SANDPOINT -— Seven U.S. national governing bodies have tapped a local health solutions company as their exclusive supplier of nutritional supplements for the elite athletes and sports teams they oversee, according to a press release from Thorne Research, which operates a manufacturing facility in Sandpoint.

The company has signed multi-year agreements with these NGBs and expects several more agreements to follow. It will provide supplements for the U.S. Rowing and U.S.A. Gymnastics teams, among others.

“It is critically important to ensure that standards for quality, safety and content be demonstrated for nutritional supplements that will be used by our athletes,” said Dr. Jo Hannafin, head physician for U.S. Rowing.

“Our partnership addresses a great need on the part of competitive and elite athletes. No longer must these athletes fend for themselves trying to figure out which nutritional supplements to take, and where to obtain a safe, clean and reliable source of nutritional supplements," said Paul Jacobson, the CEO of Thorne Research.

The firm offers instant access to the latest health information from the Mayo Clinic on the Thorne Research website, enabling elite athletes to quickly source reliable information on supplement usage, nutritional labels and applicable regulations regarding various supplements. 

"Thorne Research is also embarking on several clinical research studies at Mayo Clinic, including the effect of nicotinamide riboside on brain health in collegiate football players, the effect of nicotinamide riboside on altitude acclimatization and team cohesion during an ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a study of the microbiome," according to the press release.

"We are honored that these prestigious national governing bodies are working with us because of our approach to providing nutritional supplements that are scientifically formulated, rigorously studied, clinically researched, and NSF Certified for Sport,” said Jacobson.