| Banking on broccoli |
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| Written by Melissa Renwick |
| Friday, 16 April 2010 13:14 |
A Calgary company is hoping that a vegetable seed is the key to repairing skin’s DNA damage and reducing visible aging symptoms
Some Albertans who have been suffering with skin conditions for years are seeing drastic improvements, with the help of local skin care company, Newco Enterprises Inc. “Every time a cell produces a new cell in your body, it loses a little bit of DNA,” said Marty Newcomen, president and CEO of Newco Enterprises Inc., a Calgary based skin care company. “Every cell in your face is replaced every two years – including your ears – so, you get a new face every two years,” Newcomen said. “From (age) zero to age 70, your face has photocopied or duplicated itself 35 times. The problem is, every time you take a photocopy, and photocopy of a photocopy, you lose a little bit of quality.” Newcomen introduced sulforaphane as an ingredient into a skin care line two years ago. Sulforaphane is obtained from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. Newcomen said that his sulforaphane skin care and supplement line has given him a “renewed passion” for his business. The sulforaphane line consists of a DNA restore lotion, a DNA restore ointment and supplements containing broccoli seed powder. Newcomen said that one capsule is equivalent to about one kilogram of broccoli. “I’ve always enjoyed natural products,” Newcomen said. “I took a geology degree at the University of Calgary, so I guess I got back to earth one way or another.” Newcomen said he felt the need to incorporate the capsules into his skin care company because he thinks that better results can be achieved if the supplement is added to a client’s skin care regime. Newcomen said that more than 1,400 clinical publications about sulforaphane have been printed since 1992. He said they all indicate the compound’s ability to boost detoxifying and protective reactions in the skin, while also promoting cellular integrity. “DNA breakdown is called carcinogenesis and the four things that cause carcinogenesis are: viruses, radiation, chemicals and reactive oxygen species,” Newcomen said. “You’re under attack all the time; this protects you.” Skin creams need to have approval if they make therapeutic claims, said Health Canada spokesperson, Christelle Legault. Newco is going through the steps of regulatory approval with Health Canada so it can substantiate its claims of anti-aging benefits and DNA repair. Currently, the company has support from NHP Consulting Inc., a research-consulting corporation that assists companies in achieving their regulatory requirements on the Canadian market. Having a Natural Product Number allows companies to make claims. For proprietary reasons, Health Canada won't say if the product is going through the Natural Product Number approval process. However, NHP Consulting Inc.’s operations manager, Adrian Rodriguez, said in an email, “From the research that we have completed on this product, we are able to ascertain that it will be very effective in reducing visible signs of aging and in helping improve the repair of DNA. This product is also unique in its ability to aid in such purposes as: wound healing, improving skin appearance and as a protectant from UV damage.” Gordon Oliver is the owner of Oliver Health Foods in Lethbridge, which has been operating since 1953. Oliver has suffered from skin cancer for 15 years. Two years ago he started using Newco’s DNA repair ointment and says that there’s been big changes with the condition of his skin. “I have skin cancer, especially bad on my ears and it’s almost cleared up on the one ear, and the other one has been doing a lot better,” Oliver said. “It’s the only thing I’ve been using because nothing else that I tried before did anything but make it worse. It took a while; it wasn’t immediate, but since then, there’s been a big improvement.” Broccoli sprouts are patented by Johns Hopkins University, where Paul Talalay, M.D., professor of pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University, and his research team made the sulforaphane and broccoli sprout discoveries. “The evidence obtained from laboratory animals and cells, including human cells, is promising that SGS (sulforaphane glucosinolate) may help the body disarm cancer-causing agents at an early stage,” Talalay said in a press release from Brassica Protection Products LLC, which brings Johns Hopkins University research to the market. Newcomen said that client’s “finer (wrinkle) lines will disappear and the deeper ones will decrease in depth ... this is an anti-aging phytonutrient. It’s going to minimize the change of your looks, it’s going to keep you younger (for) longer.” Some of the other ingredients that are in Newcomen’s sulforaphane skin care line are: Australian tea tree oil, beeswax, lavender, Vitamin E, green tea and pomegranate seed oil. Everything is naturally preserved and there are no chemicals added, “because as you know, chemicals cause DNA to break down,” Newcomen said. “It’s not just one active ingredient, because one active is one active, but if you take multiple actives you create a synergy.” Rick Kohut, owner of Health Street in Olds, Alta., has been carrying Newcomen’s skin care line since the store opened in 2008. “We eliminate ingredients from our store, so one of the reasons we sell Newco is because most of their products fit our store,” Kohut said. “It’s all natural and one of our best selling lotions. It’s nice because it actually works.” Although Newco products can be found right from Vancouver Island all the way to the Maritimes in natural health food stores, Newcomen has been trying to expand his company overseas for years. Before he created his sulforaphane skin care and supplement line, he had a booth in the Canada Export Centre – a service which promotes Canadian companies for international trade. But after two years of nothing panning out, Newcomen walked because of the costly nature of the service. However, the Canada Export Centre kept Newcomen’s company name on its website and about two and half months ago, some South Koreans showed interest in his sulforaphane skin care and supplement line. “They have all the same health problems as us, but they also have this thing called atopic dermatitis, it’s kind of like eczema, (caused) from the pollution over there,” Newcomen said. After giving the South Koreans a presentation in Vancouver and sending them home with samples of his products, they are now in the midst of trying to register the product in South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. Newcomen said that Newco Enterprises Inc. is the only skin care line that uses sulforaphane in their products at the moment, but he sees this changing in the near future. |
