India's largest pharmaceutical firm Ranbaxy Laboratories has
expanded its herbals range with the launch yesterday of three new
products, to be marketed under the 'New Age Herbals' name.
A lack of basic vitamins and minerals is damaging the health of
one-third of the world's people and holding back the economic
development of virtually every country in the southern hemisphere,
claims a new report presented to...
Finland's National Food Agency is to investigate the marketing of
infant formulae and draw up an action plan to ensure compliance
with regulations after feedback from consumers prompted concern.
Eyes, hair and skin could all benefit from a regular diet of
spinach, finds a cluster of scientists linked together through a
network of food companies.
Calcium supplements do not appear to cut lead levels in children
with moderate lead poisoning, finds a new study published in this
month's Pediatrics journal.
A single dose of a dietary supplement containing ephedra and
caffeine can increase blood pressure and cause changes that have
the potential to affect heart rhythms, shows a new study by
American researchers.
Scientists in India and China are planning to increase cooperation
in herbal medicine research in a bid to boost their position in the
world's herbals trade, according to Indian press reports.
Eating cereal fortified with vitamin E may be a better way of
boosting intake of the vitamin than through supplementing the diet
with capsules, suggests a new study.
The European energy drink market has seen something of a slowdown
in growth in the last couple of years, as we reported earlier this
week, with a plethora of 'me-too' products launched in the 1990s
falling by the wayside...
Preliminary research in the US finds that soy isoflavones, found in
soy infant formula, do not disrupt infant development, despite
concerns from some scientists that the isoflavones could act like
female hormones in infants.
Growing sales of herbal medicines are threatening to wipe out up to
a fifth of the plant species on which the industry depends, a new
report will claim. It also accuses the herbal medicines industry of
doing nothing to stop the problem.
Men and women who drank more coffee and other caffeinated beverages
were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank
few or no caffeinated beverages, report researchers in a new study.
Manufacturers of sports nutrition products have formed a new
alliance to better represent their trade in the face of a
forthcoming directive, set to tightly regulate foods and beverages
marketed to sportspeople.
MEPs last week voted through amendments to the traditional herbal
medicinal products directive (THMPD) that will prevent it from
regulating herbal products sold under food law.
Australian biotech firm Novogen has been granted a US patent
covering the use of soy isoflavones in tablet or capsule dietary
supplements, it revealed last week.
Dutch group Royal Numico announced on Friday the end of its
dealings in nutritional supplements, as it completed the sale of
its US business GNC to investor group Apollo Management.
Vermont-based NutraGenesis has introduced a patented bioactive
extract of the Indian herb Withania somnifera, which it claims acts
to reduce the body's response to stress.
Ads for dietary supplements consistently break advertising code
rules and are part of one of the most complained about sectors in
the UK, according to the country's Advertising Standards Authority.
Plant extract suppliers, keen to offer their solutions for the
booming beverages sector, are promoting a number of concepts at
Food Ingredients Europe this week, many designed for enriched
waters.
Taking fish oil supplements appears to significantly reduce the
severity in elite athletes of a condition which reduces lung
function after exercise and narrows the airways, report researchers
from universities in the US and Cardiff,...
A soy-based infant formula, linked to the deaths of three babies
and hospitalisation of several others in Israel in recent months,
was recalled from shelves this weekend, prompting widespread media
coverage.
German plant extracts manufacturer Finzelberg has launched a new
range of extracts for dietary supplements, including an
energy-boosting blend based on rhodiola rosea.
The UK is to launch the world's first scheme to screen sports
supplements for contamination with illegal performance-enhancing
drugs, according to a report in the New Scientist this week.
Pregnant women and children should take vitamin D supplements to
prevent a resurgence of rickets, say researchers in a seminar
published in tomorrow's issue of The Lancet. Experts have
been warning of rising cases of the bone...
A major trial on European children is to examine whether
reformulating the contents of infant foods, particularly the amount
of protein, could help reduce the risk of obesity in later life.
The EU-funded study is expected to confirm...
US fatty acids manufacturer Martek Biosciences is to distribute its
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to European dietary supplement makers
through an agreement with Dutch firm Vegetable Seed Oil Products
(VSP).
The campaign against the new EU food supplements directive is
gathering pace as the Alliance for Natural Health announces it will
also take legal proceedings to see the directive declared invalid
under European law.
The use of herbal medicines entails risks, but probably fewer than
with synthetic drugs, argues a British Medicial Journal
editorial out tomorrow. And failing to fund further studies on
herbals represents the biggest risk to consumers,...
UK natural healthcare company William Ransom could sell one of its
manufacturing sites to generate cash for a new botanical extraction
facility planned for next year, it said this week.
Elderly people should consider taking supplements of B vitamins as
many are deficient in the nutrients, thought to protect against
heart disease, argue German researchers in a new study.
US-based Solgar Vitamin and Herb company has announced the
introduction of a new range of supplements for children in the UK
called Kangavites. The minerals in the supplements have been
specially coated in order to disguise the normally...
In utero undernourishment is believed to alter the body's
metabolic programmming, increasing the risk of adult diseases in
offspring. But supplementing the diet with fish oil during
pregnancy can reduce the risk, according to...
Contrary to previous research findings, a new study in the US has
found that selenium supplements not only did not reduce the risk of
recurrence for previous sufferers of nonmelanoma skin cancer but
may even increase the risk of certain...
UK-based vitamin manufacturers G&G Food Supplies has announced
the launch of two new products in the UK - Collagen and Collagen
Plus - said to prevent the appearance of wrinkles and aid joint
repair.
Members of the UK's herbal industry have proposed an overhaul of
current legislation to ensure stricter standards and safety for
those products not regulated by the new European Traditional
Medicinal Herbals directive.
A new European project will examine the safety and efficacy of iron
supplementation in pregnant women. Treating anaemia in pregnancy
raises concerns about overloading with iron, which can interact
with other nutrients affecting metabolism.
Ingredients in Chinese herbal medicines may vary widely depending
on the manufacturer, said scientists speaking at a conference this
week. This could have implications for the safety and efficacy of
the medication, they suggest.
The EU's traditional herbal medicinal products directive will not
lead to the major loss of popular herbal products on the UK market
feared by many in the retail sector, suggests the latest estimate
from the country's medicines...
Drinking a cup of coffee is more likely to reduce muscle pain
during a workout than taking an aspirin, suggests a small study
from the US. But the researchers do not know if caffeine, found in
numerous sports nutrition products, acts...
Twelve people in Japan suffered from liver injury after taking two
kinds of Chinese herbal to lose weight, according to a brief
journal communication today.
Makers of amino acids and other food additives are hoping to boost
revenues with growing popularity of Japan's latest fashion trend -
clothes with added supplements.
UK doctors are being encouraged to support the use of herbal
remedies by the country's herbalists, currently trying to increase
understanding of the power of plant-based remedies during Herbal
Medicine Awareness Week.
Leading Irish drinks group Cantrell & Cochrane has launched its
first functional beverage, an isotonic sports drink aimed at Irish
athletes and backed by a marketing budget of €1 million.
A supplement containing chromium picolinate and biotin
significantly reduced elevated blood sugar levels in people with
type 2 diabetes after only twelve weeks, reported researchers at
the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Congress...