Pharmacist recognised for nutritional advice website
AN Ashbourne-based familyrun firm is making national headlines after its owner was given a prestigious award for creating a new online nutrition-monitoring scheme.
Pharmacist and specialist in nutritional medicine Michael Wakeman is celebrating his victory in the prestigious International Nutraingredients award which singled out his new website www.vitmedics. com for the gong.
The website, which also coincides with the publication of his book Medicated Malnourishment, is the culmination of his research carried out to complete a PHD and it examines the effects that medications can have on our nutritional health and wellness.
Mr Wakeman said: “Not many healthcare professionals, myself included, until I researched the topic, are aware that many commonly used medicines can impact and deplete our bodies of many vitamins and minerals essential to good health.
“Of the top 20 medications prescribed in England each year, around 90% affect our body’s nutrient levels in some way via a host of different means by altering, for example, absorption, processing and elimination.
“Hence, because many people living beyond their 50s and 60s might well be taking multiple medications, this may mean decades of usage of drugs affecting nutritional status. This can ultimately result in issues that might typically impact upon immune or bone and nerve function, which could be mitigated by optimising nutritional status.”
Michael has amassed a database of more than 4,000 instances where medications available in the UK can impact upon the body’s vitamin and mineral status and has put together this information in an interactive database for use by healthcare professionals to help them better understand which micronutrients should be recommended alongside any medicine in order to optimise dietary needs.
The database collects relevant data about life-stage, lifestyle, diet and medication and accrues any negative impacts in a cumulative way using a sophisticated algorithm Michael has developed.
Many of these findings are now also widely accessible to everyone for free through a new personalised nutrition service at www.vitmedics.com.
The website delivers easy to follow recommendations about how to rectify any deficits through diet and, if necessary, with a personalised supplement prescription.
Mr Wakeman said: “We are all at different stages in life and have varying lifestyles so it makes sense that nutritional advice should also be more bespoke, based on specific needs and requirements.
“That is why I decided to develop Vitmedics and it is powered by a very smart, science-backed algorithm - the Vitcheck Assessment tool - which is driven by the very latest thinking on vitamins and minerals borne out of my book, as well as research papers I’ve had published in scientific journals.
“Recommendations about what you should eat always come first, but where sufficient nutrients for whatever reason cannot be obtained from the diet, a Vitmedics supplement prescription delivers the very best nutrition, personalised to the user.
“What makes Vitmedics totally different from any other personalised nutritional assessment is the ability not only to assess the effects of a person’s life stage, but also their lifestyle and dietary intakes to deliver a recommendation.
“The additional ability to also assess the cumulative impact of multiple medications provides a much more comprehensive overview of an individual’s vitamin and mineral status.
“Plus, the fact that users can validate any recommendation made by directly accessing the published scientific literature means advice is evidence based and totally transparent.”
In selecting www.vitmedics submission for the personalised nutrition award ahead of industry heavyweights such as the food giant Danone, the Nutraingredients expert judges commended the “clever and pragmatic approach of the initiative”, and “strong evidence to meet consumer needs”.
Mr Wakeman said: “We launched Vitmedics.com in the UK only a month ago, and already it has won a prestigious international personalised nutrition award, and also since we’ve been shortlisted for a UK industry equivalentFood Matters Live.
“We’ve also had significant positive interest from consumers and healthcare professionals, as well as leading players in the international pharmacy and supplement sectors.”
Not many healthcare professionals are aware that many commonly used medicines can impact our bodies.