In today’s world, the media continuously solicit consumers with an enormous amount of information about new products that are being launched into market by food science.
For this reason, it is not always easy for the consumer to appreciate the qualities and limitations of food supplements and also to understand, beyond what may be stated in the advertising campaigns, how useful a certain product can be in dietary supplementation.
Professor Tommaso Beccari, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food Science and Nutrition Section, University of Perugia (Italy), offers us an evaluation of a new dietary supplement called Garlive Oral Spray. The study is not intended as a product certification, but as a personal opinion.
The aspects of the supplement considered in this study are the following:
1_ Composition and amount of natural molecules. The suggested dosage of this supplement is 8 sprays per day, equivalent to 1 milliliter of spray. This amount contains 20.30 mg of total polyphenols, including 1.02 mg of Hydroxytyrosol.
MAGISNAT (www.magisnat.com) has conducted several studies on the role of olive tree polyphenols, especially hydroxytyrosol, in preventing the process of Viral Endocytosis. The role of hydroxytyrosol itself, taken orally, in having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity is also supported by an extensive literature.
(Paolacci S, Ergoren MC, De Forni D, Manara E, Poddesu B, Cugia G, Dhuli K, Camilleri G, Tuncel G, Kaya Suer H, Sultanoglu N, Sayan M, Dundar M, Beccari T, Ceccarini MR, Gunsel IS, Dautaj A, Sanlidag T, Connelly ST, Tartaglia GM, Bertelli M. In vitro and clinical studies on the efficacy of α-cyclodextrin and hydroxytyrosol against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Dec;25(1 Suppl):81-89. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202112_27337. PMID: 34890038.)
(Bertelli M, Kiani AK, Paolacci S, Manara E, Kurti D, Dhuli K, Bushati V, Miertus J, Pangallo D, Baglivo M, Beccari T, Michelini S. Hydroxytyrosol: A natural compound with promising pharmacological activities. J Biotechnol. 2020 Feb 10;309:29-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.12.016. epub 2019 Dec 26. PMID: 31884046.)
In conclusion, the product appears to be well formulated.
2_ Allergens. The supplement contains none of the allergens that are required to be reported by the law, including eggs, milk (certified lactose free), fish, shellfish, peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts, and wheat (certified gluten free). Garlive Oral Spray is also free from sesame and sesame oil.
3_ Fats and sugar. 100 g of Garlive Oral Spray contain less than 0.5 g total fats and 40 g total sugars.
4_ Coloring and flavoring. Neither has been added to the product formulation.
5_ Price/quality ratio. The full cost in the market (without offers) is $24, containing 20 ml of solution (suggested dosage: 1 ml per day).
6_ Advertisement. When MAGISNAT reports studies conducted on the product, it is always specified that “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This dietary supplement is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease” and “Dietary supplements do not possess any therapeutic or preventive properties.” Therefore, the form of communication is deemed as transparent, also because the following disclaimer was included in the publications section: “None of the reported studies can be used to claim the properties of dietary supplements. Dietary supplements do not possess any therapeutic or preventive property.”
MAGISNAT also demonstrates a strong vocation toward scientific research.
Moreover, it was deemed useful to add two final remarks. The first is that many researchers attribute some of the properties of the Mediterranean diet to olive polyphenols. Secondly, from an initial check of the supplements on the U.S. market, it would appear that just a very small number of them (only a few dozens) contains olive tree polyphenols.
In conclusion, it is our hope that this careful study has done a good service to the consumers.
