About Complan

Complan has been established around the world as a trusted provider of nutritional supplements for more than 50 years. Complan was first developed by Glaxo in the 1950s as a powdered food for use in hospitals. When reconstituted with water, it provided all essential nutrients and could be fed to patients through a tube, as well as by mouth. Its name is derived from COMplete PLANned nutrition. Following its success in the hospital environment, Complan developed as a product suitable for outpatient care and eventually became available for purchase in pharmacies and shops. Complan has continued to develop over the years. Flavoured varieties were first introduced in the 1970s and the range has since expanded and also includes savoury varieties. By 1985, nutritional thinking had advanced and Complan was again reformulated to reflect this. The quantity and type of fat content was revised in line with a Department of Health report on diet and cardiovascular disease. All Complan sold in the UK is manufactured in the UK. There are variations in product make-up and methods of manufacture around the world. But wherever it is made, Complan consistently offers balanced nutrition in line with local nutritional requirements. [ how to buy ] Today Complan is focused on providing nutrition products suitable for all members of the family, through three core products: Complan ( balanced nutrition for the family), Casilan ( higher protein for sports performance and illness recovery) and Complan Shake (to tackle clinical malnutrition).

Complan is a delicious drink, enjoyed by a wide range of people of different ages for a variety of different reasons. Complan is a trusted, fortified dietary supplement formulated to provide high quality nutrition. It provides a balanced mix of high-quality, essential protein, fat and carbohydrate to provide energy, as well as an extensive range of vitamins and minerals, and it provides a useful boost to energy even in small servings. A single serving, when made with water, provides around 250 calories, and when mixed with skimmed milk it provides around 320 calories. Complan highlights:

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It is specifically designed to provide balanced nourishment It provides 24 vitamins and minerals for health and vitality It is a rich source of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E It contains calcium for healthy, strong bones It has iron to help maintain physical stamina, strength and mental alertness It provides high-quality protein It contains NO artificial colours, preservatives or sweeteners It is gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians Its balanced goodness contains everything your body needs to recover fast from illness Complan is recommended by healthcare professionals.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins
Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that the only components of a diet necessary for health were proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and a number of inorganic elements. This view changed when it was found that minute amounts of additional materials were also essential. These could be extracted from a variety of foods and appeared to be of two types - fat soluble A and watersoluble B. They were later each discovered to contain several active components, or vitamins. The fat-soluble include vitamins A, D, E and K; the water-soluble vitamins include thiamin B1, riboflavin B2, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, biotin and pantothenic acid.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is good for skin and colour vision.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D aids calcium absorption into the body.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a great antioxidant.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important for maintaining healthy connective tissues.

Thiamin
Thiamin is necessary for the steady and continuous release of energy from carbohydrate. Thiamin requirements are thus related to the amount of carbohydrate, and more or less to the amount of energy in the diet.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is essential for the utilisation of energy from food and to maintain healthy eyes and skin.

Niacin
Niacin is involved in the utilisation of food energy.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6, is involved in the metabolism of proteins, and is necessary in the formation of haemoglobin in the blood.

Folic acid
Folate (folic acid and various derivatives) has several functions, including its action with vitamin B12 in rapidlydividing cells. Deficiency leads to a characteristic form of anaemia which must be distinguished from that caused by a deficiency of vitamin B12. Folate deficiency can result not only from a poor diet, but also from increased requirements arising from certain medical conditions in the elderly and when there is decreased absorption of folate in gastro-intestinal disease.

Women who increase their folic acid or folate intake before pregnancy and during its early stages can help to reduce their risk of having a baby with certain birth defects.

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is needed for healthy bones.

Biotin
Biotin is essential for the metabolism of fat. Very small amounts are required and sufficient may be made by bacteria normally inhabiting the large intestine. It is therefore probable that no additional biotin need be provided in the diet, except in the very unusual situation when large quantities of raw eggs are consumed. Raw, but not cooked, egg white contains a substance called avidin which combines with biotin making it unavailable to the body.

Pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid is necessary for the release of energy from fat and carbohydrate. Dietary deficiencies of this vitamin are rare in humans because it is so widespread in food.

Minerals
About 15 minerals are known to be essential for the maintenance of good health and must be derived from food. Minerals have three main functions:

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As constituents of bones and teeth. These include calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. As soluble salts which help to control the composition of body fluids and cells. These include sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. As essential to many enzymes and other proteins such as haemoglobin, which are necessary for the release and utilisation of energy. These include iron, phosphorus and zinc amongst others.

Calcium
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. All but about 1 per cent of it occurs in the bones and teeth, together with more than three-quarters of the body's phosphorus.

Phosphorus
Phosphorus is present in nearly all foods. The main sources of phosphorus in the diet are milk and milk products, and meat and meat products.

Iron
The healthy adult body contains 3-4g of iron, more than half of which is in the form of haemoglobin, the red pigment of blood. Anaemia due to lack of iron in the diet is one of the commonest nutritional disorders, particularly likely to affect women. Iron is also present in the muscle protein myoglobin, and is stored to some extent in organs such as the liver. Iron plays a major part in the body's use of oxygen since haemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, and other iron-containing substances utilise the oxygen within the cells.

Magnesium
Most of the magnesium in the body is present in the bones, but it is also an essential constituent of all cells and is necessary for the functioning of some of the enzymes which are involved in energy utilisation. Magnesium is widespread in foods, especially those of vegetable origin, because it is an essential constituent of chlorophyll. The main sources of magnesium are milk, bread and other cereal products, potatoes and other vegetables.

Zinc
Zinc helps with the healing of wounds, and is also associated with the activity of a wide variety of enzymes. About one third of the zinc in the body is present in the bones. The main sources of zinc in the diet are meat and meat products, milk, bread, and other cereal products.

Iodine
Iodine is an essential constituent of hormones produced by the thyroid gland in the neck, and most of the iodine in the body is in this gland. It is needed for wound healing, and taste and flavour perception.