Science that reflects nature's wisdom
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How ION* works
The science behind ION* lies in strengthening the cellular integrity of your body's barriers, including not just your gut, but your sinuses and skin as well. Keeping your cells connected keeps these barriers intact, which sets the stage (or "terrain" as we like to call it) for seamless interaction between you and your microbiome.
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Connection
At ION*, we're all about connection – starting with the very foundation of our science: tight junction integrity. Tight junctions are the seals between your cells which help to create defensive barriers at the gut, skin, and sinuses. They act intelligently to keep toxins and foreign particles out of the blood stream while also allowing nutrients to enter. These seals are protected by the carbon and mineral metabolites of bacterial digestion.
Unfortunately, tight junction barriers can be degraded with exposure to gluten, glyphosate (the main chemical in commercial herbicides like Roundup), and other environmental insults. ION* has been scientifically shown to promote the strengthening of this barrier through redox signaling, even in the face of those environmental insults.
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Communication
Redox signaling is perhaps the most complex aspect of our science. And yet, at its core, it's simply how your cells communicate.
Redox signaling is a fundamental network, a fluency of electrons, moving in lightning fast patterns through the cell. Mitochondria (organelles within the cell) generate redox signals as they create electrical power to fuel biology. Cells monitor these signals as sets of instructions.
Reactive oxygen species (or ROS) are also a fundamental part of the process. Natural byproducts of cellular metabolism, ROS function in two ways – by promoting the signaling that maintains physiological functions and by causing oxidative stress.
A good balance is ultimately the goal. This is why ION* works so well; it fosters communication within your unique system, helping to promote balance.
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Our innovative spark
Terrahydrite®, the innovative blend utilized across our entire ION* line, functions as a signal, not a nutrient, selectively inducing appropriate modulation of ROS depending on the condition of the cell. This means it helps to reduce ROS in healthy cells (which indicates greater efficiency in energy production), and increases ROS in cells which need immune intervention or repair.
We call this the intelligence of nature, because rather than forcing response at the cellular level, the signaling molecules in ION* amplify the cells’ own communication pathways, resulting in appropriate adaptation to the intracellular and extracellular environment.
But, how?
Well, the ancient soil from which ION* is derived contains the same redox signaling molecules that are naturally produced by your own bacteria. These bacterial metabolites reinforce the communication network that already exists within you.
By supporting a beneficial shift in bacterial composition, ION* helps cultivate the types of microbes that reinforce your cellular integrity…and by reinforcing cellular integrity, ION* strengthens the terrain upon which your microbiome resides, further promoting its ability to diversify and thrive. Talk about symbiosis.
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Our skin science goes a few steps further
While much of the foundational science for ION* applies to our Skin Support product, there are other mechanisms at play here as well.
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Reformulated for a new terrain
ION* Skin Support is specially formulated to work with keratinocytes, the primary cells forming your skin barrier.
TEER is the means by which we measure cellular integrity. We see a significant increase for skin cells when utilizing our specially formulated Skin Support.
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Balance your relationship with the sun
Exposure to the sun results in the formation of reactive oxygen species (or ROS) on your skin. And too much exposure to intense UV results in cell damage. While ROS can be beneficial, whether they signal to cells (normal messaging) or damage them depends on a delicate balance. This is the strength of ION* - it helps to naturally stabilize ROS production associated with sun exposure.
ION* Skin Support works to naturally balance production of reactive oxygen species in response to UVB.
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Beyond balance, antioxidants are key
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant made by your body and found in almost every cell. It is critical to preventing damage and resultant disease caused by reactive oxygen species. Glutathione helps to:
- Neutralize free radicals
- Boost immune function
- Detoxify the body
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Our core benefits
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Toxin protectionYour body's barriers know what to let in (nutrients) and what to ward off (toxins). But the barriers must be strong. ION* works to strengthen your gut and skin barriers at a cellular level by fostering tight junction integrity, helping to promote this intelligent defense system at a foundational level.
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Immune functionYour immune system's function is to identify and eradicate pathogens, and that process begins at your body's barriers to the outside world. Research indicates that 70% or more of the body’s pathogen-fighting white blood cells reside in the gut. By helping to keep your barriers strong, ION* displaces pathogens before your immune system is exposed to their damaging effects.
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Microbiome supportJust like you, your microbiome needs a healthy, hospitable environment to thrive. Think of your skin, gut lining, and nasal passages as terrains – upon which the health of your microbiome depends. This is where we come in. By supporting the terrain (cellular integrity), ION* facilitates microbiome health at its literal foundation.
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Cellular hydrationHealthy membranes (skin, gut, sinuses) facilitate movement of minerals and nutrients across cell membranes, also pulling in water. By improving cellular integrity and reinforcing those membranes, ION* improves the regulation of water absorption.
Stronger tight junctions = better nutrient absorption and hydration.
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Collagen productionCollagen is most associated with improving elasticity, supporting hydration, and reducing signs of aging in the skin. However, the benefits of healthy collagen formation go far deeper, helping with everything from muscle strength to joint pain to heart health. ION* has been scientifically shown to support lysine production – one of the fundamental precursors of collagen formation.
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Our science
Want to dig deeper? Our studies can provide even more insight.
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Blood-brain barrier response
Explores the connection between the microbiome and the gut and blood-brain barrier systems, as well as the improved effect that ION* has on the blood-brain barrier.
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Glyphosate protection
Establishes the capacity of ION* to block glyphosate-mediated injury in small intestinal and colon epithelial membranes.
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Gluten impact
Reveals that the addition of ION* stabilizes tight junction integrity even in the face of gluten exposure.
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Pet support
Shows the positive impact that ION* Gut Support For Pets has on barrier integrity across six species.
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Our Clinical Studies
Beyond tried and true, you deserve tested. That’s why in addition to our peer-reviewed studies, we've conducted two foundational double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that demonstrate the ability of ION* Intelligence of Nature to promote innate health in two important ways: lysine production and immune function.
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Our Lysine Trial
This double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial shows ION* Gut Support’s (formerly ION* Biome and Restore Gut Health) ability to promote microbiome production of lysine, by which it is expected to play an important role in protein production, epigenetic regulation, collagen production, immune system regulation, and a variety of cell processes.
Lysine is an essential amino acid that cannot be produced by human cells, but instead must be obtained through nutritional availability. It is produced by various bacteria, fungi, and plants through unique enzyme pathways and serves as a building block to many proteins in the human system. These proteins help produce hormones, immune cells, and enzymes. Further, lysine is central to the chemical reactions involved in the formulation of collagen.
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Our Immune Trial
This double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial validates the marked effect that ION* Gut Support has on reducing zonulin, IL-6 (an inflammatory marker), and glyphosate. Specifically, ION* Gut Support reduced zonulin by 12%, IL-6 by 17%, and glyphosate levels in the urine of adult humans by 23% over a two-week course without change in diet or exercise behavior.
Reduced zonulin could be in part due to the upregulation of the enzyme DPP4 by intestinal epithelial cells which would prevent the production of, and accelerate the removal of, zonulin in the pericellular space.
Reduced glyphosate levels are likely the result of multiple biologic pathways, including strengthened tight junction integrity, which would improve the regulatory capacity of the barrier system, keeping synthetic and naturally occurring toxins out of the immune and vascular systems.
Reduced IL-6, an inflammatory marker, could reflect a decreased antigen presentation to the innate immune system as a result of diminished levels of glyphosate and reduced intestinal permeability as reflected by the drop in urine zonulin in the same group of individuals.
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