Dosage forms & delivery formats

Special edition: Cognitive health

Gallery: The top ingredients for cognitive health

24-Jul-2014 By Stephen Daniells

Memory, attention and focus, development, mood; there are numerous ways that a nutrient or ingredient can affect cognitive health. But which have the most science, how do they work, and how are they performing in the market. Check out our gallery of the...

UK charity backs ‘food state’ supplements

18-Jul-2014 By Shane STARLING

British charity-run start-up Cytoplan is working to plug nutrient gaps with ‘food state’ vitamin and mineral supplements that seek to mimic whole food nutrient levels.

Citicoline wins EU novel foods approval - in medical foods and food supplements

18-Jul-2014 By Shane STARLING

Citicoline has won EU novel foods approval for use in food supplements and medical foods after appeasing member state concerns about the phospholipid precursor being a medicine.

Synbiotic gut health benefits limited, say researchers

18-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Potential gut health benefits of synbiotics may be limited since only specific combinations enhance probiotic survival and growth, say researchers.

ASA: “Misleading and irresponsible"

UK stubs out nutrient cigarette health claims

17-Jul-2014 By Shane STARLING

NutriCigs UK must quit its nutrient-fortified electronic cigarette claims that included sleep, satiety and energy benefits, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said.

IAHS: “VAT on health food supplements would be a tax on health.”

Irish 23% health tax hike: Herbals, glucosamine, coQ10, probiotics remain in firing line

17-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Proposals to push VAT (value-added tax) on some health food supplements and teas to the maximum upper bracket of 23% will discriminate against healthful products, according to The Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS). 

Brain health top of mind at Milan congress

10-Jul-2014 By Anne Bruce

Mounting epidemiological evidence suggests nutrient-rich but low-calorie diets and intake of B vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants stave off cognitive decline, experts gathered in Milan said last week.

Chia seed, tartary buckwheat gluten-free bread ticks nutritional boxes: Research

09-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Gluten-free bread made with omega-3 and flavonoid-rich chia seed and tartary buckwheat flour has 12 times greater alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) content and 75% greater total antioxidant capacity than wheat bread, according to researchers.

EFSA adopts essential infant formula composition opinion

01-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

EFSA has adopted its opinion on the essential infant formula composition following a period of public consultation which saw nearly 400 comments stream in on the likes of omega-3 form DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), probiotics, fluoride and sucrose's...

Dispatches from EFSA plenary, Parma

Clarity please! Says industry at EFSA discussion on caffeine safety

27-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Energy drink association asks EFSA to aim for precision after an open NDA panel discussion on a draft caffeine safety opinion provides more questions than answers.

Calcium and vitamin D may improve metabolic profile of women with 'pregnancy diabetes'

26-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Supplementation of vitamin D and calcium may reduce fasting plasma glucose and insulin, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce low-density lipoprotein 'bad' cholesterol while boosting 'good' cholesterol for women with Gestational Diabetes...

Iron ladies: Period pain reduced, study shows

24-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

Iron supplementation can reduce menstruation complications, according to a study, but their use remains low-key.

“We want to understand the molecular relationships between nutrients and their effects on healthy individuals and patients at different stages of their lives.”

Bespoken for: Nestlé eyes ‘I-tamins’

24-Jun-2014 By Shane STARLING

Swiss-based Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) is teaming with a US analytics specialist to develop personalised vitamin solutions via ultra-sensitive lab techniques.

How to win or lose on the functional foods market

23-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

Health matters but convenience matters more, according to a report that looked at why functional foods succeeded or failed in the market place.

Physiological responses to caffeine may increase with age: Study

20-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

The potentially negative effects of caffeine consumption on the heart significantly increase as young people reach adolescence, research has suggested. 

Pharma players want MHRA-licensed vitamin D prescribed, not supplements

19-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

New UK guidelines for vitamin D intake in the UK should recommend that only medically licensed products are prescribed and not food supplements, according to several pharma experts.

Exercise and high protein diet may increase gut microbiota diversity: Research

18-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Exercise and ‘extreme' high protein diet could have beneficial impact on gut microbiota diversity, according to research published in the British Medical Journal. 

Better together: Polyphenol may have greater bioavailability in combo with others

18-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

The amount of polyphenols absorbed and used by the body may be greater when taken with other polyphenols, according to a research review of the antioxidants.

Review links prebiotics with reduction in acute infection risk in children

17-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

Prebiotics may help reduce the risk of serious infections in children under two years but more research is required, according to meta-analysis.

A metropolitan detox: Broccoli could be 'frugal, simple and safe' way of reducing risks of air pollution

17-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Daily consumption of half a cup of a broccoli sprout beverage increased participants' ability to excrete the carcinogen benzene and lung irritant acrolein, according to research in China.

Carbohydrates may offer IBS relief: Nutritional expert

16-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Reducing consumption of carbohydrate foods containing naturally occurring fibres and sugars may offer almost 'instant' relief from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to nutrition consultant.

"There's likely to be a huge difference between the pharmaceutical-grade probiotics that show promise in clinical trials and the 'probiotic' yoghurts and supplements sold in shop": NHS

NHS probiotics advice 'flagrant understatement': ISAPP

16-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Probiotics association says the UK's updated National Health Service (NHS) advice on probiotics underestimates the potential health benefits of probiotics outside the digestive tract. 

ISAPP consensus: Gut, yes. Immunity, no (for now)

Time to recognise ‘core benefits of certain probiotics’: ISAPP

11-Jun-2014 By Shane STARLING

The evidence has grown so strong for the best-documented probiotic strains that a generic digestive health claim should exist, according to a consensus statement from leading international researchers published this week in Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology...

Vitamin A, E, and D deficiencies ‘dramatically’ higher in preterm babies

10-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Preterm newborns have a far higher risk of vitamin A, E, and D deficiency than full term babies, researchers have suggested.

Mongolian dairy probiotics may alleviate allergies: Mouse study

09-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Probiotics isolated from Mongolian dairy products could alleviate allergy symptoms through intestinal immunity and helper cell balance, research using mice has suggested.

Dispatches from the IPA World Congress in Athens, Greece

Psychobiotics can feed gut-brain health axis: 'It’s really an exciting frontier,' says professor

05-Jun-2014 By Shane STARLING

Evidence is building that links the gut microbiome and brain function and ‘psychobiotics’ are at the heart of that, says a leading Irish researcher working in the field for more than five years.

Glucosamine wins legal battle to remain a food supplement in UK

22-May-2014 By Shane STARLING

Joint health nutrient glucosamine has won a “profound” legal case in the UK High Court that affirms its right to be sold as a food supplement after a Chinese pharma firm sought to reclassify it purely as a drug.

science short

Gastro health and immunity: Chr Hansen reviews 300 papers on probiotic strain

28-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Danish probiotic leader Chr Hansen has gathered mounting probiotic science under one roof in a review of 300 Bifidobacterium-focused papers.

Exclusive documentary preview: MicroWarriors Special edition

MicroWarriors: Exploring probiotic power (and the powers that be)

25-Apr-2014 By Shane STARLING

NutraIngredients went to LA recently to question two leading probiotic academics about probiotics and the microbiome and which we present exclusively here. The interviews form part of a new documentary to be narrated by Leonard Nimoy, better known as...

Muscle health: Soy and dairy blends better than whey alone?

25-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Protein blends of soy, casein and whey deliver amino acids to the muscle for an hour longer than whey alone when consumed post-workout, according to a second study backed by DuPont.

Israeli firm targets military ration packs: 'We’ll sell to anybody'

14-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Israeli company Easy Line says its products hold military ration pack potential, and it will be angling for export to any national military.

INNOBEV GLOBAL SOFT DRINKS CONGRESS: FINAL THOUGHTS

‘Functional beverage belief is back’: Zenith International chair

11-Apr-2014 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Zenith International chairman Richard Hall tells BeverageDaily.com that he thinks the beverage industry is regaining its faith in functional products. 

Science short

Study: Vitamin A form shows breast cancer prevention potential

09-Apr-2014 By Shane Starling

A vitamin A form called retinoic acid that is commonly found in sweet potatoes and carrots, can help turn breast cells showing cancerous potential back to a healthy state, researchers have found.

EU Novel foods approval

Quatrefolic primed for EU commercialisation

02-Apr-2014 By Nicola Cottam

The European Commission has finally given its approval to Quatrefolic as a food supplement within the EU following a positive ruling from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) last October.

Blendhub boosts supply chain transparency

02-Apr-2014 By Sarah Hills

Premium Blendhub has created a new centre that offers a fully transparent management model of the raw materials in food powder blends, to help customers optimise their supply chain.

Folic acid: The double-edge sword of the golden micronutrient

21-Mar-2014

Folic acid is backed to deliver important health benefits in the scientific literature and by regulators – but is over-consumption a real problem? asks Robert Verkerk, PhD, the founder, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health...

Special edition: Innovations in Delivery Systems

Small changes for big differences: The challenges and opportunities in nano-delievery

20-Mar-2014 By Nathan Gray

As the functional food and supplement industries strive to deliver more for less, we ask whether going smaller is really better. Can nanotechnologies help to deliver better or more bio-available ingredients, and will consumers accept them?

Huge demand for omega-3 liquid products driving delivery innovations: Virun CEO

20-Mar-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Consumers like the delivery of omega-3 fatty acids in a liquid, and many innovative products are already on shelves, but what technology is being used, what are the challenges, and where are the next opportunities coming from?

Special edition: Innovations in Delivery Systems

NanoSphere Health CSO: ‘We’re revolutionizing the way of delivering nutrients’

20-Mar-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Disruptive technologies to produce natural nano-sized nutraceuticals could ‘revolutionize’ how dietary supplements deliver their benefits, with smaller most definitely better for enhancing bioavailability and bio-efficacy, says the CSO of NanoSphere Health...

Customer relationships are crucial to developing personalised nutrition offerings

17-Mar-2014 By Lynda Searby

If Personalised Nutritional Offerings (PNOs) are to gain a commercial foothold in the marketplace, lessons need to be learned and providers will have to change the way they approach customer relationships, say researchers.

A strawberry a day keeps the oxidative stress away?

17-Mar-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Regular strawberry consumption may help the body fight oxidative stress by increasing immune cell defences, according to research.

Sanofi to contest rebuffed sterol cholesterol claim, but it's no big deal

06-Mar-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Sanofi-Aventis has said the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) rejection of its application to broaden the already approved sterol-stanols cholesterol lowering claim to powdered supplements won’t affect the company commercially, but they will be...

EFSA publishes report that finds few benefits for infant formulas and other milks

30-Jan-2014 By Shane STARLING

Infant formulas fortified with nutrients like prebiotics and probiotics and omega-3s do not provide, “a clear benefit as compared to control formula”, says a report published this week by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Special edition: Polyphenols

Nano emulsion system seeks to protect polyphenols from overly rapid alteration in liver

28-Jan-2014 By Hank Schultz

Bioavailability has always been the achilles heel of polyphenols.  Scientist felt they had a good handle on why these molecules exerted their health effects, but had a far less clear view of how to get them to the locations in the body where they could...

Study: Resveratrol a smoker’s best friend?

23-Jan-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Resveratrol supplements could hold cardiovascular benefits for smokers, a new study has suggested.

Most vitamin studies are flawed by poor methodology, say Linus Pauling researchers

06-Jan-2014 By Nathan Gray

Many large clinical trials of vitamin supplements, including those concluding vitamins are of no value or may even be harmful, have a flawed methodologies that means they are 'useless' in determining the real value of such micronutrients, according...

2013: Big-hitting Nutra news review

23-Dec-2013

New laws, NGO questions, booming sectors, booed players – there was plenty for the European and international healthy foods and supplements sectors to get on with in 2013. We take a quick look back to help you look forward in 2014...

Top 12 trends for food, nutrition and health

18-Dec-2013 By Michael Stones

Naturally functional products leads the top 12 food, nutrition and health trends identified by New Nutrition Business in its latest infographic.

Dispatches from #FIE2013

‘Shrink it and pink it’? Women deserve better, says UK sports nutrition firm

03-Dec-2013 By Shane STARLING

Putting a male-oriented sports nutrition product into a petite, pink package is a lazy way to meet female needs, says a leading UK firm which is going about things a little differently.

Multivitamin and mineral supplements may help block HIV progression: Human data

27-Nov-2013 By Nathan Gray

Long-term supplementation with multivitamins plus selenium may help delay the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in people with early stages of the disease who are not yet eligible to receive antiretroviral therapy, a new randomised trial...