WHEN EVERY BITE COUNTS, YOU CAN COUNT ON MAT MAID!  These new nutrient-fortified probiotic low fat yogurts are the result of Mat Maid’s continued effort to meet their customers’ preferences, wants and needs. The unique formulations, including the “sunshine vitamin” D, meet specific nutritional needs of people living in northern latitudes, such as Alaska. Further, independent research* shows that they contain more vitamin and mineral supplements than all other branded yogurts currently marketed in North America.  In addition to being an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and a good source of protein, these improved yogurts are a good new source of dietary fiber!   For your peak performance, there is superior nutrition in every serving of yogurt for building a strong, healthy body.

For three generations, the great folks at Matanuska Maid Dairy have worked hard to provide Alaskans with the freshest, best tasting, healthiest dairy products available in the state.  Now, a result of their continued research and development, Mat Maid has created a new line of delicious, nutritious, uniquely proactive healthy yogurts. These yogurts contain premium HOWARU™ probiotic cultures, and more essential nutrients than any other name-brand yogurts currently available in US markets. The yogurts, available only from Matanuska Maid Dairy, come in ten great flavors, appealing to a wide range of tastes:

Banana Cream Pie Blueberry Cherry Vanilla Honey Peach Lemon Mountain Berry Cream Raspberry Strawberry Strawberry Banana Vanilla

From first taste to long after the last bite, your whole body benefits from eating Mat Maid’s new low fat premium probiotic yogurts. The number of direct and indirect benefits from keeping these yogurts as a regular part of your diet seems practically endless. Consider some of the direct benefits:

1. Luxuriously delicious, convenient, single-serve wellness product
2. A tasty functional food with many benefits beyond basic nutrition
3. Excellent source of essential nutrients for optimum health
4. Higher bioavailability of nutrients in foods compared to supplements alone
5. Low in saturated fat and cholesterol
6. Good source of protein
7. Good new source of fiber for your diet
8. Great way to add preventive healthcare to the diet
9. Contain natural premium HOWARU™ Bifido and HOWARU™ Dophilus probiotic cultures
10. Contain inulin, a prebiotic that supports growth of probiotic bacteria
11. Supports and strengthens the immune system
12. Eating these yogurts on a regular basis helps maintain a healthy balance of the bacteria microflora in your gastrointestinal tract

THE PROBIOTICS:

In addition to the S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus bacteria that culture the milk to make yogurt, Mat Maid’s new yogurt contains two premium HOWARU™ probiotic bacteria cultures, HOWARU™ Dophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM™) and HOWARU™ Bifido (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019), from Danisco. Each serving of yogurt contains billions of premium HOWARU™ probiotic bacteria; when consumed as a regular part of the diet, these cultures help maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms in the intestines.  This stimulates the development of a stronger immune system, which is essential to staying healthy and fighting illnesses.

HOWARU™ Dophilus and HOWARU™ Bifido are some of the most tested probiotic cultures available in the market. Human clinical studies conducted in several countries show that the consumption of HOWARU™ probiotics help improve function of the digestive system, prevent intestinal disorders and enhance the natural immune response. Particularly with children, consumption of HOWARU™ probiotics improves intestinal well-being and reduces the risk for infectious and non-infectious diseases. 

From 1-year-old children to 85-year-old seniors, these studies have documented multiple important benefits of ingesting the HOWARU™ probiotics, including:

• Ingestion of HOWARU™ probiotic cultures enhance several physiological functions, including
• Modulation of Intestinal microflora and the immune system,
• Protection from disease, and
• Reduction of lactose intolerance symptoms.
• HOWARU™ probiotic cultures help maintain a balanced intestinal microflora that act directly with intestinal cells to benefit the gastrointestinal tract, which is responsible for 80% of the body’s antibody production.
• In a recent study of more than 600 children ages one to three years old, HOWARU™ Bifido, in combination with a prebiotic like inulin in the Mat Maid yogurts

• Reduced the incidence and prevalence of dysentery and the number of severe illnesses or fever and the incidence of middle ear infection, and
• Demonstrated a 35% reduction in iron deficiency as well as a weight improvement according to age and height

• HOWARU™ Dophilus was associated with a dramatic reduction of the intestinal discomfort suffered by lactose intolerant consumers following milk consumption.

• A recent study conducted at the French research institute Inserm and the University of Lille suggests that consumption of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM™ reduces pain perception in the gut, and could help treat abdominal pains caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

• Clinical trials performed in several countries demonstrated that consumption of HOWARU™ Bifido increased natural immunity.  The trial results showed that the strain enhanced the activity of Natural Killer cells, which play a major role in host-rejection of abnormal cells, such as cancer and those virally infected.

• A study conducted on elderly (aged from 65 – 85) has shown that HOWARU™ Bifido could correct the age-related decline in phagocytic cell function, therefore improving the elderly’s natural defense system.

FIBER AND PREBIOTIC:

Mat Maid’s new yogurt contains inulin, which benefits health in two important ways.  Inulin is a soluble fiber, providing 11% of the DV (Daily Value) of fiber.  It is also a prebiotic, which specifically stimulates the growth, multiplication and activity of beneficial bacteria such as the HOWARU™ probiotics in the intestinal microflora.

THE NUTRIENTS YOUR BODY NEEDS:

Every serving of Mat Maid’s new premium probiotic yogurt is fortified with more of the DV of essential vitamins and minerals than any yogurts in the US market, as shown by independent studies conducted by Alaska Brands Group.  Further, the nutrient profile has extra benefits for Alaskans living at high latitudes, where the mid-winter sun briefly, if at all, makes a daily trek low across the sky’s horizon.  Exposure to the sun’s UVB rays is required to stimulate production of Vitamin D3 in the skin.  With limited sunshine, and people frequently bundled head to toe to keep warm, there is a risk of vitamin D deficiency if not obtained from the diet.  To optimize the health of their consumers, Mat Maid added 30% DV of the “Sunshine” Vitamin D3, needed to absorb the yogurt’s 40% DV calcium, needed for building strong bones and teeth.

All of the vitamins and minerals supplementing this premium yogurt are essential for the body to function. For additional information on these nutrients, go to Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

FOOT NOTES

1 PROBIOTIC
Probiotics are "friendly bacteria, defined as "Live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host."  The term is derived from the Greek words "for life" They are used in foods or neutraceuticals in order to benefit the health of consumers. The most commonly used probiotics are bacteria from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.  Once in our intestines, these natural and friendly bacteria help balance the microflora and support our immune system.

3 FUNCTIONAL FOOD
A fresh or processed food with health benefits beyond the basic function of supplying nutrients and energy.  Yogurts with live probiotic cultures are in the functional food category.  Including these types of foods in the diet provides people with the opportunity to take more control of their health by selecting foods that have specific health benefits.

4 BIOAVAILABILITY
Bioavailability refers to the amount of a substance that the body is able to absorb and utilize for needed physiological functions, such as calcium absorption and use in building bones and teeth. The utilization of many nutrients is synergistic, and other specific nutrients must be present/available for optimum use and proper function, vitamin D and calcium.  Obtaining nutrients in whole foods, which have an abundance of different nutrients, maximizes the bioavailability of nutrients.

5 PREBIOTIC
A food ingredient that specifically stimulates the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria within the intestines. The most common prebiotics are indigestible oligosaccharides (carbohydrates), such as the inulin in Mat Maid’s premium probiotic yogurt. 

Other benefits of including inulin in the diet include the results of a statistically significant study conducted by the USDA Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, TX.  Conclusions included that that “Daily consumption of a combination of prebiotic short- and long-chain inulin-type fructans significantly increases calcium absorption and enhances bone mineralization during pubertal growth.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Aug;82(2):471-6.

6 IMMUNE SYSTEM
A complex natural defense system that protects the body from pathogenic organisms and other foreign substances that have penetrated the outer defenses of the body. The system includes the humoral immune response and the cell-mediated response. The immune system also protects the body from invasion by making local barriers and inflammation.

7 MICROFLORA
The intestinal microflora (microscopic plant or bacterial life) contains more than 1 kg bacteria totaling some 100 billion bacterial cells in all, 10 times more than the number of cells in our body, a number which is beyond our imagination.  These bacteria live in a complex balance that keeps the Potentially harmful bacteria under control.   When imbalance occurs, pathogenic bacteria gain an opportunity to grow in the intestine, causing digestive disorders or disease.

8 GASTROINTESTINAL (GI, GI TRACT)
The pathway of food and nutrients through the stomach and intestines. Pertaining to the stomach, small and large intestines, colon, rectum.

The GI tract is the largest immune organ in the body, responsible for 80% of its antibody production. The inner surface of the gastrointestinal tract consists of a layer of cells called epithelium covered by a mucus layer. The gastrointestinal tract also hosts the intestinal microflora that is made of various bacteria, which supports the defense of our body and other functions of the digestive system.

9 DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Also referred to as the gut, the digestive system includes organs that convert food and nutrients into substances that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body.  These organs include the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestine

10 LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
The inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the main sugar found in milk.  Lactose intolerance is a digestive system problem, not a food allergy.

11 ANTIBODY
A blood protein developed in response to the presence of foreign objects in the blood such as bacteria, viruses or infected cells.  The antibodies bind precisely with the alien substances and target them for neutralization by other parts of the immune system.  This adaptive response enables the body to ‘remember’ these substances for ongoing attack if re-introduced.  A healthy immune system supports antibody production as component of preventive health maintenance.

12 IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME, OR IBS
A "functional" disorder causing normal activities of the intestines including movement and sensitivity of the nerves, or the way in which the brain controls them, is impaired.

13 PHAGOCYTIC CELL FUNCTION
The process whereby cells such as white blood cells (leukocytes) defend the body against infection and disease by ingesting cellular debris, destroying infectious agents such as bacteria or cancer cells, or by producing antibodies.