Orgain Healthcare Professional Ambassador Survey – You Asked,
We Listened!

Thank you again to everyone who participated in the Orgain Healthcare Professional Ambassador Survey. We appreciate your time and valuable feedback and are committed to using this information to implement enhancements and add resources to our program.

Here are key survey highlights based on nearly 1,000 survey responses:

85% of HCP Ambassadors use Health Professional Organizations to seek out information about oral nutritional supplements and 67% use brand websites

69% of HCP Ambassadors are part of professional private social media groups

46% of HCP Ambassadors are interested in joining a private Orgain Ambassador social media group while 43% are considering it

78% of HCP Ambassadors are willing to listen to podcasts for professional education

80% of HCP Ambassadors are very satisfied with Orgain’s HCP Ambassador program

Supporting Orgain Ambassadors, Now More Than Ever

New Virtual Ambassador Community:
More than ever, we are relying on technology to keep us connected, informed, healthy, and safe. We heard your desire for a way to connect and interact with other Orgain Healthcare Ambassadors, and we are excited to announce the launch of the Orgain Healthcare page and the Orgain Healthcare Ambassador Collective private group on Facebook. This virtual community will be a space for like-minded, nutrition-oriented professionals to interact, exchange ideas, and connect with the Orgain Healthcare team. If you are not an Ambassador, request an Ambassaodor account before joining the private group. We look forward to seeing you there!

More Professional Education Series Webinars:
As we strive to make distance learning easily accessible for our community of healthcare professionals, Orgain will be offering more free webinars in 2020 than ever before. The Professional Education Series provides valuable and empowering information, presented by subject matter experts, on topics chosen by you and your peers. Register for the next live webinar event or watch any of the previous webinars on-demand, free of charge. They are available 24/7, with free CPEU credit for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.

Science-based Briefs on a Variety of Health Topics:
Based on your feedback, you can expect to see a greater variety of health and nutrition topics, including those in more specialized areas, in the form of webinars, articles, and other professional resources. Some of the most requested topics include sports nutrition, weight management, diabetes, protein, and plant-based nutrition.

30% Off for Patients and Clients:
We recognize how important it is for our Ambassadors to have the ability to share discounts for Orgain products with their patients and clients. In response to your requests, we’ve created a personalized discount code for all Ambassadors that can be shared throughout 2020, so patients, clients, friends, and family can save 30% off their first order from Orgain.com (some restrictions apply). If you are a member of our Ambassador program, simply sign in to your ambassador account to find your unique code displayed. If you need help retrieving your code, please email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help you locate it.

Orgain Simple Plant Protein Powder
Comprised of whole food ingredients like organic almonds, chia seeds, and golden peas, Orgain Simple Organic Plant Protein Powder packs 20 grams of deliciously clean, plant-based protein into every serving.  No thickeners and no gums. Orgain Simple contains no dairy, soy or gluten ingredients and is lightly sweetened with coconut sugar (5 grams of added sugar per 2 scoop serving).

Orgain Organic Sport
Orgain Organic Sport is crafted with high-quality, food-based ingredients such as organic beets, apple cider vinegar, and fermented turmeric to provide powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.  The premium line, which includes Organic Sport Protein Powder, Organic Sport Energy Powder, and Organic Sport Recovery Powder, delivers a clean energy boost to aid performance and recovery for individuals with an active lifestyle.   

Oral Nutritional Supplements
for IBD Therapy

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that cause chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Despite having similar acronyms and symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and IBD are two distinct GI disorders, which require very different modes of treatment. Therefore, getting an accurate diagnosis is essential for managing IBD properly.

Two of the most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). While there are specific criteria for each diagnosis, both fall under the umbrella of IBD as they present with similar symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and unintentional weight loss. CD typically involves patchy ulcerations next to areas of healthy tissue throughout the GI tract, whereas UC causes continuous ulcerations throughout the lining of the colon. As a result of dietary limitations, both conditions may cause poor nutrient absorption, resulting in malnutrition and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), as many as 70,000 new cases of IBD are diagnosed each year. Between 1999 and 2017, research studies revealed a substantial increase in the prevalence of IBD globally, which is expected to continue rising in the future.¹ This alarming trend, which has been associated with shifts toward a Westernized diet, has encouraged more research on the relationship between nutrition and IBD, including diet as a powerful treatment.² In addition to medical nutrition therapy, common treatments for IBD involve symptom management and an attempt to encourage or maintain remission with the use of antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs.

Over the last two decades, the use of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in the induction of remission of active CD has been well-established and supported by research with success for both children and adults.³ The protocol for EEN involves the use of a nutritionally complete liquid diet, instead of solid foods, to provide 100% of caloric needs for up to 8 weeks. Post completion, foods are slowly reintroduced while being closely monitored by a medical team. In many countries, EEN is the first line of therapy for induction of remission in most children and adolescents with newly onset CD. Aside from its positive impact on luminal CD, EEN has also been shown to have a positive impact in penetrating and stricturing CD, however more studies are needed to support this. While most reports have focused on the benefits of EEN for uncomplicated luminal CD, emerging research has shown that EEN is safe and beneficial for cases of complicated CD, as well.⁴ While EEN has shown immense promise for patients with CD, definitive data to support its role for the management of active UC is lacking.

With malnutrition being a common complication of IBD, and indicators of poor prognosis in hospitalized patients, early screening and proactive nutrition management with a multidisciplinary team approach is vital. According to the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), optimizing nutrition status may improve outcomes for patients with IBD, further reinforcing the importance of IBD patients receiving nutrition counseling as part of the multidisciplinary team approach. Furthermore, nutrition counseling may help to prevent malnutrition or other nutrition-related disorders.

In an effort to support individuals suffering with IBD-related conditions who are seeking cleaner nutrition as part of their regimen in conjunction with EEN, the Orgain Organic All-In-One Nutritional Shake, offered in grass-fed dairy or plant-based, is a great option. Since nutritional needs vary between individuals, further supplementation may be necessary.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists continue to successfully use Orgain products as part of partial enteral nutrition (PEN) or EEN therapy to ensure adequate calorie and nutrient intake in CR. Here is one of many testimonials shared by healthcare professionals about their experience with using Orgain for IBD.

“Orgain is an easy to digest, high protein, nutritious beverage that my patients use when unable to tolerate various solid food. Orgain is used as a supplement to enhance the nutritional status of my compromised patients who suffer from both IBS and IBD.” – Lori, Gastroenterology Dietitian
To learn more about the latest updates on research for IBD, check out the following resources:

• The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• John Hopkins Medicine – Crohn’s Disease

1 Alateb, S et al. The Lancet. 2020; 5(1): 17-30, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(19)30333-4
2 Green, N et al. Nutrients. 2019; 11(5): 947, doi:  10.3390/nu11050947
3 Adamji, M et al. Intest Res. 2019; 17(2): 171-176, doi:  10.5217/ir.2018.00079
4 Yang, Q et al. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2017; 52(9), doi: 10.1080/00365521.2017.1335770

The Role of Nutrition and Exercise in Sarcopenia Prevention

Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and functioning related to aging, is one of the most common conditions in the elderly with a high rate of adverse outcomes. Considered to be an underrecognized, chronic healthcare challenge, sarcopenia is associated with increased progression of chronic disease, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, all-cause mortality and cognitive impairment.¹ While sarcopenia has long been considered a disease of aging, studies have suggested that the risk of developing the disease is increased by various medical conditions and factors such as decreased physical activity, stress, inflammation and poor dietary intake. This link between physical inactivity, insufficient intake of calories and protein, and poor muscle health in older adults suggests that physical exercise and targeted nutritional supplementation may offer substantial benefits against sarcopenia.²

Exercise, particularly strength or resistance training is highly effective for preventing sarcopenia. Research suggests that a well-designed resistance training program exerts positive effects on the nervous and muscular systems which in turns promotes muscle mass and muscle strength.³ Since dietary protein is essential for skeletal muscle function and with protein-energy malnutrition being a major risk factor for sarcopenia, the combination of protein and exercise can be used synergistically for preventing malnutrition and increasing strength. With older adults, factors such as reduced mobility, reduced appetite, poor oral health, dysphagia, social isolation, and socioeconomic conditions contribute to inadequate protein intake. For this reason, protein supplementation can be highly beneficial and may be necessary to meet the suggested consensus on increased protein needs for older adults of 1-1.3g/kg/day.⁴

Over the past two decades, research on the positive effects of exercise and nutrition on sarcopenia has rapidly expanded. As healthcare professionals continue to learn more about this debilitating disease, comprehensive clinical assessments for sarcopenia are crucial. These assessments could help guide individualized treatment options which may include physical therapy, exercise and nutritional interventions including the use of oral nutritional supplements. It is more effective to adopt preventative measures to slow the progression of sarcopenia than it is to treat it, especially in elderly patients.

Orgain offers a wide range of clean protein products to fit a variety of nutritional needs, which may support sarcopenia prevention such as Orgain Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder, Orgain Organic Sport Plant-Based Protein Powder, Orgain Organic Protein Plant-Based Protein Powder and ready-to-drink shakes like the Orgain 20g Clean Protein Shake. With adequate energy intake, these high-quality protein products can help to maximize muscle protein synthesis, which can further improve functionality, strength and general health in older adults.

1 Han, A. et al. J Clin Med. 2018; 7(4): 70.; doi: 10.3390/jcm7040070
2 Martone, M. A., et al. Biomed Res Int. 2017; doi: 10.1155/2017/2672435
3 Law, T., et al. Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2016; 36(1): 205–228; doi: 10.1891/0198-8794.36.205
4 Lochlainn, M., et al. Nutrients. 2018; 10(7): 929; doi: 10.3390/nu10070929

Upcoming Professional Education

See below for more information on how to register for upcoming live webinars or visit our Professional Education Series homepage to watch previous webinars on demand—available 24/7 for your convenience. As always, all the Orgain Professional Education Series of Webinars CPEUs free of charge!

Practitioner Testimonial

“I like that the product is available to our patients over the counter and even online. I’ve gotten back good feedback from my Crohn’s patient who previously refused to take any supplements that we’ve offered.”

– Ariel
Certified Diabetes Educator