Iron supplements could be improved by new research in the UK that
has identified for the first time a molecule responsible for
absorption of the mineral in the gut.
Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis is once again putting its
health food and sports nutrition products up for sale, according to
a report today in French business magazine Challenges.
Opportunities in the mature enzyme market lie in developments,
driven by biotechnology, that provide food and beverage makers with
the right tools to meet consumer trends, claims a new report.
Probiotic bacteria drops appear to reduce the symptoms of colic in
breast-feeding infants and could offer a natural, more effective
alternative to conventional treatment, say researchers.
Taking supplements of L-Carnipure tartrate during pregnancy can
significantly reduce the increased level of plasma free fatty acids
that is considered the main cause of insulin resistance in pregnant
women, shows a new study.
The shellfish fibre chitosan has been shown in some trials to help
weight loss but inconsistent product quality has led to conflicting
results, believes one supplier.
Rising consumption of energy drinks that contain high levels of
sugar and caffeine may be contributing to our expanding waistlines,
according to new research that could prove damaging for the booming
energy drinks market.
Consumption of vitamins and minerals in China is growing, thanks to
immense economic growth and the emergence of a new consumer
culture. There may be opportunities for foreign companies to export
to the country to make up for a shortfall...
Swiss research institute VitaPlant is embarking on a research
project to develop six new plant extracts, in partnership with US
natural products supplier EuroPharma. Jess Halliday speaks
to Dr Bernd Bueter about plans to market the...
Better-tasting and convenient performance foods are attracting
growing numbers of Europeans, many of whom are not sports
professionals, reveals a new report.
Supplement makers will need more innovative products and more
effective marketing to capitalize on a surge in demand for bone
health care in coming years, writes Dominique Patton.
UK trade officers and a charity are calling on industry to include
labelling about the risks of vitamin A to pregnant women on all
multivitamin supplements, writes Dominique Patton.
The court ruling on the European food supplements directive has
resulted in a win-win situation for industry, says one of the
groups that took the Commission to court over the laws, reports
Dominique Patton.
An extract of resveratrol-rich walnuts could offer supplement
makers a new ingredient for tackling the onset of age-related
macular degeneration, writes Dominique Patton.
Iron supplements could prevent irreversible brain damage in
thousands of children in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe,
believe UK researchers, who have started investigating the link
between iron deficiency and lead pollution,...
Regularly taking copper supplements could lead to excess levels of
the mineral that may impact health, said a US researcher last week,
calling for the current upper safe limit for the mineral to be
lowered, reports Dominique Patton.
The UK-based lobby group the Alliance for Natural Health said today
that it has commissioned independent experts to develop a new
approach to regulating food supplements to replace that proposed by
the 2002 European directive, already...
Caffeine increased the cyclists' absorption of carbohydrates from a
sports drink in new UK research, writes Dominique Patton,
offering a new area of innovation for manufacturers of sports
products.
Taking a Chinese herbal supplement containing ginseng and other
plants everyday for three months has been found to improve memory
in people with mild cognitive impairment, writes Dominique
Patton.
The UK's food authority said this week that it will provide up to
£20,000 (€30,000) to pay for external scientists to produce more
dossiers for supplement ingredients not currently on the European
directive's positive list,...
Fresh from its acquisition of Solgar, the US' biggest supplement
maker NBTY said today that it has also bought the Canadian
supplement maker and distributor SISU, writes Dominique
Patton.
Irradiated herbal supplements, not permitted in the EU, are still
being sold in Ireland, says the country's food safety authority,
despite attempts to increase compliance last year.
A superoxide dismutase supplement, one of the first marketed
commercially, could reduce the susceptibility to sunburn, report
Dominique Patton and Jess Halliday.
The government has again demonstrated its commitment to
investigating the medicinal properties of botanicals, with the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) providing $1 million in funding to
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center...
D-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate (TAS) can be safely used as a
source of tocopherol in foods for particular nutritional purposes
(PARNUTS), foods intended for the general population and food
supplements, a panel of European experts...
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is to consider putting caffeine
tablets back on the banned substance list after several Australian
athletes, including the national rugby union captain, George
Gregan, admitted to taking them.
A study presented this week showing that black cohosh supplements
offer no benefit for hot flushes was probably too short to measure
any effect, says the herbal science group the American Botanical
Council.
More than a quarter of China's health supplements are on sale
illegally and contain false claims on their packaging, found a
survey released last week.
The quality and extent of nutritional advice given to families in
developing countries should be improved to reduce stunted growth in
infants, said The Lancet today.
Supplements, and not increased exposure to either natural or
artificial ultraviolet (UV) light, should be the preferred way of
topping up vitamin D levels, stress medical experts in a journal
this month.
Blue California is changing the ingredient purification process at
its China manufacturing facility from gamma-rays to ozone, in order
to meet regulatory standards in international markets.
Adding the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus GG (LGG) to the daily
diet of children with a food allergy helped to reduce eczema
symptoms, report researchers this month.
Danish food and health authorities have launched a campaign to
promote the use of vitamin D supplements by the elderly and
dark-skinned immigrants, both groups prone to deficiency, writes
Dominique Patton.
Israeli microencapsulation firm Biodar has developed a new
technology that resolves the taste issue for companies making
mineral supplements and fortified foods, writes Dominique
Patton.
Use of herbal medicine in German and France is the most widespread
in Europe, according to a report published in the New England
Journal of Medicine yesterday.
Many women may be overusing treatments for symptoms of menopause,
including hormone therapies that can pose a risk, an expert panel
called by the US government said this week.
NSF International and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) have
formed a strategic partnership to boost public confidence in
botanicals and encourage more companies to use them in their
products, reports Jess Halliday.
Caffeine significantly reduced insulin sensitivity in a small
study, and was not corrected by the usually beneficial effects of
weight loss or exercise.
Manufacturers of sports nutrition products will have to clean up or
face the consequences of increased scrutiny from Europe, which this
week called for further action against doping.
Herbal medicines on the Australian market may need to be
reformulated after the government's decision this week to back a
wave of expert recommendations to tighten scrutiny of the
complementary medicines sector.