Healthy ageing

BASF optimizes global sterols production infrastructure

12-Oct-2015

BASF is increasing its sterol extraction capacity at its site in Boussens, France, and closing its sterols production site in Pasadena, Texas as the company optimizes its global sterol production infrastructure.

Childhood microbiome shows distinct & functional differences to adult gut

09-Oct-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

The gut microbiome of pre-adolescents has distinct differences to the adult microbiome, says a new study from Texas that may enhance the development and efficacy of childhood microbiome interventions.

Over 1/3 of fish oil fisheries poorly managed: Report

08-Oct-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Over one third or 3.5 million tonnes of fish stocks destined for fish oil supplements are ‘poorly managed’, a sustainability report of 24 fisheries has found.

Selenium may help fight pre-cancer cervical condition

07-Oct-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Long-term consumption of selenium supplements may help reverse the progression of the ‘pre-cancer’ condition cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 (CIN1), say researchers in Iran.

Hershey fortified peanut butter project feeds Ghanaian stomachs and economy

06-Oct-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Chocolate giant Hershey has committed to 100% local peanuts for its Ghana school feeding programme.

Multi-ingredient formula shows good results in Mild Cognitive Impairment test

05-Oct-2015 By Hank Schultz

A multi-ingredient formula previously studied for cognitive effects has additional evidence to bolster its efficacy in cases of mild cognitive impairment with the results of a recent study. Participants in a long-term trial showed significant improvements...

EFSA's big data: Huge cross-border study on choline intakes in EU

05-Oct-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has used its vast consumption database to look at average EU choline intakes for the first time.

ASA ruling

Weetabix ‘proper breakfast’ ad doesn’t infer health benefit, says UK watchdog

01-Oct-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a complaint that a Weetabix ‘proper breakfast’ advert implied the product was good for overall health.

From spread to supplement: Raisio patents convenient plant stanol pill

30-Sep-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Benecol owner Raisio has filed an international patent for a LDL cholesterol lowering plant sterol ester and/or plant stanol ester dietary supplement.

‘An adequate supply of antioxidant nutrients may have a beneficial role for healthy aging’, says study

24-Sep-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Specific sub-populations may benefit from antioxidant intakes to support healthy aging, with men particularly seen as an ‘at-risk’ group, says a new paper published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Egg shell membrane improves joint mobility, comfort in study on healthy subjects

23-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

BiovaFlex, a water soluble egg membrane ingredient, enhanced joint function, especially shoulder mobility, and was associated with increased comfort in daily activities and elevated physical activity, according to a recent study.

VIEWPOINT

Chef Dave Pigram on integrating superfoods into menus

18-Sep-2015 By Emma Eversham

With superfoods predicted to be a growing trend for menus BigHospitality speaks to Dave Pigram, head chef at The Waterleaf Restaurant at Reynolds Retreat in Kent, about how he is using them in his menus and why they can be beneficial to health and business.

Synergy gets the cheesecake out for new protein flavour range

17-Sep-2015 By Eliot Beer

Synergy Flavours has launched a new flavour range for protein and weight loss supplements, designed to work with more protein types, and satisfy consumer demand for more variety.

Future fortified: Global summit calls for universal food fortification to combat ‘hidden hunger’

16-Sep-2015 By Shane STARLING

International governments and health and nutrition stakeholders have backed universal food fortification to combat undernutrition and malnutrition that affects about two billion people worldwide.

Zooming into protein trends region by region

16-Sep-2015 By Niamh Michail

Protein has been topping the ‘hottest ingredient’ lists for a while now - but how does demand break down region by region? FoodNavigator looks at some patterns in protein consumption across the world.

AstaReal announces plan to further expand US astaxanthin facility as finished product brand hits market

08-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

Astaxanthin manufacturer AstaReal has announced plans to further expand its production facility in Washington State and has followed other producers of the carotenoid into the direct-to-consumer finished products market.

Omega-3s and cognition: dosage matters!

07-Sep-2015 By Adam Ismail

Yet another study questioning omega-3 efficacy has been picked up by the mainstream press. Why finger the nutrient when the dosage is all wrong? argues Adam Ismail, executive director of the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), in this...

Vitamin K2 shown to reduce arterial calcification in kidney disease model

03-Sep-2015 By Hank Schultz

A new study has found the vitamin K2 supplementation suppresses calcification and resultant muscle damage in rats in a kidney disease model. The result helps bolster the vitamin’s bone and cardiovascular health benefits, according to Norwegian company...

Up fibre intake to lower blood pressure: 2000-strong study

03-Sep-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Higher intakes of fibre may contribute to lower blood pressure, say researchers.

Unilever wins right to say pro.activ cholesterol spread doesn't cause side effects

02-Sep-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A German court has dismissed campaign group FoodWatch’s law suit against Unilever’s cholesterol-lowering spread pro.activ – but FoodWatch continues its assault by urging the European Commission to retract its novel food approval.

Arla boosts West African 'distribution backbone' with JVs in Nigeria and Senegal

01-Sep-2015 By Mark ASTLEY

Arla Foods has partnered with companies in Nigeria and Senegal to boost its "distribution backbone" in West Africa.

Elderberry extract may improve obesity inflammation

01-Sep-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Black elderberry extract may improve obesity-related metabolic disturbances like triglyceride (TAG) levels, inflammation and insulin resistance, research in mice finds.

Vitamin K level not Vitamin E could be to blame for cancer links: Symposium

01-Sep-2015 By Shane STARLING in Stuttgart, Germany

Diminished levels of vitamin K forms - not high levels of vitamin E - could be the key factor in prostate cancer links, a Stuttgart symposium has heard today.

Vitamin D increases muscle strength: Review

01-Sep-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Vitamin D supplementation significantly increases upper and lower limb strength, a review of seven trials has found.

Amino acid supplements may boost vascular endothelial function in older adults: Study

28-Aug-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

A combination of HMB (a metabolite of leucine), glutamine and arginine may improve vascular function and blood flow in older people, says a new study.

Low vitamin D linked to schizophrenic brain dysfunction

27-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to the dysfunction of the hippocampus – a region of the brain thought to play a role in schizophrenia, say researchers.

Pre hypertension link to risk in young adults widens scope for grape seed extract, Polyphenolics says

25-Aug-2015 By Hank Schultz

High blood pressure has been called the silent killer, and a recent study indicates its effects may be more widespread than previously believed. It creates a market opportunity for those few dietary supplement ingredients that have data backing their...

Firm automates ingredient discovery based on epigenetic activity

24-Aug-2015 By Hank Schultz

Finding new bioactive molecules has in the past been something of a treasure hunt that had developers combing records of traditional uses of botanicals for clues pointing the way to new products. UK-based natural products company Sibelius Limited is one...

The link between psychosis and malnutrition

24-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

First-time psychosis sufferers are far more likely to be deficient in micronutrients and protein than the general population – and more intervention studies are needed to explore strategies against this, say UK researchers.

Supplements on wheels: Vitamin D trial shows promise for reducing falls in homebound elderly

18-Aug-2015 By Nathan Gray

Delivering vitamin D supplements to homebound elderly people through a ‘meals-on-wheels’ program could help improve vitamin D levels and reduce falls, say researchers.

High fat diet in middle age could raise later malnutrition risk

17-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A high energy intake from total fat, saturated fat and monounsaturated fat in middle and older age increases the risk of malnutrition ten years later, say Swedish researchers.

Kids with poor diets score poorly on cognitive tests: Finnish researchers

14-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The worse the diet quality of children, the worse they score on cognitive tests - especially boys, research finds.

Cholesterolimbroglio: Inside an EU claims mess

13-Aug-2015 By Bert Schwitters

On September 1 a Hamburg court will on the case brought by FoodWatch against Unilever over marketing for its cholesterol-lowering margarine Becel pro.activ.

Calcium & magnesium reduce risk of metabolic syndrome: 9000-strong study

13-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Calcium and magnesium may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome – but men need above and beyond recommended levels for this effect, say researchers.

Probiotics won’t help you lose weight, say researchers

12-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Probiotics are not effective for weight loss, say researchers behind a review of current data.

What’s the evidence for probiotics and liver diseases?

11-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

There is growing evidence that probiotics are a useful tool against liver diseases but blind spots remain, according to a review.

Competition remains fierce in cholesterol-lowering niche

Benecol buy-back boosts Raisio Q2 results

11-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

Sales and profits were up in Q2 at Raisio, with CEO of the €500m Finnish agro-food player Matti Rihko content its re-housing of key brand Benecol was paying off.

In the year 2020: Global nutraceuticals market to be worth €35bn; 7% annual growth forecast

10-Aug-2015

Botanicals are the fastest growing nutraceutical ingredient class in a category being driven by ageing populations around the world, a report has found.

Continuous supplementation with carotenoids may further boost eye health: Study

07-Aug-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Sustained supplementation with the macular carotenoids can lead to greater augmentation of macular pigment and improve contrast sensitivity, says a new study.

Special edition: Protein

Mainstream keen on protein foods (but supplements still rule)

06-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

Protein has been hot for some years and shows no sign of abating in the near future as diet trends flip in protein’s favour from largely discredited low-fat to lower-carb/higher-protein regimes and a broader health halo around various protein forms.

Protein: Maybe it’s not just about what’s trendy, but what’s needed

06-Aug-2015 By Nathan Gray

Protein is one of the hottest ingredients in food and nutrition currently, but maybe we should focus more attention on developing protein-rich products for those who actually need more protein.

“We see opportunities for scientifically justified nutritional products…”

EFSA issues medical foods guidance

05-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued guidance on how firms can compile “well-structured dossiers” for medical foods that may be permitted in the EU’s 28 nations as momentum to update archaic laws grows.

Supplements save public health money: Review

05-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Using food supplements in care homes and the wider community could spell big public savings, say the researchers behind a review of 19 papers.

New ‘superberry’ launched

05-Aug-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

A new ‘superberry’ known as blue honeysuckle is set to be launched in the UK by ingredients supplier CPM.

Q2: Sales up, profits down at DSM Nutritional Products

04-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

The food and nutrition ingredients division of Dutch giant DSM has seen sales rise 16% to €1.247bn (US$1.37bn) in Q2 but profits slipped 6% amid ongoing pricing challenges on some vitamins.

The Hacker’s Diet: Should we be looking at nutrition like a computer nerd?

04-Aug-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The age of Silicon Valley and Digi-everything has seen the dawn of a new diet trend: ‘Biohacking’.

UK supplier quadruples capacity as nutraceutical business booms

03-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

UK supplier Cambridge Commodities Ltd (CCL) has moved into new facilities that take its pallet capacity from 2300 to more than 9000 as its nutraceutical business surges from its base near Cambridge, north of London.

‘EFSA failed in their evaluation…’

BASF launches stinging attack on EFSA

03-Aug-2015 By Shane STARLING

BASF says the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) failed to fulfil its health claim assessment remit after the Parma-based agency last month rejected its CLA-weight management appeal.

Tiny plants with huge potential: Introducing two new players to the plant-based protein market

03-Aug-2015 By Elaine Watson

Two firms that generated a lot of buzz at the IFT show this year were Parabel and Hinoman, which are both selling brand new nutrient-packed ingredients from tiny aquatic plants. But do they have what it takes to give more established players in the plant-based...