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Reliv, a leader in nutritional supplements, has just announced their newest product, GlucAffect, a powder based formula that the company says has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels and aid in controlling weight.

GlucAffect’s main ingredient, Pycnogenol is a nutrient rich antioxidant that has been shown in clinical studies to provide many health benefits, namely lowering high blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels along with excess weight are two of the main factors in metabolic syndrome, a disease which increases the chance of suffering from heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Nearly 47 million American has metabolic syndrome according to the American Heart Association.

Reliv conducted its own clinical study of 50 overweight people who showed signs of elevated blood glucose levels. During the eight week study, the subject taking GlucAffect not only lowered their
fasting blood glucose by around 30% percent, but also lost an average of 16 pounds.

“Metabolic syndrome is a serious, emerging health concern among the medical community, and physicians are more frequently looking to nutritional science as a complement to traditional care and prescriptive remedies. We see the study results of GlucAffect as a significant development,” said Dr. Carl Hastings, vice chairman and chief scientific officer, Reliv.

The new product comes in a powder form that can be blended with any liquid; water, juice, coffee or
milk to make a nutritional beverage. The product is now available to all customers in the 13 counties where Reliv operates. This is Reliv’s 13th nutritional product. The Missouri based company currently has five products that are already patented and 2 more on the way.

Of course, it is important to note that none of the statements above have been approved by the FDA-studies that corroborate Reliv statement were done for and by the company itself.

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IMN, a software company that specializes in helping direct sales company customize communications solutions for their businesses, has just appointed Sebastian J. Leonardi as their new Vice President of Direct Selling and Multichannel Markets. IMN was founded in 1999 and in 2006 launched PartyPulse, and e-communications service that helps direct selling company better serve their customers.

The position is a brand new one for the company and is reflective of both the growth of the company and of the Direct Selling Industry. As direct sales companies continue to grow and build, the need for more advanced and specialized communications tools has become fundamental for their success.
Leonardi’s experience includes over 15 years in senior management positions, most recently serving as Vice President of Integrated Management Services, the leading management and technology consulting firm for the direct selling industry.

“We are extremely pleased to add such a strong executive to our team,” says David Fish, chief executive officer of IMN. “Sebastian Leonardi’s broad-based experience in management and technology companies for the direct selling, multichannel, financial and healthcare sectors will be invaluable in building our strong momentum in the global marketplace.”

In addition to his impressive resume, Leonardi is a frequent contributor to several direct selling publications as well as a welcome speaker at many industry events. Leonardi also serves as a member of the Direct Selling Association’s Technology Council.

Among their many clients, are some of the leaders in the Direct Selling industry, including Southern Living at Home , Scentsy and Gold Canyon.

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Riley Timmer, a financial analyst for Usana Health Sciences has just been promoted to the role of Vice President of Finance. The nutritional and personal care product company made the announcement this week.

Timmer joined USANA in 2001 as a financial analyst and later took on many of the responsibilities of investor relations including educating analyst and the public about the company. After 2 years in that role, Timmer became executive director of finance where he oversaw financial reporting and budgeting.

As Vice President of Finance, Timmer will continue to manage the financial reporting and budgeting as well as oversee accounting and the tax department. He will also be responsible to maintain communication between USANA, its shareholders and investors and all regulatory agencies.

Dave Wentz, CEO of Usana Health Sciences, said: “Riley is a valuable asset to Usana and our management team. We look forward to Riley continuing to help Usana achieve its financial goals. His financial expertise and years of exceptional work on behalf of the company have earned him this well-deserved promotion.”

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Mannatech, Inc, a global distributor of nutritional supplements and skin care products, has just announced that Terence L. O’Day, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive VP of Global Operations has resigned from the company.

O’Day made the announcement this week. O’Day has decided to join an undisclosed company in a different industry. The resignation will become effective on November 30th, 2008.

O’Day joined the Coppell, Texas based company in June of 2006. Prior to taking on his role at the direct sales company, Mr. O’Day served as Executive VP for the refrigerated foods group and ConAgra Foods, Inc. a publicly traded prepackaged food company.

His position at Mannatech marked his first foray into the world of direct sales, a world that is totally different from the standard public company. Last year, Mr. O’Day reportedly earned a heft sum of money, taking home an estimated $397,986 in total compensation.

Mannatech has not yet announced who will replace O’Day.

Popularity: 6% [?]