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.
The market for tryptophan supplements is set to expand in the UK if
proposed changes to current laws on the amino acid go ahead,
writes Dominique Patton.
Regular use of high performance sports drinks could lead to
troubling levels of tooth erosion, opening the door for the
development of low-corrosive alternatives, said scientists at the
University of Birmingham, UK yesterday.
An 85-year-old specimen of black cohosh root still contained most
of the chemical compounds believed to help reduce hot flushes and
other menopause symptoms when analysed in a recent study, writes
Dominique Patton.
Giving high dose vitamin D supplements to elderly housebound people
should be seriously considered as a means of preventing falls and
fractures, writes a consultant in this week's BMJ.
Fourteen mineral sources not included on the EU food supplement
directive's original list of permitted ingredients will be allowed
to stay on the market until they are reviewed by European
officials, reducing some of the uncertainty...
Increasing consumption of meat in the developing world could be a
more effective means of reducing nutrient deficiencies than giving
children supplements, say US researchers, who called for more
attention to be paid to animal source...
Food-to-detergents group Unilever is selling its Dextro Energy unit
to Germany's Zertus Group, the companies said on Wednesday, without
disclosing the price.
A daily supplement containing plant oestrogens and antioxidants
like selenium and carotenoids may slow the rise in PSA levels, a
marker for prostate cancer progression in some men, report Dutch
researchers.
Leading supplements distributor Herbalife said yesterday that it
had stopped selling one of its products in Israel after an
investigation by health officials over complaints that it caused
liver problems.
More than a third of cancer patients in Europe use complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM), most often to increase their body's
ability to fight the disease, reveals the first Europe-wide study
of alternative medicine use.
Anaemic mothers who took iron supplements reported significant
improvement in depression and anxiety levels after giving birth
compared to those who took a placebo, shows a new study.
Industry's demand for quality, standardized herbal extracts will
continue to drive new cultivation projects that will also ensure
the sustainability of plant species and biodiversity, claims a
leading supplier.