Innovative Home Nutrition Therapy Program Shown to be More Effective in Heart Disease Risk Reduction than Drug Therapy Alone

Irvine, Calif., August 8, 2003

Lifespring Home Nutrition, provider of nutritionally fortified meals designed for older adults with chronic health conditions, announced April 10, 2000 that its home nutrition therapy program was found to lower the risk of additional incidences of heart disease among cardiovascular patients, according to a study conducted at the New England Medical Center at Tufts University School of Medicine.

The study, led by Dr. Ernst Schaefer, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Nutrition at Tufts University School of Medicine, monitored 35 coronary artery disease patients who followed an 8-week home nutrition therapy program using Lifespring Home Nutrition Products. The results indicated that the Lifespring program, featuring personalized menus and home-delivered meals and snacks, can have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk reduction beyond that provided by drug therapy alone.

The Tufts study investigated the cardio-protective effects of a convenient, personalized lifestyle modification program incorporating Lifespring foods over 8 weeks. Of the 35 subjects, 83% were on cholesterol lowering medications. After just 4 weeks, significant reductions were recorded in body weight (3%), total cholesterol (9%), and LDL cholesterol (12%).

“Diet can play an effective role in managing chronic conditions,” said Dr. Schaefer. “Our recruitment criteria was established heart disease, not necessarily high cholesterol, and in most cases existing therapy included cholesterol lowering medications. The intervention of home-delivered nutritious meals and dietitian support provided by telephone was clearly effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels below 100mg/dl and in promoting weight loss,” according to Dr. Schaefer, who presented the study findings at the 2nd Scientific Forum on Quality Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Strokes on April 10, 2000 in Washington, DC.

In the study, 21 males and 14 female subjects with heart disease were provided with a personalized diet that consisted of less than 27% total fat, less than 7% saturated fat, less than 200 mg dietary cholesterol, and less than 2,400 mg of sodium. Using these guidelines, the clinicians incorporated Lifespring products into the subjects’ menus with the goal of reducing their body mass indices (BMI) to less than twenty-five. Two Lifespring meals and snacks were provided in the first 4 weeks and one Lifespring meal and two snacks were provided during weeks 5 through 8. In addition to reduction in body weight, total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, improvements were recorded in waist size, hip size, and ratio of total to HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

Our high quality, great tasting foods are nutrient dense and low in saturated fat. In addition, they are packaged with personalized services, such as meal planning, nutrition counseling, and home-delivery, making them an easy-to-comply with solution for individuals managing chronic disease risk factors, We are particularly pleased with the outcome of the Tufts study because, in addition to valuable clinical outcomes, the study demonstrated significant improvements in the ability to follow a healthy diet,” said Lifespring President and CEO, John Johnson. “It is this type of positive change that can help our clients age more healthfully and that is a truly encouraging finding.”

Lifespring Home Nutrition markets a portfolio of proprietary-formulated, nutritionally superior, great-tasting soups, entrees, and snacks. The Lifespring program includes direct-to-home food delivery, dietary counseling, and call center nutrition support services that are tailored to meet the needs of coronary artery disease and diabetes sufferers.

Lifespring was founded initially by AGE Wave LLC, a mature-market oriented business development firm. Most recently Susan Johnson, founder and CEO of Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, Irvine, Calif., and other investors acquired the assets of Lifespring Home Nutrition and now serves all of Southern California. For more information on Lifespring Home Nutrition, visit www.homenutrition.com.