prices they can find.
4. It’s all about the shelf space, too: Traditionally, bike stores have not offered a lot of floor or shelf space for nutrition items like nutrition bars. Therefore, the little space available (e.g., racks near the cash register or the counter space upon which you rest your hands during checkout) is highly sought after and usually goes to ‘popular’ brands. Despite the fact that leading trade magazines like Bicycle Retailer recommend bike stores dedicate larger amounts of space to nutritional items such as PureFit Nutrition Bars, not enough do. Ultimately, the bike industry as a whole is giving those sales away to other stores.

Despite our current economic climate and the way some bike shops approach retailing, consumer preference and demand can bring with it an entirely new approach. If you really want to be able to buy PureFit Nutrition Bars from your local bike store, be sure to tell the store’s owner or manager about your preference. Remember, it’s all about what you want!

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In case you missed it, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products. Some Hydroxycut products, warns the FDA, are associated with serious liver injuries. Really, ya think!?! Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes), brown urine, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.

For the uninformed, Hydroxycut is the brand name of some of America’s top-selling weight loss products, which sadly are taken by millions of well-intentioned consumers each year.

A lot of people do not know that dietary supplements like Hydroxycut are NOT regulated by the FDA before they are marketed as magic weight loss supplements. More often than not, as we’re now finding out with Hydroxycut, unregulated supplements supported by trumped-up marketing claims, may in fact contain potentially harmful ingredients. In short, the FDA’s consumer advisory about certain Hydroxycut-branded products should be a wake-up call to anyone looking for shortcuts to weight loss and weight management.

Be very careful when trying to use supplements to enhance your workouts or gain results in a short amount of time. Listen to your body — especially your heart rate — and seriously consider frequent blood tests to make sure your organs are healthy before staring any new exercise regiment or program. The general consensus in both the medical and fitness fields is this… Diet and exercise are still the safest and healthiest ways to achieve body fat loss and healthy weight management. Magic pills like certain Hydroxycut-branded products… not so much!

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With all the marathons and fitness expos we travel long distances to throughout the year, it sure is nice to be able to load up the PureFit truck and drive across town for an event. If you live in Southern California and are interested in meeting Team PureFit in person, stop by the OC Fair and Event Center this Friday and Saturday (May 1 & 2) between Noon and 6:00 p.m. You’ll find us right alongside packet pick-up for the 2009 OC Marathon, which last year attracted 10,000 race day participants.

The neat thing about the OC Marathon-aside from the obvious (OC runners and seaside views)-is that last year’s event attracted 1,400 students from Orange County schools who got to participate in their first marathon event through the Kids Run The OC Training Program. Another thing we like about this event, aside from its proximity to our office, is that after it was all said done, last year’s race helped contribute to the nearly $2,000,000 raised by and for local charities through the event since 2004.

For more information, visit the 2009 Avia OC Marathon website, and be sure to say hello if come through packet pick-up and the Health, Fitness & Nutrition Expo.

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