University spin-off company formed by two professors teams up with marketing firm to launch product in U.S. and worldwide
DETROIT – An all-natural dietary supplement developed by two Wayne State University professors will soon contend on the front lines in the “battle of the bulge.” Clinical trials and other controlled studies have demonstrated that the product, marketed as Alpha-Fibe FBCx (fat-binding complexer), effectively aids weight loss and weight management without the necessity for a special “diet."
Developed by professors Joseph Artiss of the pathology department in the Wayne State School of Medicine and K-L Catherine Jen, who chairs the university’s nutrition and food science department, Alpha-Fibe FBCx offers the additional benefits of lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as providing relief from some gastrointestinal symptoms. Artiss and Jen obtained preliminary evidence that their product may also help users delay the onset of diabetes.
“We are not saying that Alpha-Fibe FBCx is a silver bullet that works like magic, and it is not a license to overindulging” Artiss says. “It is a different and proven approach that fosters weight loss without significant lifestyle changes. Reducing food intake even slightly, along with exercise, will accelerate the beneficial results.”
Alpha-Fibe FBCx, made from an all-natural soluble fiber (alpha-dextrin) derived from domestically grown corn, works by binding dietary fat in the stomach, thereby preventing absorption into the bloodstream. It has the unusual ability of binding nine times its own weight in dietary fat. The user merely takes one or two tablets within an hour before or after consuming a full meal.
Since it acts on fat, the product works most effectively for overweight people not on low-fat diets. The Food and Drug Administration allows its sale in the USA and international markets. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirms the benefits of FBCx through extensive research that shows reduced levels of both saturated fats and trans fats, along with increased omega-3 (good) fat levels in the bloodstream.
Jen, who has studied dietary causes of obesity over the past three decades, points out that about two-thirds of Americans can be described as either overweight or obese. She also notes that weight gain remains a serious concern in many other countries.
“We all know that dieting and exercise are the commonly recommended ways to lose weight,” she concedes. “But we also know that most people, for whatever reason, do not stay with that routine long enough to make a lifetime difference. Now they have a healthful, more convenient alternative that will help them accomplish their objective.”
Artiss, who served as a clinical chemist at hospitals throughout the United States and Canada, continues to do research as a clinical chemist while also teaching pathology at Wayne State. Jen, who also teaches at WSU, has conducted extensive research on both obesity and diabetes. She initiated a major conference at WSU earlier this year on the dangers of trans-fat in foods.
Their innovative dietary product illustrates how university research often leads to findings and products that benefit the public. For example, over the years, scientists at Wayne State have developed dozens of products that benefit the world at large, ranging from acoustic technology software that helps companies understand and visualize unwanted sound sources quickly with high precision and resolution, to an imaging system that reveals potentially serious cracks in hidden metal surfaces, such as could occur inside airplane fuselages.
The two professors formed ArtJen Complexus Holdings Corp. to manufacture FBCx in convenient supplementary form for the general public. They purchased the rights to the technology from Wayne State and retained an exclusive agent, Bio-Form Essentials USA, to bring the product to the worldwide market. ArtJen and Bio-Form Essentials USA are carefully coordinating production, distribution, and marketing channels as they continue to roll out the product internationally. Recently, a Troy, Mich., company, Health Food Distributors Inc., was appointed for the U.S. Midwest region.
Alpha-Fibe FBCx, currently available domestically through select retailers in the U.S. and Canada and internationally in Europe, Hong Kong/Singapore and the Middle East, continues to build worldwide brand recognition.
“Our marketing strategy is to work closely with our agency to expand consumer awareness and availability of FBCx through many avenues, including newspaper, radio and television exposure, direct response campaigns and distribution through national retail outlets,” Artiss explains.
