Youngevity Founder Awarded Klaus Schwarz Medal
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Prestigious Scientific Award Recognizes Discovery of Selenium-Cystic Fibrosis Link
SAN DIEGO, Jan 4. 2012 -- Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AL International (www.alintjcof.com) (JCOF-PK) and direct seller of lifestyle and nutritional products and gourmet healthy coffee, proudly announced that its founder, Dr. Joel D. Wallach, BS, DVM, ND is the 2011 recipient of the Klaus Schwarz Commemorative Medal. This prestigious award, sponsored by the International Association of Bioinorganic Scientists, Inc. (IABS), recognizes the work of pioneers in the field of trace element research and is named after Klaus Schwarz (1914-1978), a leading trace element researcher best known for his discovery of the essentiality of selenium.
The IABS cited Wallach's groundbreaking discovery of an animal model of cystic fibrosis, a disease that affects 70,000 people worldwide. In 1978, as a researcher at the Emory University Yerkes National Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Wallach observed pancreatic lesions that were identical to those observed in human patients in the offspring of inadequately-fed rhesus monkeys. This suggested that cystic fibrosis?at the time believed to be a genetic disorder of humans only?could also be the result of selenium deficiency, and that some forms of cystic fibrosis might be preventable.
Selenium is an essential trace mineral that serves many functions in human physiology, including the synthesis of antioxidants (natural substances that neutralize free radical damage), and thyroid and immune function. It cannot be made by the human body but instead must be obtained through diet. Sources of selenium include nuts, cereals, meat, mushrooms, fish, eggs, and dietary supplements.
"Dr. Wallach is honored for a discovery that is already benefitting many," said Dr. Gerhard N. Schrauzer, PhD, MS, FACN, CNS, and IABS Founder and President. "The broader significance of his discovery three decades ago is only now beginning to be recognized. From a historical perspective, Dr. Wallach is to be regarded as one of the first practitioners, if not founders, of epigenetics, a new scientific discipline that investigates heritable alterations in gene expression."
A detailed article on this year's award was published in the December 2011 edition of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Biological Trace Element Research.
About Dr. Wallach
Before becoming a Naturopathic Physician in 1982, biomedical research pioneer, Dr. Joel D. Wallach, BS, DVM, ND spent two decades in the field of Veterinary Medicine, observing and researching the effects of individual nutrients on animal health. Today, Dr. Wallach is renowned for his groundbreaking research on the health benefits of selenium and other minerals. He currently dedicates his time to lecturing throughout the world on the therapeutic benefits of vitamins and minerals, and on lobbying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on behalf of the dietary supplement industry.
About the IABS
The International Association of Bioinorganic Scientists (IABS) was founded in 1975 as a non-profit scientific organization to provide workers in the field of "Bioinorganic Chemistry" a unifying forum for the exchange and publication of ideas. The Association's vice president was the renowned Klaus Schwarz, whose passing in 1978 prompted the creation of the Klaus Schwarz Commemorative Medal to honor trace element researchers for their accomplishments. Candidates for the annual award are selected on recommendation from fellow workers in the field or from members of the Editorial Board of the Association's journal, Biological Trace Element Research, or other qualified individuals. A partial list of past recipients includes: James Cecil Smith, USDA Nutrition Institute; Keshan Disease Research Groups at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and X'ian Medical College; Forrest H. Nielsen and Leslie M. Klevay, USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center; Dolph Hatfield, National Cancer Institute; James E. Oldfield, Oregon State University Nutrition Research Institute; and Kazuo T. Suzuki, University of Chiba, Japan.
About AL International
AL International, Inc. (www.alintjcof.com) (JCOF-PK) is a fast-growing, innovative, multi-dimensional company that offers a wide range of consumer products and services, primarily through person-to-person selling relationships that comprise a "network of networks." The company also is a vertically-integrated producer of the finest coffees for the commercial, retail and direct sales channels. AL International was formed after the merger of Youngevity® Essential Life Sciences (www.youngevity.com) and Javalution Coffee Company in the summer of 2011.