Women's health

France investigates pregnancy supplement safety following abortions

16-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The French food safety agency is investigating risks associated with the intake of vitamins and minerals from food supplements during pregnancy after it received two reports of termination on medical grounds.

Maternal diet before conception may affect baby’s DNA expression

11-Jun-2015 By Nathan Gray

A mother's environment and dietary habits around the time of conception could permanently change the function of genes influencing the risk of diseases in her child, say researchers.

Bench-pressing women can boost immunity with fish oil: Study

11-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Fish oil coupled with strength training could help improve the immune system of elderly women, Brazilian researchers have found.

Commission, UK and Gates Foundation put big nutrition cash on table

05-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged €689m to help tackle malnutrition as the European Commission announced €23.5m for a new nutrition initiative and €3.5bn by 2020.

Netherlands investigates safe vitamin A intake from supplements

04-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Netherlands is looking at whether legislation on vitamin A should be changed after a report calculated how much could be ingested from supplements.

Calcium and vitamin D may not help menopause symptoms: Trial data

02-Jun-2015 By Nathan Gray

Women should not rely on vitamin D and calcium supplements to relieve menopausal symptoms, say researchers behind a new large-scale follow up study.

UK recommendations fail to educate pregnant women on iodine

02-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

UK pregnant women are iodine deficient and they need nutritional education to empower them to make the right dietary choices, say researchers.

Fenugreek extract may boost woman’s healthy sexual desire: Human RCT

28-May-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Daily supplements of an extract from Fenugreek may enhance female libido, say results of a double-blind randomized placebo controlled study.

Which came first, the health or the supplement?

27-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The healthier a person is the more likely they are to take food supplements – which could distort links between the products and health outcomes, say Danish researchers.

Neglected female microbiota research a ‘disgrace’; congress lights issues

22-May-2015 By Shane STARLING

Better Lactobacilli genetic screening, biomarker development, better pregnancy support and better engagement with health professionals were just a few of many actions proposed to improved women’s health at a recent Amsterdam congress focused on the female...

Dispatches from Canadean International Beer Strategies, Amsterdam

Are you Twitter ready? Social media strategies must add value, says Twitter guru

20-May-2015 By Rachel Arthur

Social media strategies need to refrain from insistently pushing brands; but instead add value for consumers, explains Ashley Vinson, head of brand strategy Benelux, Twitter.

More iron equals bigger babies, research suggests; personalised nutrition can help

13-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Depleted maternal iron levels in early pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of the baby being ‘small for gestational age’, something the study’s authors say needs a personalised nutrition solution in the absence of official recommendations.

Menopause herb under EU novel food evaluation

12-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

An extract of three herbal roots marketed for menopause is to be evaluated as a novel food ingredient in the European Union.

Lycored makes a play for European Beauty From Within market

07-May-2015 By Niamh Michail

On the back of a successful US launch, Lycored will release its nutraceutical ingredient in Europe as it predicts growth opportunities for the Beauty from Within segment.

ASA gives Protein World 3 days to remove controversial ‘beach body’ campaign

30-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Protein World has promised to remove its ‘beach body’ campaign in three days after a meeting yesterday with the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Vitafoods investment hunt: 14 start-ups on menu

29-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

14 nutrition start-ups are formally seeking investment and partners the day before Vitafoods Europe officially opens next week in Geneva.

Protein World called into ASA office after beach bod fiasco

29-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Protein World is to meet with the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today to discuss its controversial beach body campaign which saw the firm receive bomb threats.

Fish-liver oil when younger may reduce heart disease risk when older

27-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Consuming fish-liver oil three times weekly in adolescence or midlife may reduce a woman’s chances of coronary heart disease later in life, say Icelandic researchers.

32k sign petition to remove Protein World ‘beach body’ ads

24-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Over 32,000 people have signed a petition to remove Protein World’s weight loss pill advertisements asking: ‘Are you beach body ready?’

Four bright nutrition ideas looking for crowdfunding

21-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

We scoured the internet to find some of the brightest nutrition ideas looking for crowdfunding.

40% Brits want calcium and vitamin D enriched products

16-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

There is substantial interest in calcium- and vitamin D- enriched products for improved bone health in the UK. But young people still don’t see the importance, says Canadean.

Whose job is it to police illegal health claims?

14-Apr-2015 By Niamh Michail

With different bodies referring illegal health claims to one another for policing, NutraIngredients asks: Whose responsibility is it to ensure health claim compliance – and does it matter as long as illegal claims are removed?

US web retailer pumps EU distribution as gym community swells

09-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

US site Bodybuilding.com has opened its first UK distribution centre to better cater to its customer base in Europe - part of a community that includes 25 million unique visitors to its websites each month.

UK blows whistle on sports supplement claims

08-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

The UK advertising watchdog has muzzled meal replacement, muscle building, metabolism, L-carnitine, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) and other claims being made by a UK based online manufacturer-retailer as it continues its claims crack down based on EU...

Is personalised nutrition compatible with UK free healthcare model?

08-Apr-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

People in the UK think paying for personalised nutrition advice improves commitment and motivation to follow it – but a culture of free health care means most would still expect this service to be free, according to researchers.

April 8, 14:00 CET: Experts debate hot issues in NutraIngredients omega-3 forum

Omega-3 hits €25bn but can it keep growing?

03-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

Are omega-3 fisheries really under threat? How many functional foods have cracked omega-3 blockbuster status? How is the sector recovering from the ‘Brasky effect’? How are developing markets developing? How is the latest research influencing regulation?...

Sports supplements hit for six in BBC contamination investigation

02-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

Banned steroids and stimulants have been found in muscle building and fat burning sports supplements in the UK, a BBC documentary broadcast this week has found.

Better science needed to prove S-equol menopause potential

31-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

S-equol’s potential for menopause relief is ‘tantalising’ – but limited by inadequate clinical evidence, says a review into the soy-based isoflavone.

Raspberry ketone and its little extract that could cause big confusion

27-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Weight-loss ingredient raspberry ketone is an unauthorised novel food for all but one very particular extract – something one manufacturer using the legal extract says could cause confusion.

Equivocal study on Finnish women doesn't dim Vitamin D's role in lessening falls among elderly, experts say

25-Mar-2015 By Hank Schultz

A new vitamin D/exercise study on falls among older women has confirmed the vitamin’s role in bone health but falls short of a ringing endorsement for supplementation. But it’s one data point among the many that still point to the importance of getting...

High-dose vitamin diets reduce sugar cravings: Rat study

23-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

Baby rats whose mothers are given high levels of vitamins A, D, E, and K while pregnant have a reduced preference for sugar, say Canadian scientists.

Nutritional supplement shown to be effective in reducing female hair loss

19-Mar-2015 By Andrew MCDOUGALL

Hair loss is a distressing thing for anyone, and is particularly so for women, but scientists have found that taking a nutritional supplement can improve the overall scalp coverage and hair condition.

SPECIAL EDITION: BEAUTY FROM WITHIN

Nutricosmetics: The latest ingredient trends

18-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

NutraIngredients takes a look at the most sought-after ingredients in the world of nutracosmetics

Special edition: Beauty from within

Beauty From Within turns ugly for L’Oréal and Nestlé

17-Mar-2015 By Shane STARLING

It promised so much – the globe’s biggest cosmetic and food players L’Oréal and Nestlé applying serious marketing, research and NPD clout to drive a nascent category into the mainstream public consciousness. It was going to make beauty from within (BFW)...

Polish national survey data

Heart scares may inspire higher antioxidant, polyphenol and flavonoid intakes: Study

17-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

When faced with cardiovascular disease, Polish men and women modify their diets to increase their intakes of antioxidants, polyphenols and flavonoids, according to a national health survey.

High cholesterol may limit vitamin E absorption

16-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

High cholesterol triglycerides may prevent a-tocopherol, or vitamin E, from being absorbed into body tissue, scientists have found.

The increasingly youthful face of the ‘older’ consumer

12-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

‘Older consumers’ are not old age pensioners anymore. In fact, there is a growing market for supplements tailored to the specific needs of people as young as thirty, say experts.

Could prebiotics help iron-deficient anaemics?

11-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Prebiotic supplementation may help increase the expression of proteins that regulate iron absorption, according to research in anaemic rats.

5 days until EU caffeine crunch time

Stakeholders win 5 minutes to state final caffeine case

10-Mar-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Last week the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave six stakeholders five minutes each to present their thoughts on its draft risk assessment on caffeine, which stated 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources and single doses of up to 200 mg for...

EU safety logo set to tighten net on dodgy food supplement sales

10-Mar-2015 By Niamh Michail

The Danish and Austrian authorities have warned against toxic food supplements ahead of an EU-wide safety logo set to crack down on illegal retailers posing as online pharmacies.

Food companies should help people eat less, says food policy expert

06-Mar-2015 By Joyeeta Basu

The onus should not be on consumers to choose healthy foods but on companies to help reduce consumption, says Food Policy professor at City University London, Tim Lang.

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