Key stories include melatonin safety concerns, Holland & Barrett’s 2026 wellness trend predictions, EFSA’s proposed 2 mg/day CBD limit, NAD+ market shifts and Joe Wicks’ ultra-processed food stunt.
‘Interpret with caution’: Industry hits back as new study questions safety of long-term melatonin
A new study suggested that adults who use melatonin for at least a year to treat chronic insomnia may face a higher risk of heart failure diagnosis and hospitalization. Researchers analyzed data from 130,000 adults and reported that long-term melatonin users had a 90% higher chance of developing heart failure and were nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for it.
Industry groups quickly pushed back, with the Natural Products Association emphasizing that supplements are not intended to treat diseases and urged consumers with chronic insomnia to seek medical care. NPA added that melatonin’s established safety applies to short-term use, not chronic use in disease populations, and reaffirmed that the industry does not promote melatonin for treating insomnia.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition highlighted that melatonin has a strong safety record for low-dose, short-term use in healthy adults and that the new observational data does not change that profile and warned against drawing broad conclusions from a single preliminary abstract.
Global wellness shifts: Holland & Barrett’s trend predictions for 2026
Holland & Barrett’s 2026 Wellness Trends Report identified eight macro wellness trends for 2026, many of which TikTok helped spark by amplifying wellness conversations among young, supplement-savvy consumers.
In 2025, shoppers drove turmeric to the top of the supplement charts, followed closely by fish oil and cod liver oil. Search data also showed consumers intensely researching magnesium, making it the most searched ingredient of 2025, yet actual sales still favored products like milk thistle and vitamin D3.
Looking ahead to 2026, Holland & Barrett predicts that gut, brain, skin and scalp health are likely to continue to anchor consumer priorities. Additionally, as GLP-1 weight-management drugs become more common, the H&B expects strong demand for products that address nutrient gaps and side effects, particularly solutions for gut balance, hair shedding, and maintaining protein and collagen levels.
EFSA proposes ‘extremely low’ CBD limit, citing safety concerns
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an updated safety assessment on CBD, proposing a strict daily intake limit of 2 mg/day. The authority states that it cannot confirm CBD’s safety for people under 25, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or individuals taking other medications.
This was met with criticism for EFSA’s process from Industry experts, who argued that the authority lacks transparency, uses weak methodology and relies on a single debatable endpoint to set an “overly restrictive” limit.
The opinion does not create immediate legal changes, but EFSA will use it when evaluating Novel Food applications, so companies can still submit additional safety data, which EFSA will then review during product-specific assessments.
However, the European Commission has received over 200 CBD Novel Food applications, but only the epilepsy drug Epidyolex is currently authorized. France recently proposed classifying CBD as a presumed human reproductive toxicant, citing evidence of adverse effects on fertility and fetal development. Switzerland recommends a 12 mg/day limit, and the UK recently reduced its daily CBD guidance to 10 mg/day.
NAD+ market analysis: From hype to reality check
A guest article from Afif Ghannoum, CEO of CPG Radar, explored the rise of scientific interest in NAD+ alongside the collapse in consumer purchases, showing a market moving from hype to informed realism.
Two opposing trends currently define the category, where searches for “NAD” keep climbing (having increased by soared 133% since early 2024), showing sustained interest with NAD+ science, while searches for “NAD Supplement” on Google and Amazon have plunged, signaling a retreat from actual purchasing.
According to Ghannoum, the widening gap between education and purchasing shows that consumers research thoroughly and often decide NAD+ supplements are not worth the high price, often shifting toward NMN, NR, IV administration or lifestyle improvements instead.
For manufacturers, it is becoming clear that the era of hype-driven sales is over; therefore, companies must improve bioavailability, lower prices, target specific evidence-based use cases, and produce robust clinical data, he noted.
Joe Wicks’ satirical ‘Killer’ protein bar stunt sparks backlash
Fitness influencer Joe Wicks sparked backlash after launching a satirical ‘Killer’ protein bar to promote his documentary Licensed to Kill on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and pressure the UK Government to tighten food regulations.
Wicks and Dr. Chris van Tulleken created the bar with a long list of additives, vitamins and minerals to mimic UPFs and to mock the sheer number of legal health claims manufacturers can make. While some consumers and whole-food advocates praised the stunt, many nutrition experts argued he misrepresented how food formulation works and ignored the legitimate functions of many ingredients.
Others argued that Wicks unfairly targeted protein bars and oversimplified a complex nutritional issue, with critics like fitness influencer James Smith saying Wicks relied on shock tactics rather than science. Nutrition analyst Nick Morgan agreed that Wicks misrepresented protein bars by taking them out of context, noting that the stunt blurred important distinctions, misled consumers, and failed to meaningfully address regulatory issues. Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine added that protein bars can fit into a balanced diet when eaten occasionally, and warned that oversimplifying the UPF debate could confuse consumers.
Some industry voices, however, such as Tonic Health CEO Sunna Van Kampen, defended Wicks’ larger goal, arguing that his real aim is to advocate for clearer front-of-pack warning labels, similar to those used in Chile, to help consumers make informed choices quickly.
