One could easily make the argument that the egg is perhaps nature’s perfect food. Eggs are a rich source of protein along with vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, D, E and K along with calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamine, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, and pantothenic acid.
Egg yolk also provides valuable carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin which help provide protection against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the Western World. Although one can enjoy an egg in a number of different tasty and wonderful forms such as hard boiled, scrambled, deviled or sunnyside up, all of these methods employ heat.
Heating eggs is a highly effective method of pasteurization as heat inactivates harmful pathogens such as bacteria, virus and fungi that have the potential to make us very sick. However, heat also degrades many of the valuable nutrients that are found within the egg. On the other hand, drinking raw eggs as boxer Rocky Balboa did in the 1976 classic movie, “Rocky” may likely result in a trip to the Emergency Room.
World renowned Neurosurgeon and Stem Cell Pioneer, Robert J. Hariri, MD, PhD realized in 2011 that egg yolk may have the potential to revolutionize musculoskeletal health when he learned about a patented process for processing fertilized, egg yolk that circumvented the use of heat that had been developed by Scientists at the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL). Dr. Hariri was convinced that much of the concern about egg yolk and its impact on serum cholesterol was blown out of proportion.
In order to circumvent the use of heat while pasteurizing egg yolk, German Scientists developed a technique that involved pressure: the pressures that are used are higher than what one would experience standing at the bottom of the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench. Such pressures can be achieved using a machine called a high pressure pasteurization (HPP) machine.
The next step involved low temperature drying at low pressure, an operation known as freeze-drying. After fertilized egg yolk is processed using this patented process, the result is a beautiful egg yolk powder known as Fortetropin®. In 2011, Dr. Hariri acquired the intellectual property from DIL and MYOS Corporation was born.
Working with Researchers at the University of Tampa, a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled human clinical study was performed to assess the impact of Fortetropin® on muscle gain in 18-21 year old male subjects while performing moderate resistance training.
After reviewing the results of our human clinical study with leading Veterinarians and Veterinary Researchers, we realized that Fortetropin® may have tremendous potential to improve the muscle health of dogs. Muscle plays a vital role in metabolism, movement and maintaining bone health.
In order to investigate the impact of Fortetropin® on muscle health in dogs, we worked with Researchers at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine to design a study involving 100 dogs.
A common surgery that dogs undergo is tibial-plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) to repair the CCL (similar to ACL in humans). After the surgery, dogs tend to lose significant muscle mass on the limb that was operated on; you may recall the adage “use it or lose it” which is quite relevant to muscle tissue.
Our study at Kansas State University will investigate whether Fortetropin® can help dogs maintain muscle mass after undergoing this surgery.