Read about the positive benefits of ASEA, experienced by one of the greatest triathletes in history.

1. A WORLD CLASS TRIATHLETE’S ASEA
PRODUCT REVIEW
ASEA, Redox Signaling & Athletic Performance
By Rich Roll
Rich Roll is a passionate and inspirational ultra-endurance athlete. In May 2010, Rich
accomplished an unprecedented feat of staggering endurance many said was not possible.
Something they call the EPIC5CHALLENGE– an odyssey that entailed completing 5 Ironman
triathlons on 5 islands of Hawaii in under a week . Commencing on Kauai, they traveled to Oahu,
Molokai and Maui before finishing on the Big Island, following the course of the Ironman World
Championships on the Kona coast.
bout a year and half ago, my friend Timothy Harrington
started bugging me, doing his best to convince me to try this
new product he was involved with called ASEA. “Sorry buddy.
Never heard of it. Not interested.” I politely replied, rejecting the
offer.
“Just take a look. Studies on athletes have shown that it can
significantly increase aerobic capacity in endurance athletes and
decrease recovery time between workouts. I think this could
really benefit you.”
hatever. I’ve heard it many times before, and I’ll hear it
again, I’m sure. Just another new product hitting the market
making claims it simply can’t support. Anyone who knows me
knows that I am incredibly particular about my nutrition – an
intense pickiness that extends beyond my whole food plant-
based diet to the supplements I choose to incorporate into my
daily routine. In fact, I do my best to keep my dietary
supplements down to a bare minimum – only taking into my body
that which is absolutely required to ensure my system gets what
it needs; what I might have overlooked due to dietary
restrictions; or what I may need to enhance recovery due to
heavy training. And the supplements I do use are generally
organic and plant-based as opposed to chemical in composition
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2. — things like EFA Oil, plant-based protein powders, Chlorophyll,
spirulina, and L-Glutamine. But that’s pretty much it. So I can’t
say I was exactly open to trying a new product I not only had
never heard of, but whose only active ingredient was also
something I had never heard of – redox signaling molecules.
WHAT IS REDOX SIGNALING?
’m not a doctor. But I was pre-med for two years at Stanford,
where I studied human biology and organic chemistry. And so
to a limited degree, I know a few things. But redox signaling
molecules? What the heck is that? I chalked it up to creative
marketing, cryptically dressing up what clearly was nothing more
than the latest snake oil with some half-baked scientific labeling
mumbo-jumbo. Tim’s a nice guy, but I wasn’t buying. Thanks but
no thanks.
ut Tim persisted. Just try it, he urged, following up by
sending me a litany of research materials and scientific
studies performed by disinterested third parties on the science
behind redox signaling and reactive molecules. I read them all,
then did my own research. Its very complex stuff, indeed. But I’ll
do my best to explain what I learned in the most simplistic of
terms.
et’s start at the beginning. The human body is made up of
somewhere in the range of 100 trillion cells. Within each cell
are mitochondria, which are responsible for the creation of
energy by way of what is called the Krebs Cycle. This process
entails the conversion of glucose to ATP. The byproducts of the
Krebs Cycle along the Electron Transport Chain are what are
known as redox signaling molecules (“RSM”).
riginally, scientists perceived these byproducts as metabolic
waste – oxidants and reductants that must be purged from
the cell in order to remain healthy. However, current research
suggests otherwise. That in fact a proper homeostatic balance of
oxidants and reductants is absolutely necessary for maintaining
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3. cellular health, including virtually all of the functions of the
immune system and tissue regeneration response. In the most
simplistic terms, they provide a means by which cells participate
in intra- and inter-cellular damage-control communications,
activation of antioxidants, cellular protection and defense
against toxins and free radicals, and in the healing response.
he human body is constantly working to maintain cellular
health by balancing these redox signaling molecules to rid
the body of harmful components and to clean up the oxidative
stress and free radical damage that occurs at the cellular level,
while simultaneously ensuring the cell’s ability to maintain
proper communication with its environment. When these reactive
molecules are in the proper balance, the immune system and
healing process function at their optimal level.
irtually all disease and bodily challenges are caused by what
is called oxidative stress – a increasingly salient reality of
living in modern times attributable to a wide variety of factors,
including sun damage, excessive exercise, electromagnetic
radiation, food additives and preservatives, x-ray radiation,
prescription drugs, heavy metals, stress, anxiety, air & water
pollution, lack of sleep, and toxic industrialized chemicals to
name a few. These factors cause our cells to produce an excess
of oxidants in comparison to reductants – thus throwing off the
cell’s homeostatic balance of RSMs and promoting the
proliferation of harmful free radicals.
ut this imbalance is how the cell detects damage and is
signaled to repair itself. The immune system is summoned,
prompting repair, or replacement of the cell via mitosis (cell
division) of a neighboring healthy cell. Without this excess of
oxidants indicating oxidative stress, the cell wouldn’t know to
reach out for restorative help. Too many oxidants leads to a
proliferation of damaged cells. But too few oxidants impair the
cell’s ability to signal an immune response and to repair damage.
Therefore, balance – homeostasis – is key.
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4. owever, chronic oxidative stress leads to a proliferation of
free radicals that unless neutralized, lead to cell damage
that will continue to worsen – damaging the cell walls, vessel
walls, proteins, fats and even the DNA nucleus of our cells —
until the cell can no longer properly function. The result
advances the aging of tissues, leading to poor health and the
potentiality for degenerative disease.
t is for this reason that we are constantly inundated with the
health benefits of anti-oxidants. The idea is that these
molecules combat the proliferation of free radicals in an effort to
bring the cell back to healthy homeostasis. But herein lies the
rub. First, most antioxidant supplements are molecules far too
large to pass through the cell wall, averaging about 200 atoms in
diameter. Therefore, most (some scientists estimate about 90%)
are denied entry to the place where they are needed most –
inside the cell where the free radicals are found. Second, one
anti-oxidant molecule is empowered to combat one free radical
molecule before becoming essentially inert. It is thus a 1:1 ratio.
However, the body generally harbors about 100 sextillion free
radicals a day. That’s a heck of a lot!
ue to this restrictive 1:1 ratio, scientific studies show that
your body can’t possibly ingest enough antioxidants to
eliminate the number of free radicals your body makes every day.
For example, you would have to eat 32 pounds of strawberries,
31 pounds of raspberries, AND 15 pounds of dark chocolate per
day to achieve the antioxidant power that it would take to
eliminate the free radicals that are created naturally in the body.
ASEA
his is where ASEA comes in – as the first and only REDOX
SIGNALING MOLECULE supplement. As stated above, stable
RSMs are central to the body’s healing mechanisms, mediating
multiple cellular defense, repair & replacement signaling
pathways. ASEA purports to have determined a completely
stable, balanced, bio-available and entirely non-toxic formula of
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5. RSMs native to the body that can effectively penetrate the cell
wall (unlike most anti-oxidant supplements), efficiently combat
free radicals, stimulate the body’s production of its own anti-
oxidant defenses, and stabilize the proper homeostasis of
oxidants to reductants to optimize cellular communication,
repair, and replacement, thus enhancing the body’s ability to
properly function, recover, and simply work as designed.
oreover, independent studies show that ASEA when in
contact with living cells increased the efficiency of some of
our body’s most important native antioxidants inside living cells –
such as glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)
— more than 500%. In other words, ASEA is purported to
significantly stimulate the cell’s own production of the master
antioxidants inside the cells without causing an inflammatory
immune system response. What does this mean? It means that
the body becomes empowered to neutralize approximately
70,000,000 free radicals per second — the rate at which native
Glutathione Peroxidase is able to process oxidative free radicals.
Quite an improvement over the results that can be achieved by a
diet rich in anti-oxidants.
ut let me be clear on one point that is likely on your mind.
ASEA is not a vitamin, mineral, juice, or antioxidant. And yet
it is not a drug either, having received the clean certificates of
analysis required by the UCI, the organization that coordinates
and monitors doping in cycling. There is nothing in ASEA that
could possibly be classified as a banned substance. Period.
Again, ASEA is entirely non-toxic and native to the body. In fact,
it doesn’t force the body to do anything it wouldn’t ordinarily do.
It’s not a cure to anything, and is not a replacement for proper
nutrition. It merely enhances the body’s innate ability to repair
itself. The company describes the product as follows:
“ASEA is the world’s first and only Redox Signaling
Molecular Supplement based on over 16 years of
scientific research, 23 patents and approximately $17
million in research. ASEA is a proprietary blend of
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6. naturally occurring reactive molecules in a salt-water
solution derived from a patented redox balanced
process. This unique patented electro-chemical
process rearranges the salt-water solution constituent
components into a beneficial mixture that is critical to
proper balanced cellular chemistry in the
body…enabling the immune system to function at its
optimal level. The ASEA salt-water solution is the
same solution found in every cell in the human body.”
he purported benefits of ASEA extend to athletic
performance. ASEA studies on athletes demonstrate:
■ An increase in athletic endurance, as measured by
time to ventilatory threshold and time to VO2max , by
more than 10% on average;
■ A 10% increase in the athlete’s ability to sustain
maximum threshold
■ A reduction in heart rate in some cases, evidencing
an increase in aerobic capacity;
■ A reduction in soreness, inflammation and recovery
time; and
■ An increase in lactate flushing by 5-10%.
ranted, these are studies conducted by ASEA. So it’s not
surprising that the findings were positive. Additional double-
blind studies on ASEA’s effects on athletic performance are
currently in motion under the authority of highly reputable third
party laboratories, so I anxiously await those results.
ine. All well and good on paper. At least enough to convince
me to give it a try. So about a year ago – a short while before
ASEA was even officially introduced to the marketplace — I
relented and Tim sent me a crate of the stuff. At first taste, I
have to say I was not impressed. The stuff tastes like pool water.
But I agreed to give it an honest go, my expectations limited at
best. 4 ounces twice a day. Bear in mind that my first-hand
findings are hardly scientific – purely anecdotal in fact. Not a
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7. variable-free double-blind study by any stretch. But I have to say
that I did find that my training kicked into high gear. I was
recovering rapidly between workouts, despite a very heavy load
averaging around 20-25 hours per week, particularly in the lead
up to EPIC5. I did not get sick, injured or overly fatigued. I just
got stronger. My power on the bike continued to escalate, and I
did not experience the weariness I had suffered this same month
of training the year prior. To double check, I went through my
training logs from the previous season and evaluated where I
stood in comparison. To be certain, I understand that there are
other factors at play – having only been competing in endurance
sports for a few years, it is to be expected that I would continue
to improve, particularly as I learned more about how to perfect
my nutrition. But the gains exceeded what I anticipated, and this
was reflected in my periodic lactate tests, which give me an
accurate window into my true physical condition.
nd so I continued to use the product. I trained for EPIC5 on
ASEA. And have been using it consistently ever since. I
realize there will be naysayers and doubters out there. I don’t
blame you. I was definitely one of them. But I do believe that I
am realizing tangible performance gains as a result of consistent
use, most noticeably in my ability to recover between workouts.
espite my inner conviction of the benefits of the product, I
remained reluctant to speak publicly about my experience
until I could better understand the science behind ASEA. So I
reached out to the company’s higher-ups, and recently flew out
to their corporate HQ in Salt Lake City to learn more. Despite the
gains I knew I had reaped by using the product, I still had many
doubts. But I spent several hours meeting with Dr. Gary
Samuelson, the scientific mind behind ASEA. A PhD in
Atomic/Medical Physics from the University of Utah with a
specialization in the emerging field of redox signaling science,
Gary patiently walked me through the biochemistry and the
research conducted in the field, with respect to ASEA and the
field of research in general. I was impressed, leaving my meeting
with Dr. Samuelson even more satisfied that my anecdotal
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8. findings are indeed on par with the scientific underpinnings of
the product. If you are interested in learning more about Dr.
Samuelson’s perspective on redox signaling, you can read his
book, The Science of Healing Revealed—New Insights into Redox
Signaling.
ut there was one more thing I needed to address. The fact
that ASEA is structured as a multi-level marketing company –
a network marketing business model often associated with sham
products, shady business practices, disingenuous sales tactics
and improbable promises of wealth to naive sales associates. If
there was anything I did not want to be involved with, it was a
shady business; and MLM’s don’t exactly have the best
reputation. My guard was up. However I spent several hours with
the management team, including CEO Verdis Norton and left with
a few key insights.
irst, ASEA is essentially a family run business. Verdis’ team
includes his two sons Jon and Tyler, as well as his daughter
Nancy – all people I have come to respect and hold in high
regard, not just for their business acumen, but also as human
beings. Second, it is an enterprise in which ethics and morals are
not just given lip service, but are the very foundation of their
corporate culture. I honestly believe their primary goal is to help
people by improving health and empowering the individual. To be
certain, ASEA is a business for profit. But I know that there is a
much higher purpose at play that motivates the Nortons far
beyond the promise of a dollar.
ver the last year, I have been approached by many nutrition
and supplement companies seeking my endorsement. Each
and every time I have said no. Usually because the products just
simply don’t live up to their purported benefits. I can’t in good
conscience promote a message of optimal wellness and endorse
a product that contains chemicals, preservatives, GMOS’s or
synthetic sugars, even if it is technically “vegan” or tied to some
evidence of short-term performance benefit. And quite frankly, I
didn’t want to feel obligated to promote something – I’d rather
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9. choose the foods and nutrition that suit me, and freely share my
objective perspective with whoever is interested without the
tether of obligation. But with ASEA I believe I have found a
product I can stand behind 100%. For these reasons, I feel I can
wholeheartedly and proudly endorse this product – my first
formal endorsement of a nutritional product as an athlete.
For more information on ASEA, to purchase or to join this
remarkable business opportunity, please contact me: