With the founding mission to enhance the standard of scientific backing for dietary supplements, the Centre for Nutraceuticals has established itself as a leading global research organisation dedicated to advancing science-backed approaches to health, wellbeing and disease prevention.
Its work spans nutritional product development with athletes, collaborations with international charities and governments, and an array of scientific discoveries including: curcumin and iron’s cognitive health benefits, techniques for iron absorption improvement, PEA’s brain health benefits and olive oil extract’s potential to protect against Parkinsons.
The newly expanded centre was officially opened by Professor Mohammed Gulrez Zariwala, director of the Centre for Nutraceuticals, alongside Professor Peter Bonfield, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President.
“This expansion is a landmark moment, not just for the Centre, but for the global wellbeing sector,” Prof Zariwala said, “As a one-of-a-kind facility dedicated specifically to nutraceutical innovation, we are now uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between laboratory research and consumer health. With our enhanced capabilities and rigorous scientific foundation, we are scaling our ability to set a new global standard in this field.”
Speaking about future ambitions, Prof Zariwala said he would like the Centre to “become a global voice of the nutraceuticals sector, coming from an independent standpoint”.
It will do this through its ongoing work to inform and influence health authorities and consumers on the role that nutraceuticals play in supporting health priorities.
The Centre in the heart of London prides itself on conducting independent, well balanced, highly powered, tailored studies providing meaningful end-points through cutting-edge technologies.
Prof Zariwala said the centre began with essentially half a laboratory in 2021 and has grown to include five labs with facilities that can support research into sports performance, cognitive health, beauty, personalized nutrition, and more.
From April 2026, the centre will additionally provide a personalized nutrition lab featuring the newly developed personalized capsule machine, created by the Dutch startup Art of You, the only one of its kind available in a research setting globally.
“With this technology, we create a unique profile of an individual. We have questionnaires which will tell you what your deficiencies are. This will be combined with personal characteristics body weight, BMI, gender. Finally, you have blood tests to give a specific end point as to what you need,” he said, adding that the tech will work like a vending machine for supplements.
“You can just click on the machine and within half an hour you will have a very specific cocktail of nutrients in two capsules instead of 20.”
The Centre has already partnered with several leading ingredient formulators including Gencor, Pharmako, Phynova, GNC, Hydrocurc and Reducose. Prof Zariwala’s hope is that more finished product manufacturers will come to him with the aim to develop products “from the bottom up”, with science leading the finished formulation and research to substantiate claims.
Howard Dawber OBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, and George Freeman, MP for Mid Norfolk and former Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, were just two of the prominent speakers at the event who praised the centre’s efforts to act as a catalyst to promote science-based product innovation and evidence-based claims.
Ewa Hudson, Director of market insights firm Lumina Intelligence and University of Westminster Postgraduate, spoke at the event.
“Previous generations worked extraordinarily hard to study individual ingredients and their health benefits, laying the scientific foundations of today’s nutraceutical sector,” she said. “They also worked hard to clean up the industry, moving us away from so-called cowboy claims. Some voices — particularly in probiotics — might say that process was very rigorous. But it mattered. It raised standards and credibility.
“And yet, today, platforms such as Amazon sell thousands of supplements — often built on solid intent, but not always on solid evidence. How many products on this platform do you think have been studied as a finished formulation? The true answer is, maybe 1% or less."
Looking ahead, she said she could see the Centre being a globally recognized scientific hub, delivering trustworthy and influential evidence.
Kaushika Patel, pro-vice chancellor and head of college for the University of Westminster’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said: “The Centre for Nutraceuticals is a shining example of the University of Westminster’s mission to contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
“The pioneering work taking place at the Centre, including the development of a world-first personalised capsule machine, demonstrates how cutting-edge research, innovation and collaboration can translate into real-world impact,” she said.
