Are you trying to improve your health and well-being? Do you want to learn more about nutrition science and how it affects the human body? Look no farther than Cynthia, the founder and developer of LAC, a global leader in health and wellness supplements. Cynthia has dedicated her life to researching and manufacturing high-quality nutritional supplements for people from all walks of life, with over 30 years of experience in the field of antioxidation. We delve deeper into her path, mission, and the science behind the effectiveness of antioxidants in this interview. Prepare to learn how Cynthia and LAC can help you enhance your immune system and general health and well-being.

Interview with Cynthia Poa

What inspired you to shift from medicinal science to nutrition science?
I grew up in a family who had always wanted me to be a doctor. However, through my volunteering experiences with various healthcare providers, I realised that prevention is better than cure. Hence, instead of medicinal science, I pursued nutrition science. This had led me to realise that oxidative stress was the root of many human diseases, and that having a consistent stream of antioxidants can help to improve people’s immunity and overall health and well-being.

How did you identify oxidative stress as the root of many human diseases?
Through the past two decades of research, we realised that on a day-to-day basis, our body goes through aerobic metabolism. This regular process within the body releases free radicals through oxidation. To maintain equilibrium, the body also goes through several antioxidant systems to remove these free radicals. Oxidative Stress is the condition in which the rate of oxidation exceeds the rate of antioxidation, causing an imbalance within the body. The excessive free radicals that were not able to be
removed from the body would then cause irreversible damage to cells and body tissues.

What motivated you to start LAC Global, and how did you go about building it into a leading health and wellness supplement brand?
I am a great believer of “prevention is better than cure”, and along with the extensive research we have done, I was on a quest to find the most powerful antioxidant to improve people’s immunity and overall well-being.

LAC was founded with the thought in mind to help people live a better life through setting a better foundation for their health. Instead of producing products and convincing consumers that they need them, we produce products with nutrients that are important for consumers, but are not readily available to them through their day-to-day diets. For example, Vitamin D is crucial for our energy, bones, and immune system, but difficult to get enough of from food alone. The best source of exposure is through sunlight, yet in our day-to-day lives, most of us are indoors due to the office work environment. Excessive sunlight also poses a potential of the development of skin cancer.

As such, oral intakes of Vitamin D would ensure that the body has the “vehicle” to allow proper absorption of calcium, which eventually benefits our overall well-being. More complex supplements, like our LAC BrainSpeed, a cognitive function enhancer, contains a specific ratio of different nutrients, such as Ginkgo Biloba, DHA, Phosphatidylserine and Acetyl L-Carnitine put together, to ensure maximum absorption and efficacy to achieve mental alertness and clarity – such a combination is often difficult to achieve through day-to-day food.

Can you tell us about a particularly challenging moment in your journey as the CEO of LAC Global, and how you overcame it?
I saw opportunities in the 1990s, an era when oxidative stress was highly publicised and played up extensively by the media, as well as the rush for antioxidants to counter worrying long-term oxidative effects on the human body. The first product I developed in that era was a French Maritime Pine Bark extract discovered by a French Professor called Dr. Jack Masquelier. It contained the powerful Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs), obtained using a patented process to administer more powerful immunity and body defence than Vitamin C and Vitamin E. I took a huge risk, launched the product as the first mover in the market under the brand LAC, an acronym for Leader in Antioxidative Control, in 1997. Looking back, this move was extremely timely and contributed greatly in the inception of LAC as a brand. Today, it is now a full store concept.

How do you ensure that LAC products meet high quality standards and are safe for consumption?
LAC always takes pride in ensuring that our products are of high safety, efficacy and potency. We undergo stringent sourcing processes to ensure the most premium quality ingredients are used to ensure high efficacy of our products. Our products also undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they are safe to be consumed across all ages.

What sets LAC apart from other health and wellness supplement brands, and how do you maintain a competitive edge in the market?
At LAC, we focus on the needs of our customers by staying attuned to their daily lifestyles and supplementing them with nutrition, for life. To achieve that, we are driven by the guarantee to be a brand that is safe, potent and effective in our health and wellness solutions. We make our products only in GMP-certified plants which are either publicly-listed or with an established manufacturing history that is highly recognised in the industry.

On top of that, we strive to use patented trademarked ingredients that have been backed by clinical studies, and ingredients that have a long track record with proven results.
Throughout every step of the production process, we ensure that all our products consist only of the most premium quality ingredients, and focus on attaining the highest standard of product excellence. We also build strong customer relationships with our consumers through a powerful loyalty program, and invest in intensive training for our staff to equip them with knowledge and skills to assist customers with their supplementation needs.

How do you stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of antioxidation and nutrition science, and incorporate them into LAC products?
I enjoy reading up on the current industry trends and try to anticipate where advancements and breakthroughs in nutritional science could help keep LAC’s product offerings relevant and updated. We’re continuously striving to innovate our product offerings by harnessing the best of eastern knowledge and western technology to combat free radicals. For example, the LAC Activated Liver Protector, along with the rest of the Activated series, contain a blend of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and is effective in preventing and relieving fatty liver, promoting healthy liver functions, and lowering bad blood lipid levels.

What do you consider to be the biggest achievement of LAC so far, and what are your future goals for the company?
One of the biggest achievements so far was definitely our store openings that happened last year. We had the opportunity to launch 54 physical stores in Singapore, further increasing our footprint in the region and that has also enabled us to provide personal shopping experiences for our customers, to foster a stronger relationship between the brand and the customers, while understanding their needs better.


Now, we have well over 200 stores worldwide and we are looking to further expand our presence to Hong Kong, Indonesia and Vietnam as a leading, trusted supplement provider in the next 12 to 24 months. We hope to strengthen our focus further to cater to the evolving needs of our customers as we further cement the company’s move towards a powerful mission to create healthier lives. We will, as we have been consistently doing since 1997, continue to grow and demonstrate our commitment to our customers’ demand for a trusted supplement provider.

How do you balance your role as a CEO and your passion for antioxidation research?
While being a CEO does mean I have to have the business’ interests at heart and make sure that our decisions make economic sense, balancing both roles actually isn’t that hard! At the core of LAC and what we do, we believe in 3 things – safety, efficacy and potency. My passion in antioxidation research goes hand in hand with these values, and it has helped me in ensuring that our product offerings are of highest quality with the best ingredients to maximise absorption.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business in the health and wellness industry?
With the health and wellness industry, you have to have heart and care for your customers. Health is a deeply personal journey, and having empathy is extremely important as we look towards making a difference in people’s lives. Trust and credibility also go a long way here, because people are entrusting their health to your expertise to guide them appropriately. Hence, you will need to possess that burning passion and deep desire to improve people’s health with the knowledge that you have acquired in your quest for the latest discoveries and trends in this field.