Amerifit Brands, also commonly known as Amerifit, Inc. and Amerifit Nutrition, is an American

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

that produces numerous health and wellness brands, such as Estroven, AZO, and Culturelle. Its headquarters are located in

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, but were previously located in Bloomfield, nearly 25 miles away. Its current CEO is Wes Parris.

Brand names

AcuTrim

AcuTrim was an

over-the-counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

appetite suppressant An anorectic or anorexic is a drug which reduces appetite, resulting in lower food consumption, leading to weight loss. By contrast, an appetite stimulant is referred to as orexigenic. The term is (from the Greek ''ἀν-'' (an-) = "without" ...

first manufactured by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation in 1982. Ciba-Geigy merged with

Sandoz Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loca ...

to form

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

in 1996 and shortly thereafter, in 1997, the brand was sold to Heritage Consumer Products. In 2000, however, the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

requested that all manufacturers cease making products containing

phenylpropanolamine Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) is a sympathomimetic agent which is used as a decongestant and appetite suppressant. It was commonly used in prescription and over-the-counter cough and cold preparations. In veterinary medicine, it is used to contr ...

(PPA), which included the AcuTrim brand. PPA is believed to increase the likelihood of suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, particularly in women. In 2001, the brand was acquired by Health and Nutrition Systems International. The AcuTrim brand comprised 22% of the company's sales for that year, 18% in 2002, and 7% for half of 2003. At that time, the product no longer contained PPA, but had been converted to a natural dietary supplement for weight loss.http://www.lohas.com/articles/69398.html In August 2003, Amerifit acquired the brand name, and marketed a weight loss program under the name Acutrim, but it never contained PPA at any time. Then, in December 2005, the FDA issued an order that banned the over-the-counter sale of products containing PPA. Amerifit discontinued the product in 2005, but Amerifit still owns the AcuTrim

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

. During its lifetime, varieties of the brand included AcuTrim Late Day and AcuTrim Complete.

Culturelle

Culturelle is a

probiotic Probiotics are live microorganisms promoted with claims that they provide health benefits when consumed, generally by improving or restoring the gut microbiota. Probiotics are considered generally safe to consume, but may cause bacteria- host ...

supplement featuring the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG strain of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

Estroven

Estroven is a dietary supplement, first produced in 1997, used to treat the effects of hormonal imbalance in women during all stages of

menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often ...

. Estroven contains a standardized extract of black cohosh (''Cimicifuga racemosa'') and plant-based

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal ac ...

s (called isoflavones) from

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...

, both used to help reduce

hot flash Hot flashes (also known as hot flushes) are a form of flushing, often caused by the changing hormone levels that are characteristic of menopause. They are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and ...

es and

night sweats Night sweats, also referred to as nocturnal hyperhidrosis (Hyperhidrosis - a medical term for excessive sweating + nocturnal - night), is the repeated occurrence of excessive sweating during sleep Sleep is a sedentary state of mind and bo ...

. All varieties also include essential vitamins and minerals, such as

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

, boron,

vitamin E Vitamin E is a group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vi ...

vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 is one of the B vitamins, and thus an essential nutrient. The term refers to a group of six chemically similar compounds, i.e., " vitamers", which can be interconverted in biological systems. Its active form, pyridoxal 5′-phosp ...

vitamin B12 Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin involved in metabolism. It is one of eight B vitamins. It is required by animals, which use it as a cofactor in DNA synthesis, in both fatty acid and amino acid metabolism. ...

, and

folic acid Folate, also known as vitamin B9 and folacin, is one of the B vitamins. Manufactured folic acid, which is converted into folate by the body, is used as a dietary supplement and in food fortification as it is more stable during processing and ...

Vitaball

Vitaball was a kind of gumball that contained vitamins. It came in various fruit flavors including: cherry, watermelon, grape, and bubble gum. It was recently discontinued.

References

External links

* {{Official website Companies based in Middlesex County, Connecticut Cromwell, Connecticut