Who we are, how we got here, and our promise to you

Patrick Furlong, BerryBoost™, Inc. Founder and President

How my aching body and declining vitality inspired the company

I became interested in health and aging in my mid-fifties when I began to experience more of those aches and pains that begin to affect us all around this time of life (if not a lot sooner). I also found myself taking more and more medications to address various seemingly unrelated health issues (rising blood pressure, rising blood sugar, joint pain, and fatigue). I was overweight and out of shape. I was concerned and uncertain about what I wanted out of the rest of my life and what to do about my deteriorating health status.

I thought “it has to be better than this”.

This started me on a journey to explore the areas of health and aging. I researched nutrition and exercise and began slowly to make changes in my diet and my exercise habits. I lost weight, became more energized and motivated, and reduced my dependence on prescription drugs. I also went through a period of reflection and study about the “Third Age” and how to make the most of this period of my life.

Healthy aging became a passion

My growing interest in healthy aging led me to complete a graduate degree in gerontology (the study of aging and disease prevention) from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC.

The vision for BerryBoost™ first began to develop during my graduate work when I took a class called “Alternative Medicine and Aging”. As part of this class I was required to do a research project on nutrition, supplements, and health to determine which supplements I would recommend.

As a result of this research, I became very concerned about the types and amounts of vitamin and mineral supplements individuals were taking.

At this time, 2002, the research was just beginning to emerge regarding the dangers of taking high doses of vitamin and mineral supplements for general health and for athletic performance and recovery. Since then, more and more research has validated the risks. Now many leading academic and research institutions as well as nutrition and aging experts have changed their stance on recommending high doses of fractionated vitamin and mineral supplements for general health and for athletic performance and recovery. (You can read more about the dangers of consuming high doses of vitamins and minerals from supplements by clicking here or on the “Scientific Research” button above.

During my graduate work, I also began to review a great deal of research on whole food concentrates, particularly berries, and their health benefits

I found that the majority of dietary phytochemical research done on humans and animals was done with whole food liquid or powder concentrates, not the whole foods. These studies also used doses that were higher than you would normally get from dietary sources alone. Among all the plant foods studied for their dietary phytochemical properties, berries appeared to have the widest array of health benefits. (For optimum health, we encourage our customers to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in addition to taking BerryBoost™ products.)

I found that European and Asian countries had been using berry concentrates safely and effectively for years for a wide range of conditions that Americans generally address with prescription drugs. Study after study, including double blind placebo controlled studies, showed berry concentrates were effective at reducing blood pressure, reducing inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, reducing bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol, reducing blood glucose, protecting against viruses and bacteria, improving digestive health, improving skin health, eye health, bone and joint health, and brain health. And, berry dietary phytochemicals had more than three times the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power than vitamins C and E.

Connecting the dots

During another graduate school class, “Stress, Health, and Aging”, I began to read more and more research about the connection between chronic low-grade inflammation and what we once considered unrelated health conditions: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, digestive disorders, bone, joint, skin, and eye disorders as well as immune dysfunction.

“In the evolutionary past, the human species also evolved longer lifespans, apparently doubling that of a great ape ancestor. These redoublings of longevity may be understood in terms of reduced levels of inflammation. There is a remarkable overlap of inflammatory processes in arterial disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and diabetes.” Caleb E. Finch: The Biology of Human Longevity: Inflammation, Nutrition, and Aging in the Evolution of LIfespans.

“Aging is characterized by a peculiar chronic inflammatory status that we propose to call inflammaging. Inflammaging, i.e. the up-regulation of a variety of anti-stress responses at the cellular and molecular level, is the consequence of the ability of the body to adapt to and counteract the effects of a variety of stressors, which causes the accumulation of molecular and cellular scars. Inflammaging is considered the common and most important driving force of age-related pathologies, such as neurodegeneration, atherosclerosis, diabetes and sarcopenia (muscle deterioration), among others, all of which share an inflammatory pathogenesis.” Claudio Franceschi. Centenarians as a Model for Healthy Aging. Biochemical Society Transactions. 2003 April;31(2):457-61.

At the American Aging Association Conference held in Oakland in 2005, I met Italian researcher, Dr. Claudio Franceschi. Dr. Franceschi is a leading researcher on chronic low-grade inflammation and the diseases we associate with aging. He coined the term “inflammaging” to describe this condition that essentially characterizes the aging process. Through Dr. Franceschi’s scientific presentations at this conference and reading the works of other leading researchers like Dr. Caleb Finch at the Leonard David School of Gerontology at USC, it became clear to me that chronic low-grade inflammation, or “inflammaging”, was the most serious health threat we face as we age (athletes are particularly vulnerable to the damage from “inflammaging”).

Berries to the Rescue

The symptoms of “inflammaging” affect us all and may include fatigue, rising blood pressure, rising blood glucose, diabetes, joint and bone disorders, eye and skin disorders, digestive disorders, and immune dysfunction. These symptoms inevitably lead to heart disease, cancer, brain diseases, disability, and death. From my research, I knew that the unparalleled variety and efficacy of phytonutrients in berry concentrates were ideally suited to help address the symptoms of “inflammaging” and potentially mitigate the risks of the diseases that result.

A clear vision

Once I understood that vitamin and mineral supplements were not the panacea we once thought; understood the role of chronic low-grade chronic inflammation and disease; and understood the ability of berry concentrates to protect and repair molecular and cellular damage from “inflammaging”; the vision for BerryBoost™ became clear. I began working with the leading researchers on berries from prestigious universities and research institutions here and abroad and with whole food concentrate suppliers here and abroad to find the best of the best whole food concentrates for BerryBoost™ formulas.

More than a supplement company: At BerryBoost™ we’re in business for two equally important reasons:

Reason #1: Winning the war on “inflammaging” by providing you with the most advanced whole food concentrates available anywhere in the world today. We continually evaluate our products and those of our competitors to ensure that BerryBoost™ whole food concentrates remain the most effective and the purest on the market. We continue to work with leading researchers who help guide and counsel the company in applying the latest scientific and nutritional research to our product formulations. You are assured that BerryBoost™ will continue to lead the industry in providing the most nutritious, purest, and nutrient dense whole food concentrate formulas on the market.

Reason #2: Health Promotion. Taking our products will help you on your way to optimum health. But, without lifestyle changes that build on your commitment to good health, you will not gain the full benefit of our products. That is why we also provide you with the tools to help you live a longer, healthier, and more purposeful life through the “BerryBoost™ Anti-Inflammaging Program” (the best anti-aging program is an anti-inflammaging program), our free newsletters, and health alerts.

Distribution through health and wellness professionals

BerryBoost™ products are available only through our health and wellness affiliates and from this site. Our products are not available in stores. This helps insure reliable information and proper guidance is provided to you and also helps us streamline our distribution system to keep prices as low as possible.

You can learn more about the quality that goes into our products by clicking here or on the “Product Info” button. You can learn more about “inflammaging” and review over 100 citations on the health-promoting benefits of our ingredients by clicking here or on the “Scientific Research” button. You can learn more about the specific products and ingredients in our line of whole food concentrates by clicking here or on the “Order” button above.

Learn about our 100% satisfaction guarantee by clicking here.

Caution

Although our concentrates are safe for most individuals, there are contraindications which you may find in our package inserts or by clicking here.

To your health

Patrick Furlong
BerryBoost™, Inc. Founder