Dr. Sang Geon Kim Joins Nature's Sunshine Products' Medical and Scientific Advisory Board

LEHI, Utah, Sept. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (Nasdaq:NATR), a leading natural health and wellness company engaged in the manufacture and direct sale of premium-quality nutritional and personal care products, today announced that Sang Geon Kim, Ph.D. has joined Nature's Sunshine Products' ("NSP") Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Kim is a professor of Pharmacology at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. As part of serving on Nature's Sunshine's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Kim will assist with research activities, educate and train Nature's Sunshine and Synergy distributors and speak at various company events.

"The addition of Dr. Kim to the Nature's Sunshine team will help drive our product development strategy of leveraging science-based intellectual property to solve mega-trend health problems," said Gregory L. Probert, Nature's Sunshine Products' Chairman and CEO. "We believe that Dr. Kim's vast research in the field of metabolic dysfunction will allow him to be a terrific asset in terms of our product development. We're excited about this partnership and look forward to the expertise that he brings to our company."

Dr. Matt Tripp, NSP's Chief Scientific Officer, added, "Dr. Kim has conducted extensive research studying the molecular biology and underlying principles (including dysregulated kinase signal transduction pathways) implicated in metabolic dysfunction leading to illness, an area of particular interest to NSP research and development. Nature's Sunshine is actively investigating how nutritional and botanical molecules influence many of these same pathways. Dr. Kim's extensive research background and knowledge will be of great value in helping guide us to new discoveries and innovations."

Dr. Kim's accomplishments are many. In 2010, he was honored by the President of the Republic of Korea, Ministry of Health and Welfare. Earlier that year, he was named the Scientist of the Month by the Ministry of Science and Education. He also received the Best Pharmacologist Award from the Korean Society of Pharmacology in 2008 among other honors. Dr. Kim has been published in peer reviewed journals more than 200 times. He has personally trained in his lab over 100 graduate students pursuing masters, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees.

Dr. Kim currently serves as Vice Director of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. He is also the Director of the Innovative Drug Research Center for Metabolic and Inflammatory Disease (IDRC) at Seoul National University and maintains a professorship in the College of Pharmacy at the university. In addition, he sits on the Toxicology Advisory Board for the Korean Food and Drug Administration. Previously, he served as the Director of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources and as the Associate Dean of the College of Pharmacy, both in Seoul.

Dr. Kim earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He earned his master's degree in Pharmacology and his bachelor's degree in Pharmacy both from Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea.

"I'm thrilled to team up with Nature's Sunshine Products and accept a position on their Medical and Scientific Advisory Board," Kim said. "I'm eager to share my research in metabolic dysfunction and know that it can play an integral role in the development of cutting-edge products that can help improve the lives of millions of people across the globe."

About Nature's Sunshine Products

Nature's Sunshine Products (Nasdaq:NATR), a leading natural health and wellness company, markets and distributes nutritional and personal care products through a global direct sales force of over 680,000 independent Managers, Distributors and customers in more than 40 countries. Nature's Sunshine manufactures most of its products through its own state-of-the-art facilities to ensure its products continue to set the standard for the highest quality, safety and efficacy on the market today. The Company has three reportable business segments that are divided based on the characteristics of their Distributor base, similarities in compensation plans, as well as the internal organization of NSP's officers and their responsibilities (NSP Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe; NSP Russia, Central and Eastern Europe; and Synergy WorldWide). The Company also supports health and wellness for children around the world through its partnership with the Sunshine Heroes Foundation. Additional information about the Company can be obtained at its website, www.naturessunshine.com.

CONTACT: Steve Bunker
         Chief Financial Officer
         Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc.
         Lehi, Utah 84043
         (801) 341-7303

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Source: Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc.