Aim Barleylife details
 Whole Body Support is achieved when all body systems are
in balance. No single body system is targeted—we make choices that keep
all systems toxin-free and that supply all systems with optimum
nutrition. The result is total wellness: waking up every day feeling
great!
AIM BarleyLife® is an all-natural, green barley grass juice
powder concentrate that helps provide the daily nutrition you need to
develop a strong foundation for your good health. AIM BarleyLife® is
available in several varieties: AIM BarleyLife® powder, cherry-apple flavored AIM
BarleyLife® Xtra powder, and AIM BarleyLife® capsules.
Overfed and undernourished
You cannot turn on the TV, read the newspaper or listen to the radio
today without being bombarded by news of the obesity epidemic.
Worldwide, over 1 billion people are overweight, including 300 million
who are obese (world population – 6.4 billion).1 Over the past 30 years,
the percentage of overweight and obese people in the US has increased
36% according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).2
The most rapidly growing segment involved in this phenomenon is
children. While 15 percent of children and teens in the US are
overweight, developing countries are not immune. In Thailand, the
prevalence of obesity in 5-12 year old children rose from 12.2% to 15.6%
in just two years.1
At least we’re eating well, right? Not really. The American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition tells us that one third of the average American’s
diet is junk food.
 According to the World Health Organization, overweight and
malnutrition are occurring simultaneously as overconsumption of empty
foods increases caloric intake without increasing nutritional value.3
As the quality of our nutritional intake plummets, obesity and related
diseases such as type II diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are
on the rise. The incidence of children contracting type II diabetes
(usually considered an adult disease) has more than quadrupled since
1990, now claiming 20 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in
children. 4 More than 300,000 deaths per year in the US are attributed
to obesity- related disease.5
Too many choices — too little nutrition
Thirty years ago, we went to “the market” where our choices were few
and included mostly whole foods. Today, we head to the “super store,”
where we find a multitude of choices in every food category—mostly
highly processed foods severely lacking in nutritional value. How do we
choose the foods we eat? Most shoppers choose by packaging. If the
manufacturer declares, “It’s good for you,” “it tastes good,” and it’s a
“great price,” it goes into the cart. Unfortunately, the manufacturer’s
concept of what is “good for you” and true nutrition are often two very
different things.
Take energy drinks for example. What gives you that tremendous boost?
Try looking at the sugar content of your favorite energy drink. The
sugar will temporarily boost your energy, but once the spurt of energy
is gone, you will find your energy lower than before.
What about foods that are “Fortified with vitamins X, Y, Z?” While
vitamins may have been injected into the ingredient list, unless they
are present in a form or combination your body can assimilate, they pass
through your system without contributing to your nutritional needs Even
when eating seemingly wholesome foods, we are not necessarily deriving
the benefit we should due to the overfarming of our lands, depletion of
our soils and reduction in nutritional value in many of the crops we
grow.
As early as the 1920s, nutritional experts warned the US government
that the soils on which most crops were grown were so deficient in
mineral content that the food grown on them contained less than 10% of
the vitamins and minerals they should provide. The expectation was that
action would be taken to replenish the soils leading to more nutritious
grains, fruits and vegetables.
Sadly, the government took no action to correct the problem.
In fact, intensive farming methods have increased the problem. As a
result, grains, fruits, and vegetables today have little vitamin and
mineral content. This devastating result is compounded by the extensive
use of chemical sprays causing some fruits and vegetables to be
poisonous.6 With US soils depleted, premium whole food and supplement
companies have had to go beyond US borders to find nutrient-rich soils
in clean, green, pristine environments.
Whole food nutrition
 That our modern lifestyle is sadly lacking in well-rounded nutrition
is an established fact. The Harvard School of Public Health, in their
paper Fruits and Vegetables, states, “If you don’t count potatoes—which
should be considered a starch rather than a vegetable—the average
American gets a total of just three servings of fruits and vegetables a
day. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of
fruits and vegetables a day.” The newest Food Pyramid released by the US
Food and Drug Administration provides customized daily intake
recommendations depending on sex, age, and activity level.7 It is
interesting to note that all foods recommended in the Food Pyramid are
whole foods.
Choosing whole, live food (foods with nutrients intact and active) is
the key to health. History and research have shown that whole foods are
our most effective source of nourishment for many reasons, most
notably—balance and bioavailability.
Balance
Everything in nature exists in a delicate balance. Our bodies are an
exquisitely balanced ecosystem. Every aspect of our life from the
cellular level upward exists in a finely tuned harmony.
Nutrients are assimilated in our body in keeping with this balance.
For example, to assimilate calcium effectively, the body needs
magnesium, phosphorus, boron, several vitamins, lysine and essential
fatty acids. Calcium taken in isolation will not benefit the body and
may become harmful. An amazing truth is that whole foods provide the
needed elements — vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, carbohydrates
and fats—in the balance and combinations the body requires.
Phytochemicals are a prime example of the balance found in whole
foods. Phytochemicals are nonnutritive plant chemicals that contain
protective, disease-preventing compounds.
They have been associated with the prevention and/or treatment of at
least four of the leading causes of death in North America—cancer,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Although significant
attempts have been made to isolate phytochemicals, they have proven to
be ineffective when isolated from their plant source.
Phytochemicals are only effective when assimilated as part of
balanced whole food.
Bioavailability
Most of the nutrients in whole foods are more readily available for
nutritive use in the body than isolated supplements.
This “bio-availability” is the result of the solubility of whole
foods. Solubility means that the substance will dissolve in a liquid
medium, and in the case of nutrition, it must remain in that dissolved
state in the stomach acids and intestinal fluids. Then the body must be
able to absorb it through our intestinal walls into the bloodstream.
From there our cells must be able to metabolize it—utilize the nutrients
for energy or tissue construction.
Most vitamin and mineral supplements are less bioavailable because
they are not as soluble as whole foods. For example, vitamin B12 as
found naturally in food is absorbed twice as readily into the blood as
the USP isolated form.8 If they are not soluble, they are not absorbed
or metabolized and do the body no good. Whole foods, on the other hand,
contain the live enzymes and other components necessary for solubility,
absorption, and metabolism.
As mentioned above, all whole foods are not necessarily created equal
in this day of depleted soils. Among whole foods, one food stands out
above the rest.
 Barley grass—a wide spectrum of potent nutrients
Research in the late 20th century revealed that young barley grass is
the most nutritious of the green grasses. While barley has been used as
a grain since ancient times, the value of barley as a grass was
overlooked.
Japanese researchers discovered that the young, green barley grass
was an incredibly complete source of nutrition containing a wide
spectrum of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, enzymes,
chlorophyll and phytochemicals.
They also discovered that young barley is at its nutritional best
before the beginning of the reproductive cycle, when the plant channels
nutrition to the seed heads. In fact, when harvested at this early
stage, young barley leaves have a different chemical makeup from their
adult counterparts.
A dilemma arises when we, as humans, attempt to derive nourishment
from this nutrient-rich barley grass. We are not equipped with the
enzymes to break down the fiber in the barley grass and release the
nutrients. Thus, without intervention, this nutrition is not soluble
and, therefore, not bioavailable to the human body.
As research progressed on young barley grass it was discovered that
when grass was juiced and fiber removed, this vast nutritional
storehouse was unlocked for human use—it became bioavailable. However,
the nutrients in the liquid state were quite fragile and must be
consumed within a very short time to retain their nutritive value. To
provide a longer “shelf-life,” one more step was needed to make this
barley juice readily available to humankind.
A unique processing method
How can the nutrients in barley grass be kept from oxidizing and
losing their potency? AIM uses an advanced processing technology, in
which the barley leaves are harvested with state-of-the-art equipment
when their nutrients are most potent and alive. Within minutes the
leaves are juiced (not milled, as in many other barley grass products)
and processed using the most advanced and efficient cool processing
method for maximum freshness and nutrition.
Maltodextrin is added to the juice to act as a buffer between the
enzymes and other molecules, stabilizing and maintaining the nutrients.
The juice is spray-dried, using a special, low-temperature process. This
preserves the delicate balance of nutrients and phytochemicals. This
nutrient-dense, whole food becomes an ideal fast food. We call it AIM
BarleyLife®
Lutonarin and Saponarin
Lutonarin (7-O-GIO) and Saponarin (7-O-GIV) serve as very powerful
antioxidants. Lutonarin is the superior antioxidant of the two and is
found in high concentrations in AIM BarleyLife®. Dr. Ken Markham of
Industrial research, Ltd., in New Zealand, has observed that lutonarin
and saponarin content in barley leaves increases with UV exposure. This
indicates they may provide antioxidant protection against environmental
stresses.9
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin needed to maintain proper blood
clotting. Recent studies have also shown positive results in relation to
vitamin K and maintenance of bone density. A study at the Hebrew
Rehabilitation Center for the Aged found that a healthy diet containing
ample amounts of vitamin K may help to ensure adequate bone density and
protect against osteoporosis and hip fracture in postmenopausal women.10
AIM BarleyLife® products contain between 84% to 100% of your Reference
Daily Intake (RDI) of Vitamin K per serving.
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll has been studied for its potential in stimulating tissue
growth and in stimulating red blood cells in connection with oxygen
supply. A remarkable similarity has been found between chlorophyll and
the red pigment in the blood.
According to an article in the Journal of the National Cancer
Institute11, chlorophyll fed to laboratory animals reduces absorption of
three dietary carcinogens: heterocyclic amines (found in cooked muscle
meat), polycyclic hydrocarbons (found in smoked and barbecued foods) and aflatoxin (a mold on peanuts). The chlorophyll formed complex compounds
with the carcinogens while they were in the digestive tract, limiting
their bioavailability.
Chlorophyll also removes carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and has
been found to reduce fecal, urinary, and body odor. In addition, it has
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Chlorophyll is one of the most fragile nutrients in AIM BarleyLife®.
By testing for chlorophyll content during processing and throughout the
shelflife of the product, AIM’s Quality Assurance team insures the
viability of nutrients in AIM BarleyLife®.
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)
The enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a powerful antioxidant
thought to slow the rate of cell destruction by providing a defense
against free radicals, especially the most prolific free radical,
superoxide. Superoxide free radicals are thought to be responsible for
the breakdown of synovial fluid that leads to the inflammatory response
in joints. Much of the current clinical research on SOD is focused on
arthritis, bursitis, and gout. Low levels of SOD are also associated
with cataracts and other degenerative diseases. In addition, it is
believed to help the body use zinc, copper, and manganese more
effectively. New research has indicated that SOD has been linked with
preventing sunburns.12
As SOD is heat sensitive, it is thought to be the yardstick for
measuring overall enzymatic activity. If SOD is present in a food in an
active state, it can be concluded that the other enzymes in the food are
also present in an active state.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, plays an important role in vision,
growth and development, immune functions, red blood cell production,
reproduction, and the development and maintenance of healthy skin, hair,
and mucous membranes.
In the vitamin A family, beta-carotene (found in AIM BarleyLife®) is
the most efficient of the carotenoids for conversion to vitamin A in the
body. Vitamin A is also an important antioxidant known to protect cells.
It is implicated in cardiovascular health and is believed to have
anti-cancer benefits.
Folic Acid
Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food.
Folic acid is a form of folate that is found in some foods and also in
supplements. Folic acid helps produce and maintain new cells. This is
especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth
such as infancy and pregnancy.
It is needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. Research
has shown that women who take folic acid before and during pregnancy
have a 70% reduction in incidents of spina bifida and other neural tube
defects.13 Folic acid also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to
cancer. Both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood
cells and prevent anemia. Three servings a day of AIM BarleyLife®
provides approximately 20% of your RDI of folic acid.
ORAC values
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a revolutionary new test
tube analysis for calculating the antioxidant power of foods and other
chemical substances. By measuring a substance’s ability to protect
against the attack of free radicals—to act as an antioxidant—ORAC can
give quantitative value to antioxidant activity. The higher the ORAC
value the greater the antioxidant power. AIM BarleyLife® has tested at a
higher ORAC value than prunes, which received one of the highest ORAC
ratings among whole foods.
Attention to detail for the highest quality
AIM BarleyLife® was born out of a vision for better health.
AIM discovered through its over 20 years of experience and ambitious
research that barley juice could be even more powerful simply by paying
attention to detail at every step of the process.
- AIM’s barley seed varieties provide the widest window of
harvest.
- AIM’s barley crops thrive in clean, green, pristine environments
in which the rich nutrients in the soil contribute to the nutrients
in the plants and the juice.
- AIM does not use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides on its
barley crop and tests to insure the finished product remains free of
such chemicals.
- AIM’s barley crops are staggered so that each field is harvested
when the plants are bursting with nutrition.
- AIM’s barley crops are harvested when they are at their
nutritional peak, before they enter the reproductive cycle and use
their nutrients to produce grain.
- AIM’s barley crops are cut only once, allowing for optimum
nutrient density.
- AIM’s barley crops are rotated (barley crop followed by a legume
crop) to put nitrogen back into the soil.
- AIM’s harvested barley plants are juiced and chilled rapidly,
rendering the enzymes dormant and preserving preprecious nutrients.
- AIM’s barley juice is powdered using the most advanced and
efficient methods for ensuring maximum freshness and nutrition.
- AIM’s barley juice product is produced and packaged according to
stringent guidelines, and is quality tested throughout the entire
manufacturing process by in-house and independent laboratories to
ensure the greatest purity, nutritional potency, and quality.
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