Natural Factors PGX Daily Ultra Matrix was developed from ongoing research and development involving PGX has led to the development of the PGX Daily Ultra Matrix softgel – an advanced delivery system for superior results. The Ultra Matrix technology involves suspending PGX in an MCT-rich oil matrix (medium-chain triglycerides) derived from purified coconut oil. This matrix, when combined with stomach acid, disperses better than any other tested delivery system for soluble or insoluble fibre, including previous forms of PGX. Rapid dispersal substantially increases the potential of PGX Daily as the polysaccharides quickly attract water and thicken quickly providing a profound sense of fullness. This effect is referred to as “acid-induced viscosity” and it begins within minutes of ingesting PGX Daily.

PGX (PolyGlycopleX) is a non-starch polysaccharide (fibre) that has a very high water-absorbing capacity. When used with meals, PGX absorbs significant amounts of water, increasing the volume of the food you eat, quickly making you feel full, even when your food portions are smaller. Therefore, it is important to drink plenty of water when using PGX.

The PGX Program
When beginning the PGX program or any other weight loss program, it is important to remember that in order to lose weight, your body needs to burn more calories than it consumes. Exercise of course, increases the amount of calories burned in a day, helping to increase the amount of weight one can lose. Almost as important when trying to lose weight is decreasing the amount of calories that you consume, which can be difficult when your body keeps telling you to eat. PGX will help you to comfortably eat smaller portions and will help reduce appetite. If you have another diet in mind or are currently on a different program, go ahead and use PGX, it makes every diet work better.

Correcting Your Appetite
Scientific research has now proven that there is a link between blood sugar and appetite. When blood sugar levels go up and down many times throughout the day, it can signal the brain to eat many times. Blood sugar is important for health. Everyone needs the right amount of glucose (sugar) in their blood to maintain energy and power bodily functions. In fact, too little blood sugar can be dangerous and the brain responds by creating hunger signals we recognize as appetite. By eating, the body restores its blood sugar to appropriate levels - at least until the next drop triggers hunger again.

PGX helps correct appetite by supporting healthy blood sugar levels. The below graphs demonstrate the important role that blood sugar plays with regard to appetite. Figures 1 and 2 track the blood sugar levels of an overweight woman throughout the day, using a continuous glucose monitor - first without PGX when she had a poorly controlled diet and no exercise, then with PGX and diet and exercise. The "x" signifies how often her blood sugar levels dropped during the day. As the second graph shows, regular use of of PGX smooths the spikes in blood sugar. Unlike many "diet" products that try to aim to suppress appetite, PGX addresses appetite by addressing rises and falls in blood sugar.

PGX Benefits:

PGX Helps You to Lose Weight
For almost everyone, the math behind weight loss is simple: your body has to burn more calories than it consumes. There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. If you burn 500 more calories than you consume each day, theoretically you will lose one pound a week. It is for this reason that all sensible diets focus on a combination of exercise and calorie reduction. PGX does not burn calories, but it can make eating fewer calories each day much easier for you, helping to correct your appetite and helping you decrease the size of your meals.

PGX Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels Already within a Normal Range
Most foods in the Western diet are highly processed. Convenience foods and "fast food," especially, are laden with highly refined carbohydrates. These foods are too rapidly digested by the body, causing increases in blood sugar levels after meals. This rapid rise triggers the body to release insulin to bring blood sugar back down again. Coupled with a current or chronic blood sugar level imbalance, this creates a pattern in which blood sugar erratically rises and falls - it's the so-called blood sugar roller coaster.

PGX Helps Support Healthy Cholesterol Levels Already within a Normal Range
PGX addresses cholesterol by increasing the excretion rate of blood cholesterol. The liver packages the cholesterol into bile acids and sends them to the small intestine for fat breakdown.

PGX is Safe and Stimulant Free
With all the benefits of PGX so far described, one might expect there to be drawbacks to using it, perhaps even unpleasant side effects. However, PGX is made from natural products and has been proven to be safe in two published studies.

PGX is High in fiber
PGX is an excellent source of dietary fiber. According to current Health Canada recommendations, healthy adults should consume at least 25 grams of fiber (both soluble and insoluble) every day. It is well-known that fiber is good for you, but the effectiveness of fiber is proportionate to its ability to hold water.

PGX Supports the Excretion of Cholesterol
In the colon, PGX is highly prebiotic, meaning that it is readily fermented into healthful short chain fatty acids, healthful substances that are important to colon health (Jenkins, et al., 2006). The predominant short chain fatty acid produced by bacterial action on PGX is propionate, a natural substance that is very important in colon health.

Propionate has been shown to induce the production of healthy bifidobacteria, suppress the growth of undesirable microbes such as Candida albicans, and lower the stool pH. Propionate is taken up by the liver and plays a role in decreasing the liver's production of cholesterol and free fatty acids. As with other viscous polysaccharides, PGX also increases the excretion of bile acids. With lower levels of bile acids in the blood stream, additional bile acids are produced by the liver out of blood cholesterol resulting in lower blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, PGX increases the excretion of fat (cholesterol-rich bile acids & triglycerides) through the stool.

PGX is High in Fiber
PGX is an excellent source of dietary fiber. According to current FDA recommendations, healthy adults should consume at least 25 grams of fiber (both soluble and insoluble) every day. Unfortunately, most Americans are consuming less than half of the recommended amount due to their current diets. Everyone knows that fiber is good for you, but the effectiveness of fiber is proportionate to its ability to hold water. PGX rapidly absorbs water and maintains its gel-like viscosity throughout the digestive tract. As a result, a 5 gram serving of PGX is equivalent to as much as 20 grams of some other fibers. In fact, to achieve the same results you would have to eat 4 bowls of oat bran to equal one 5 gram serving of PGX! Of course, it is important to eat foods high in fiber, but adding PGX to any diet will allow you to reach the recommended daily amount easily.

PGX Frequently Asked Questions

What is PGX?
PGX (PolyGlycopleX) is a unique complex of highly-purified, water-soluble polysaccharides (plant fibres) developed using advanced EnviroSimplex technology. This technology combines these natural compounds in a very specific ratio making PGX an effective weight loss aid and dietary supplement. PGX was invented by researchers at InovoBiologic Inc, Calgary after many years of extensive research. PGX is available in Ultra Matrix soft gelatin capsules as PGX Daily, as well as in granules, meal replacement powder and capsules.

What is PGX Daily?
PGX technology has produced PGX Daily Ultra Matrix Softgels - an advanced delivery system for optimum results. 'Ultra Matrix' refers to PGX granules suspended in a matrix of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) - healthy fats from purified coconut oil. PGX Daily disperses and becomes viscous slowly in the stomach and digestive tract. Most other fibres do not become as viscous as PGX, become viscous too quickly or do not become viscous at all. PGX Daily maintains its viscosity throughout the entire digestive tract (including the colon) which means that the glycemic index and subsequent blood sugar regulation is greater. Also, thanks to the thermogenic properties of the MCTs in the capsule, PGX Daily can result in an extra 25 - 50 calories burned daily.

How do I use PGX?
To enjoy the full benefits of PGX, try to take some before each and every meal. Be sure to drink at least 250 mL (8 oz) of water per 2.5 gram serving of PGX. Start with 1 to 2 softgel capsule of PGX Daily before each meal and increase by 1 capsule per meal every 2 to 3 days. If you are prone to digestive upset, increase the dose at a slower rate to give your body time to adjust. Some people find 2-3 softgels or 2.5 grams of PGX granules to be effective. Others require the maximum dose is 6 softgels of PGX Daily or 5 grams of PGX granules in order to reduce portion size. Continue to increase the dosage until you experience a significant reduction in hunger and between-meal food cravings. Do not exceed 6 softgels or 5 grams up to three times per day.

Does PGX have side effects?
PGX is a highly concentrated and highly effective form of fibre. It can take time for your body to adjust. To avoid minor side effects, such as increased gas, bloating, loose stools or constipation, it is best to start with small amounts of PGX and then gradually increase your intake as your body adjusts. If you take PGX consistently, and increase the dose gradually, it is likely that you will be able to consume a highly effective dose, without these effects, within a few days to a week. To decrease any possible side effects, it is important to drink a large glass of water with each dose of PGX.

Why should I incorporate PGX into my diet?
PGX is an excellent source of dietary fibre. In 2004, the average person in Canada and the United States consumed about 13 g of dietary fibre per day (Statistics Canada, 2005). The dietary reference intake of fibre for those 19 to 50 years old is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Unfortunately, to achieve the greatest benefit, the dosage required (e.g. 20 grams of more) is often difficult to achieve with other fibre supplements. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain highly viscous fibres from our day-to-day food choices. In contrast, PGX is an easy and convenient way to add viscous soluble fibre to your diet.

How fast can I expect to lose weight?
Participants in a study who exercised and followed a 1,200 calorie/day diet lost on average 1-2 lbs per week. This is considered healthy weight loss. For some people weight loss is not immediate, while many people lose more weight depending upon their consistent use of PGX and other lifestyle factors. PGX makes following a calorie restricted diet easy because it controls appetite due to its water solubility (absorbs many times its weight in water) and its ability to reduce and diminish cravings for starchy and sugary foods.

It is important to differentiate between weight loss and fat loss. As fat weighs less than muscle tissue, many people actually experience weight gain when they begin a reducing regime. Also, for some people, the additional water they drink with PGX can temporarily add weight, since a litre of water weighs 1 kg or 2.2 lbs. While fast weight loss may seem ideal, it is important to remember that we gain weight gradually over a period of time. Losing weight the same way is "healthy weight loss" and will help reduce the risk of regaining the lost weight.

How do I know PGX is working? How much do I have to use to lose weight?
It is recommended that you start with a lower dose of PGX for the first 3 to 7 days to see how your body adjusts to the increase in fibre intake. An increased amount of PGX, to its active dosage (10-15 grams per day or 2.5 - 5 grams per meal) will produce noticeable reductions in appetite and cravings. Many people who have just started taking PGX feel energized and notice their clothes fit better even though they have not changed anything else except taking PGX everyday.

Does PGX contain gluten?
PGX softgels and PGX granules are wheat/gluten free. While we make every effort to ensure that our raw materials do not contain gluten, it is possible that some products may contain trace amounts if there are products with gluten being processed in the same manufacturing facility where the raw materials are produced. PGX meal replacement drink mix products cannot be stated as gluten or wheat free.

After taking PGX is it possible to still be hungry?
For some people, yes. One explanation is that when blood sugar has been out of control or imbalanced for a long time, and the body has not been using insulin properly, the brain can still send out powerful messages to eat. When you take PGX every day these strong messages become weaker. The inappropriate messages to eat are no longer needed when blood sugar becomes balanced and the brain is satisfied it will get the glucose required to function.

I've tried other diets. How is PGX different?
PGX isn't a diet, but it can make any weight loss plan or diet work better. Research has shown that people who gain weight and have difficulty losing weight, often spend much of their day on a 'blood sugar roller coaster' with blood sugar alternately surging and plummeting, leaving them tired or irritable and leading to frequent and unhealthy food cravings. PGX helps re-train your body and eliminate the blood sugar roller coaster so you don't crave "bad foods" and so you can better control your appetite. With PGX you can achieve lasting results.

Living A Balanced Life
Living a balanced life - it's easier than you think! Balanced living is living life to its pure potential. Live each day with the vision to create balance in your mind, body and spirit. Exercise and super foods, combined with a healthy sleep schedule, play an important role in achieving balanced living. Balanced Planets Wellness Solutions offer superb nutrition, with a simple step-by-step daily program aimed at getting your health and life in balance. You'll be amazed at how marvelous it feels taking the first steps to balanced living. Take pleasure in your life and make it a balanced day...

Why Choose Natural Factors?
Natural Factors has been bringing North Americans the very best natural health solutions-vitamins, minerals, herb and plant formulas and specially formulated natural solutions - for the past 5 decades. The dedicated experts at Natural Factors share your enthusiasm for natural products. Natural Factors ensures that their products have been tested and proven to meet, or exceed, nutritional guidelines set out by their industry and government. Natural Factors' Research and Development Team consistently creates efficacious, pure and potent supplements and functional foods based on the latest scientific discoveries and extensive clinical and laboratory studies. Whatever your age or health status, unique natural formulas are specifically formulated to address the needs of men, women and the growing needs of children.

What's Unique About Natural Factors?

• Factor Farms - Natural Factors grows their own organic echinacea for Echinamide products, and other herbs for unique formulations, to be harvested fresh and processed within hours at their nearby extraction plant.
• Research & Development - Natural Factors conducts laboratory and clinical research to ensure efficacy of all Natural Factors products and to guarantee the safety, purity and potency of all raw materials used in their creation. Natural Factors has the largest and most sophisticated laboratory facilities in Canada.
• Medical and Scientific Expertise - Natural Factors' team of medical and naturopathic physicians, herbalists, formulators and nutritionists contribute to the development of every Natural Factors product and every one of their innovations for natural health support.
• Formulations & Forms - Natural Factors is renowned for developing condition-specific solutions for the most common health concerns of consumers. Natural Factors is one of the very few manufacturers in North America with softgel encapsulating facilities and expertise, allowing them to provide many supplements in this popular form. Natural Factors produces powders, tinctures, liquids and syrups as well as tablets and capsules.

Roland Gahler, Natural Factors' visionary leader, has invested in people, science and technology to create natural health formulas that are safe, reliable and effective. Natural Factors' goal is to deliver supplements that marry the wisdom of ancient herbal knowledge and the science of modern clinical research to enhance the health of consumers everywhere.