Do I Need Single-Ingredient Supplements if I’m Taking Total Balance?

We often get questions from customers using our Total Balance products about when they might need to add a single ingredient supplement? Total Balance is designed to offer the essentials that your body needs, feeding your cells to help slow the effects of aging, fortify your general health and boost your immune system. It’s a comprehensive, whole-body formula that’s packed with dozens of different nutrients, enzymes and minerals to promote and support energy and vitality. So do you really need anything else? Well, in some cases, you might.

Omega-3 fatty acids

An omega-3 fish oil supplement is a good way to ensure that the nutrients you take in actually do what they’re meant to, and most natural health experts say no supplement regimen is complete without an omega-3 supplement.

At its core, it helps support circulation, which in turn supports cardiovascular health.

Omega-3s are also essential for brain health, and may play a role in preventing depression.

Omega-3s may also help support the body’s response to inflammation (often linked to disease), support the loss of unhealthy body fat, stabilize blood sugar levels, erase signs of attention deficit disorder, improve the look of skin and ease the symptoms of arthritis.

While we have designed Total Balance to meet the needs of virtually everyone – we’ve designed it to work in tandem with our other Core Wellness products, including our omega-3 fish oil line and our Kiwi-Klenz.

Kiwi-Klenz

Kiwi-Klenz is manufactured from the fruit, seeds and skin of the superfood, New Zealand kiwifruit, and helps boost and support digestion, which helps improve the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients it takes in.

It also offers prebiotics that help the good bacteria in the digestive system. This is especially important if you’ve taken antibiotics, since in killing any bad bacteria, they also tend to wipe the good guys out, potentially causing digestive problems.

Our fiber-rich Kiwi-Klenz also helps prevent toxic buildup in the colon, so you may feel more energized and see improved skin as toxins are released from the body.

Coenzyme Q10

This power-packed antioxidant (also known as CoQ10) is produced naturally by the body, and plays a role in how we convert food into energy.

Sometimes, our bodies don’t make enough of it, and supplementation may help.

However, did you know that there is more than one form of CoQ10? In fact, there’s is a form of CoQ10 called Ubiquinol that is significantly more potent than ordinary CoQ10 (often referred to as Ubiquinone). Ubiquinol is the ‘reduced’ (sometimes called non-oxidized) form of CoQ10 that helps support heart health and function as well as and boosting your energy levels.

Ordinary CoQ10 doesn’t produce much energy. Your body has to convert it to Ubiquinol to do this. As we get older, many of us cannot make that conversion and those who can require very large doses of Ubiquinone.

Those taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are especially at risk of low levels of CoQ10 as statins reduce the body’s ability to produce the amount it needs for optimum health. These people, as well as those who aren’t on statins yet are over the age of 30, may also benefit from supplements such as our Omega 3 / QH Premium CoQ10...a potent blend of omega 3 fish oil, lycopene, astaxanthin and Ubiquinol. You can read more about the Ubiquinol in our Omega 3 / QH Premium CoQ10 here.

Iron

While most of us get the iron we need from the foods we eat, some may need an iron supplement to boost their health. (Ref. 3)

Those with low levels of iron often develop anemia, which includes low energy levels from a low red blood cell count. When there aren’t enough red blood cells – which provide oxygen to every cell in our bodies – we are tired and have a weakened immune system.

Women are especially at risk of developing anemia, especially those who have heavy flows during their menstrual cycle or during pregnancy.

Those people on chemotherapy, which kills off not only cancer cells, but also healthy red blood cells, may also benefit from an iron supplement,

Folic Acid

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is very important for both those women looking to get pregnant as well as those who have found out that they are in fact pregnant.

The reason is that folic acid plays a significant role in helping prevent neural tube defects (NTDs)—serious birth defects of the spinal cord (such as spina bifida) and the brain (such as anencephaly). (Ref 4.)

It’s estimated that neural tube defects affect about 3,000 pregnancies a year in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that women who take the recommended daily dose of folic acid starting at least one month before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy reduce their baby's risk of neural tube defects by 50 to 70 percent.

Folic acid is actually very important to all of us, not just pregnant women and their babies. Folic acid is vital to help make normal red blood cells and for the production, repair, and functioning of DNA, our genetic map and a basic building block of cells.

These are just a few examples of the special circumstances when you might need to consider using single-ingredient supplements.

It is important to seek medical advice before using Iron or other supplements to address a specific health condition. If you are pregnant, it is important to take medical advice on the use of any supplements.

References:

  1. http://www.xtend-life.com/Blog/14-04-15/Should_You_Supplement_With_Iron.aspx
  2. http://www.xtend-life.com/product/Omega_3_QH_Ultra.aspx
  3. http://www.babycenter.com/0_folic-acid-why-you-need-it-before-and-during-pregnancy_476.bc

6 Responses

Hi Cassandra,

Thank you for sharing your experience with our products!

It is great to hear that you are enjoying our Total Balance Women’s Premium and that it is working well for you. It is definitely a great product that delivers real results.

We do have a number of other specialty products you could add to your regime to ‘upgrade’ it even further, but this would depend on what you are wanting to address. Are you looking to improve focus, energy, mood, cardiovascular support, or something else?

For a general upgrade, our Omega 3 QH Ultra would be a good choice as it does help to support all these aspects of health. However, if you are wanting targeted support, I would recommend contacting us at customer.service@xtend-life.com for a free consultation.

Our qualified team are happy to help you identify your specific health needs and recommend the best add-on product for your current regime.

In good health,

Madelynn

Xtend-Life Expert October 26 2016

PS – further to my email of 10 mins. ago ordering the usual Total Balance and Omega 3 Ultra, I should add that I’m aware that the TB is enteric coated, and that I’m taking iron supplements at the moment. Adrian Rich

adrian rich July 11 2014

My name is Raymond Thomas & I am a very regular purchaser of Xtend Life…my mother  is 75 years & an active person & has been diagnosed with "Type B cell Lymphoma" or otherwise known as Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.. What vitamins can I order for her.

Thank you..

Raymond Thomas September 04 2014

I am a new customer, who has started on Total Balance, after switching from LifeExtension multivitamins. I chose Xtendlife, after spending substantial amount of time in research on multivitamins. I wanted to give TotalBalance a fair trial. So, i stopped all supplementation and was on pure vegetarian diet + egg whites + exercise routine for few  months, before i started taking TotalBalance.  The good news is that I saw the impact with half the recommended dosage (i always start at half the daily dosage, no matter which brand i am trying, or what supplement). I am 49 yrs old and within 10 days, i saw the impact on my body (energy level, sleep quality and duration etc.) as well as my mind (better mood, feelings and drive etc).  So, at full dosage (which is pretty much the RDI in USA), this product is going to be better. I  do not want to get into a comparison between this and other products of high quality that i have tried. 


Since the topic of this thread/question is further supplementation, i want to stay within that boundary. The answer is YES, as has been pointed out. I would like to add further to it, referencing some of my research and scientific papers. Though the bottle of Total Balance bills itself as "Comprehensive Micro Nutrient",  it lacks in certain essentials (considering US government daily recommended values). In addition, i have considered the study methodology used at:      http://www.multivitaminguide.org/study-methodology.html#ODI

Note that XtendLife is rated #1 at the above website. But, the same  study leads me to the following conclusions on Total Balance:-

1.  It is short in B9 and D3.       
2.  It is severely short in Ca, chloride, copper, Mg &phosphorus.
3.  Completely lacking – vanadium

Personally, I find the lack of Magnesium as the biggest turn off. According to the scientific papers & an article on magnesium at http://www.ancient-minerals.com, 70% of americans are not meeting the US government recommendations. Look at the 15 scientific references at the bottom of that article (http://www.ancient-minerals.com/magnesium-sources/?gclid=CLSxvvLg_8ECFYlffgod0E0AYw). This article recommends daily intake of 420mg minimum. Total balance supplies 15% of US RDI and 6% of calcium. The same article presents the evidence for why Mg is important.  One of the top nutritionists in the US recommends 400-800 mg/d (http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-4-supplement-wisely).  Mg is listed as number 2 mineral, in an article at Xtendlife itself (http://www.xtend-life.com/healthy-living/overview/more-info). 

When you consider that high quality competitors of XtendLife supply this amount in their multivitamins, i can come to only one conclusion. Xtendlife is suppressing this in Total balance, so that they can push Mg/Ca in their seperate product called "Bone support, with Magnesium".  In my opinion, any product that says on the face "Comprehensive Micro Nutrient", should supply atleast 100% of the USA recommended daily intake.

A point aside….i should note that the inclusion of "Amino Acid Blend" is simply for marketing, and the amounts present are neglible (this is left as an exercise for the reader). So, i would not mind if Xtend removes these Amino acids, and make the product a honest high quality list of ingredients. In a similar vein, i also note that "chelated forms" is the recommendation of the above mentioned Nutritionist, and i too look for chelated forms where possible (some of my chemistry from university is still in sticking !! ). Currently Total Balance, about $58 (including shipping to USA) + $30 for Bone support, still does not cover the basics recommended by USA, as daily dose.

So, my request to XtendLife, as a satisfied customer, would be to make XtendLife a more complete product, eliminate the above mentioned weaknesses, and increase the price, in order to stay at the top of the ranking. The customer base that seeks supplements at top dollar level are usually very picky customers, and they can easily spot a marketing ploy. Having moved away from LifeExtension Mix (in order not to overdose and kill my kidneys), i plan to stick with XtendLife for a while, in the hope that they listen to their  customer base.

Best wishes for continued growth of your company.

Sam November 17 2014

Hello,

Concerning Total Balance and B9: it is known that folic acid is a cheap, artificial version of B9 and is suspected to cause cancer and to have other deleterious effects. It should be replaced by folates: methylfolate or 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate. I would certainly welcome the change and so would your customers, if they were aware of this.

Also, though you indicate that D3 should best be obtained from sunrays, Total Balance contains 130% of RDV, which I wouldn’t call low. As I also take Not Just Joints, I get an extra 40%. More than enough, I guess. There are also whopping doses of vitamins C (which one normally gets plenty of anyway), E, B6, B12, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Pantothenic acid. Any reason?

Thanks for your time,

Robert

Robert Springer May 31 2015

Hi Sam,

You raise some good points.  We do not have the full amount of either calcium or magnesium in our Total Balance.  The reason for this is two fold.  One is that most people get enough calcium in their diet and they don’t need to supplement.  Remember that the RDI is based on all sources of calcium.  Another is that we simply don’t have the room unless we add another tablet.  The calcium is very cheap and we could do so at minimal cost but the first reason overshadows the decision not to add extra.

It is possible to overdose with calcium and create problems with build up in the arteries.  We take the position that if someone feels that they are deficient in calcium they can easily supplement with extra calcium as it is the cheapest ingredient on the market today.

Most people also get enough magnesium as well although there is no harm in taking extra, and the best way to get extra is through the topical application of magnesium oil.

With regard to folic acid our levels are low but they are the maximum that is allowed in New Zealand and many other markets that we supply our products to.

I know that the Vitamin D3 is also low but honestly people should not be getting their Vit D from supplements…unless they have no choice.  The intake of Vit D from supplements should be low and people should make the effort to maximize their Vit D levels from sunshine.  You can make more Vit D from 20 mins of sensible sun exposure than you will receive from a heavy monthly dose of Vit D supplements.  Sunshine is one of the keys to a healthy body as it sets off other reactions other than just the manufacture of Vit D. 

Please don’t take any notice of the scaremongers that claim sunshine is bad for you.  So long as you don’t fry yourself to a crisp it is protective against skin cancer…not the cause of it.

Very few people have a deficiency in phosphorous as it is present in many foods and drinks.  With regard to copper this must also be taken in low doses as it can be toxic and should not be taken in higher quantities unless you are diagnosed with a deficiency.

We don’t use vanadium because our formulator felt the evidence supporting its use was fairly weak and that it could interfere with some of the other ingredients.

In summary Sam it is not really practical for us to include extra calcium and magnesium in our Total Balance for the reasons outlined above.  I would suggest that if you would like additional calcium and magnesium that you get some calcium in the form of Aquamin which is a calcium from algae.  We have switched to this form.  It does not have the negative like some of the other forms of calcium, certainly carbonate which should be avoided.

For magnesium consider a topically applied magnesium oil.

By the way we do include extra calcium (Aquamin) in our Zupafood range as we have the space to do it.  However, the amount is modest and should provide more than enough calcium for someone on a reasonable diet.

I really appreciate your support and your comments…and we do listen to them.

Thank you,
Warren Matthews

Warren Matthews November 18 2014

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