SAN FRANCISCO Bruce Ames' first attempt at developing a nutrition bar was not entirely successful: The dense, fruit-based product was chock-full of vitamins and minerals and other healthy supplements, but it tasted awful.
"The first bar produced a gag response," said Mark Shigenaga, a scientist who helped Ames come up with the recipe for the bar, now dubbed the "Chori-bar."
But the researchers at Children's Hospital kept at it, working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to repeatedly redesign the nutrition bar recipe. Seven years later, they have created perhaps the most nutrient-packed bar around -- and it's so palatable that people are "knocking down doors" to try it, researchers say.
The Chori-bar hasn't yet joined the dozens, if not hundreds, of nutrition bars being sold on the market, although the scientists have submitted a patent. What sets their product apart, Ames and his colleagues say, is that it is designed specifically for people with poor eating habits who are lacking essential nutrients in their diet, and potentially putting themselves at increased risk for long-term health problems.
"Shortages of vitamins and minerals are causing DNA damage," said Ames, chairman of the research institute's Center for Nutrition and Metabolism. "We needed a vehicle to get people these nutrients. A lot of nutritional thought went into this."
Now might be an especially difficult time to design such a product for the public. Aside from the fact that the market is already flooded with nutrition bars, there's also been a recent backlash against multivitamins and supplements, after a study published last year claimed they're not necessary for most people.
Plus, nutrition experts are increasingly pushing "real food" diets that encourage people to get nutrients from natural sources, like fresh fruits and vegetables.
"I always tell people to get their vitamins through food first," said Jo Ann Hattner, a San Francisco registered dietitian who teaches nutrition courses at Stanford. "I like the synergy of the natural foods and the nutrients that are combined in there. It's not the same in a supplement. Nature does it better."
Ames and his colleagues say that even the healthiest eaters -- people who focus on eating lots of whole, fresh foods -- almost certainly aren't getting all the nutrients they need. And people with very poor diets are facing immediate and long-term health risks such as heart disease or diabetes that make supplementing their diets a critical task, the researchers say.
"We're not advocating a diet of these bars and Coca-Cola," Ames said.
The bar they developed comes in assorted flavors, is low in calories and is filled with nutrients and minerals.
Early studies have shown that regular consumption of Chori-bars can alter certain biological indicators -- or biomarkers -- that are associated with chronic, sometimes deadly diseases. Even people who already have a healthy, well-rounded diet showed improvements.
The first study, the results of which were published earlier this month, looked at 25 volunteers of various ages, sizes and genders. Overall, the subjects saw increases in so-called good cholesterol and decreases in plasma homocysteine -- both shifts that are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. The changes came after just two weeks of eating two bars a day, the scientists reported.
That the Chori-bar may offer positive results after such a short time period is promising, researchers say, but larger, longer studies will be needed to show whether these improvements are sustainable and, more important, whether they actually lead to lower rates of heart disease and other chronic conditions.
The purpose of the Chori-bar is to increase micronutrient consumption toward optimal levels. Unfortunately, building such a product is challenging, especially when the recipe needs to include pretty much every vitamin and mineral known to help humans -- not all of which are delicious.
The current bar has 36 ingredients and is 107 calories -- it's purposely low-calorie, since it's being geared primarily toward people who are overweight. The bars are dense and very chewy, and the flavors -- white chocolate blueberry or fruit cinnamon -- are subtle, and not too sweet.
"Finding ways to put all of these healthy ingredients into one compact bar with limited calories that tastes good -- that's a constant balancing act," said Tara McHugh, research leader of the processed food research unit with the USDA branch in Albany, who's been working with the scientists on the bar recipe.
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email her at eallday(at)sfchronicle.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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