New VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) Supplements Offer a Great Experience to Help Women Meet Their Multi-Vitamin and Calcium Needs

    FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a daily
 supplement can now be an enjoyable experience for women with the launch of
 new, easy to swallow VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) dietary supplements. The
 new multivitamin supplements and new calcium supplements have smooth,
 flavored coatings that offer a more pleasant experience than larger, chalky
 pills associated with many traditional supplements.
     New VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) supplements are designed to help meet
 a woman's daily need for essential vitamins and minerals. They offer an
 important option for women who say the taste and difficulty in swallowing
 some vitamin and calcium pills are a deterrent to using them everyday.
     According to a new survey from CARAVAN(R) Opinion Research Corporation
 (CORC), over one third of women have not taken a multivitamin or calcium
 supplement in the last month. Although the majority (54%) of these women
 agree that taking vitamins would be a healthy addition to their life, one
 in four of them simply won't take the pills because they don't like
 swallowing them. Additionally, of women surveyed who have taken a
 multivitamin or calcium supplement within the last month, 70 percent
 dislike some aspect of the experience, with nearly one-fifth of these women
 blaming the pills' unpleasant aftertaste. (1)
     Available in both multivitamin and a calcium formulation, VIACTIV(R)
 FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) supplements combine a smooth, easy to swallow coating
 with great taste to help women form the good habit of consistently taking
 daily supplements. One VIACTIV(R) Multi-Vitamin FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) caplet
 with a BERRY BREEZE(TM) flavored coating offers a complete women's formula
 with 24 essential vitamins and minerals. Two VIACTIV(R) Calcium FLAVOR
 GLIDES(TM) caplets with a vanilla flavored coating provide 100 percent of
 the Daily Value for calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K.
     "Although many women believe they get adequate vitamins and minerals
 from a balanced diet, the majority of women don't meet the recommended
 requirements," says Elizabeth Somer, Registered Dietician and author of Age
 Proof Your Body. "Taking a supplement is an easy way to meet nutritional
 goals, but many women say they don't like the experience, and some women
 forget to take one because it's not in their normal routine. To help women
 remember, they can couple the act of taking vitamins with something they're
 not likely to forget, like eating breakfast."
     Dietary surveys repeatedly demonstrate that large groups of Americans
 do not meet their daily needs of key vitamins and minerals from diet alone.
 Further, a daily multivitamin dietary supplement is recommended for all
 adults by healthcare professionals to help individuals consistently meet
 their recommended intake levels. (2) The use of daily calcium supplements
 for women is especially important. With the growing numbers of people with
 osteoporosis in this country, the Surgeon General recently predicted that
 one-half of Americans over age 50 would be at risk for bone fractures
 because of brittle bones or low bone density by the year 2020. (3)
     Taking vitamins on a consistent basis continues to be a challenge for
 women. In the CORC survey, nearly half (45%) of women who have not taken a
 multivitamin or calcium supplement in the last month say that they would be
 more likely to take vitamins if they were easier to swallow. (4) Women who
 try either VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) multivitamin or calcium supplement
 and don't find the caplets easy to swallow can receive a full refund as
 part of a money-back guarantee offered to consumers through June 2007.
     VIACTIV(R) Multi-Vitamin FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) supplements contain 24
 essential vitamins and minerals, including Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2,
 Niacin, B6, Folic Acid, B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron,
 Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum
 and Potassium, plus Lutein to help promote immune health, energy
 activation, heart health, bone strength, skin health and eye health.
     VIACTIV(R) Calcium FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) supplements contain 500mg of
 calcium plus Vitamins D and K.
     About VIACTIV(R)
     Consumers might recognize the VIACTIV(R) Brand as the innovators who
 offer alternative delivery methods for incorporating calcium and
 multivitamins into a daily diet. VIACTIV(R) Calcium and Multi-Vitamin Soft
 Chews provide convenient, great-tasting ways for women to supplement a
 healthy diet and help them obtain the recommended amount of key vitamins
 and calcium each day. Last year, the company introduced VIACTIV(R) for
 Teens Calcium Soft Chews, a new portable, great tasting, chewable calcium
 supplement that provides needed calcium and suits the active lifestyle of
 pre-teen and teenage girls. More information about VIACTIV(R) brands is
 available at http://www.viactiv.com. VIACTIV(R) Calcium Soft Chews,
 VIACTIV(R) Multi-Vitamin Soft Chews, VIACTIV(R) for Teens Calcium Soft
 Chews, and the new VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR GLIDES(TM) dietary supplements are
 marketed by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC.
     About McNeil Nutritionals
     McNeil Nutritionals, LLC is a global marketer of innovative nutritional
 products. The company's mission is to give people the ability to actively
 manage their own health. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC markets SPLENDA(R) No
 Calorie Sweetener, SPLENDA(R) Sugar Blend, SPLENDA(R) Brown Sugar Blend,
 SPLENDA(R) QUICK PACK(TM) No Calorie Sweetener Pouches, SPLENDA(R) Flavor
 Blends for Coffee, VIACTIV(R) Calcium Soft Chews, VIACTIV(R) Multi-Vitamin
 Soft Chews, VIACTIV(R) for Teens Calcium Soft Chews, VIACTIV(R) FLAVOR
 GLIDES(TM) Dietary Supplements, LACTAID(R) Milk and Dietary Supplements,
 and BENECOL(R) Spreads. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC is headquartered in Fort
 Washington, PA.
     (1) Caravan Opinion Research Corp., Caravan Opinion Research
 Corporation Survey on Vitamin Supplementation, 2007
     (2) Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention
 in Adults. JAMA. 2002; 287:3127-3129
     (3) U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. U.S. Surgeon General's
 Report on Bone Health, 2004.
 http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041014.html
     (4) Caravan Opinion Research Corp., Caravan Opinion Research
 Corporation Survey on Vitamin Supplementation, 2007.
     Media Contacts:
 
     Sherri Satalof
     McNeil Nutritionals
     215-273-7449
     ssatalof@mcnus.jnj.com
 
     Whitney MacDonald
     RF-Binder Partners
     212-994-7547
     whitney.macdonald@rfbinder.com
 
 

SOURCE McNeil Nutritionals, LLC