The Cleveland Clinic Study: Unicity Balance (Bios Life) for Cholesterol

Statins continue to be the most commonly prescribed drug with 1 in 4 North Americans over the age of 40 taking statins. Statin use has gone up more than 80% in the last 20 years. 

Because of the unwanted side effects of statins, there is a growing interest in non-pharmaceutical options to these medications. Unicity Balance has been well documented with a peer-reviewed published papers as the natural non-pharmaceutical option to statin drugs for hyperlipidemia.

Hyperlipidemia means your blood has too many lipids (or fats), such as cholesterol and triglycerides. One type of hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, means you have too much non-HDL cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. This condition increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages.

Unfortunately, many commonly recommended over the counter (OTC) products "claim" to offer lowering cholesterol benefits but without the science. 

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Unicity Balance Fiber Matrix

Unicity Balance, formally called Bios Life, was first developed by scientists at the University of Santa Barbara in 1986 while conducting research using natural fibers to manage serum cholesterol. Now more than 35 years later, Unicity Balance continues to be the most recommended natural health supplement by doctors and healthcare professionals worldwide. 

Unicity Balance has been extensively studied, peer-reviewed, and published in the medical journals. The clinical trials have been conducted by leading medical institutions including Cleveland Clinic, UCLA, Columbia University, Mayo Clinic and Stanford School of Medicine to name just a few.

Unicity Balance has been clinically proven to help restore and maintain healthy cholesterol levels four ways without adverse side effects:

• Fiber helps block the re-absorption of cholesterol from the intestines
• Plant sterols block the absorption of cholesterol from food
• Policosanol reduces cholesterol production by the liver
• Chrysanthemum enhances enzymatic breakdown and helps remove LDL cholesterol from the body

Unicity Balance has been listed in the Prescribers Desk Reference (PDR) since 2002, the go-to resource for physicians requiring information about prescription and non-prescription treatment options. Unicity Balance is referenced as the first recommended course of treatment for the safe lowering of serum cholesterol.

• Unicity Balance Fiber Matrix: Listed in the Prescribers' Desk Reference (PDR)

Cleveland Clinical Trial

In a long-term clinical trial conducted by the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, considered by many the #1 Heart Institute in the US, Unicity Balance was found to be a safe and effective method to reduce cholesterol, blood sugars, and harmful lipids.

The Cleveland Clinic study had proven the effectiveness of Unicity Balance in treating hyperlipidemia. Below is a synopsis of the research article, published in Metabolism Journal in 2002.

Between the years 2000 and 2002, Unicity Balance (formally called Bios Life) was studied for its capacity to improve cholesterol levels by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation under the guidance of Dr. Dennis Sprecher. This institute has been recognized as America’s #1 Heart Center for 12 years in a row. No heart program has more experience, knowledge and better access to technology, and is therefore an ideal facility to confirm the effectiveness of Balance.

The study involved 119 patients that had a fasting LDL-c concentration of at least 130 mg/dL, making them moderate hypercholesterolemics (high blood cholesterol). The average age for the study participants was 50 years. They could not be using any medication to lower their cholesterol. The subjects were divided between two groups:

1. A placebo group taking a non-active product
2. A group using Unicity Balance, a fiber and vitamin product

Half of the study participants were given 2 servings each day of Bios Life 2 (Unicity Balance) and the other half were given a placebo. Neither the researchers nor the participants were aware of which substance any individual received.

Before intervention began, both groups followed a low fat diet for eight weeks. This design was chosen to ensure similar dietary habits between the two groups. After the diet, both groups used their assigned products for a period of eight weeks. At the end of the study, 99 subjects completed the full protocol.

• The Unicity Balance Group:
  • Reduced their LDL values from 159 mg/dl to 145 mg/dl on average, or a percent reduction of 7.9%
  • HDL value increased from 48 mg/dl to 51 mg/dl over the eight week period
  • Total cholesterol was reduced from 237 to 227 mg/dl, and triglycerides from 146 to 119 mg/dl.
• The Placebo Group:
  • Showed an LDL increase of 2.4% in the same time period

In addition to lipid values, the study also monitored homocysteine (Hcy) and apolipoprotein B. Homocysteine, like high cholesterol, is recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The mechanism is not entirely clear, but high homocysteine have been shown to increase injuries to the vascular system and contribute to early atherosclerosis.

In this study, the HCy level was reduced from 9.8 mmol/l to 8.7 after eight weeks.

Apolipoprotein B is a part of the LDL particle, and is therefore sometimes used as a surrogate marker for CVD risk. This parameter, also, was reduced from 139 to 110 mg/dl.

Cleveland Clinic Trial Conclusion

The group receiving Unicity Balance had a significant reduction in LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels averaging 7.9% while LDL increased an average of 2.4 per cent for the participants who received the placebo over the eight-week test period, for a 10.3% difference between the groups.

Similarly, total cholesterol level for the Unicity Balance group was significantly reduced by an average of more than 5%, while total cholesterol levels for the participants receiving the placebo rose an average of 3.1%.

"Taking a fiber supplement is a fairly safe and easy way to help keep your cholesterol under control," Dr Sprecher said.

Dr Sprecher also observed a significant reduction in blood homocysteine levels in the Unicity Balance group. Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood, and high levels of homocysteine have been associated with increased risk of vascular and heart disease.

In this study, homocysteine levels were found to drop significantly - an average of around 11% - among the Unicity Balance group, while those in the placebo group dropped an insignificant 2%.

"Such a product if taken regularly, could reduce cardiovascular risk on a population basis and potentially decreases the need and/or dose for lipid-lowering prescription drugs," the study concluded.

In conclusion, the Cleveland Clinic study showed that Unicity Balance is effective in reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Since both groups started off with a low-fat diet, the overall effect of Unicity Balance may have been limited in this group. The subjects had already lowered their lipid parameters with diet alone. Consequently, the additional effect of Unicity Balance may have been more modest than by using subjects eating a more “normal” diet. The study was published in 2002 in the highly acclaimed journal, Metabolism (Metabolism, 2002, Vol 51: pp 1166 – 1170). Click here to download a PDF copy of the published study.  

If you are looking for a natural safe and effective alternative to statin medications visit the links below for more information. If you are a healthcare professional treating patients hypertension, obesity, or hyperlipidemia, and would like additional information about offering Unicity Balance to your patients call 1-800-530-4505. 

For more information on Unicity Balance, visit:

• Unicity Balance: Healthy Glucose Support, Cholesterol & Weight Loss 
• Statin Drugs vs. Unicity Balance: Cholesterol Benefits Comparison
• FAQ: Unicity Balance Fiber Frequently Asked Questions

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