There is currently not enough evidence to suggest that multivitamin
and mineral supplements prevent infections in elderly people,
according to a meta-analysis published on the BMJ website today.
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.
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...
The FDA says it has seized $13,500 worth of dietary supplements
either containing or claiming to contain banned ephedrine alkaloids
from Pennsylvania company ATF Fitness Products.
Adding value to mature vitamin supplements by combining them with
new ingredients is driving good growth at Merck's consumer health
care business, reports Dominique Patton.
Consumers may be exposed to increasing amounts of herbals, despite
intentional usage having reached a plateau in recent years, due to
the addition of ingredients such as lutein and lycopene in
multivitamins, say researchers.
Sabinsa Corporation has been making sure its manufacturing
processes are up to scratch in anticipation of new FDA requirements
by submitting its products for testing by public health and safety
company NSF International.
Reliv International, a US-based firm using network marketing to
distribute its supplement products, is hoping to make significant
inroads into the European market, with plans to start business in
Germany later this year.
The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has asked the FDA
to take into account relevant information on the traditional use of
herbs when substantiating claims for products that contain them.
The exaggerated - and not always correct - advertisement of
biologically active additives (BAAs) in food supplements has
resulted in a number of products being removed by the Russian
authorities, writes Angela Drujinina.
Consumers remain concerned by the conclusions of the recent
meta-study on vitamin E and may be putting their lives at risk,
according to a study released last week.
Salt Lake City based Weider Nutrition said yesterday it had boosted
its Schiff-branded joint care supplements by adding hyaluronic acid
to the Move Free product line.
The Federal Trade Commission has charged more supplement companies
with deceptive advertising for weight-loss products that are said
to have included the banned substance ephedra.
The supplement industry agreed yesterday in Bonn, Germany that new
global guidelines - including changes to the way maximum levels of
nutrients in supplements are calculated - will go forward to be
ratified by the Codex Alimentarius...
Joint health supplements could see an extra growth spurt in coming
months, following Merck's recent withdrawal of the leading
arthritis drug, Vioxx. It is expected to raise consumer awareness
of the safety risks of prescription...
Dietary supplements may be doing more harm than good - with the
possible exception of selenium - if an article published today in
The Lancet is to be believed, writes Philippa Nuttall.
The organization has added eight new members to its board including
Gail Montgomery, president and CEO of Nutrition 21, who has been
made president of the body, which will henceforth be known as
Vitamin Relief USA.
Dietary supplements have suddenly become a hot topic in the UK,
where consumers spend £300m on them every year- the Science Museum,
London will open up the debate on September 30, when it invites
experts and amateurs to air their...
The FDA has confirmed the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives'
(JEFCA) ruling in June that free lutein and zeaxanthin are safe for
human consumption - a move welcomed by Kemin Foods which produces
the ingredient FloraGlo...
The outbreak of SARS in China caused rapid growth in vitamin sales
and despite a slowing of demand this year, it may have a lasting
impact on the industry.
The doping scandal surrounding Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and
Ekaterini Thanou has again brought supplements under media scrutiny
after Greek authorities uncovered large quantities of supplements
containing ephedrine, banned...
Changing economic conditions in eastern Europe are boosting sales
and demand for vitamins and dietary supplements, offering major
opportunity for foreign entrants to the market and suppliers of
novel ingredients.
The highly splintered nature of Europe's food supplement industry
is being underlined by the divergent reactions to forthcoming new
legislation, designed to harmonise trade across all member states,
writes Dominique Patton.
Investigations into the dumping of shrimp on the US market has
caused major price rises in the joint health ingredient
glucosamine, a shrimp derivative. But if prices stabilise at these
levels, they could make higher quality glucosamine...
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, meeting in Geneva this week, has
endorsed draft guidelines on vitamin and mineral supplements that
recommend basing maximum levels of nutrients on safety rather than
the RDA.
Little evidence supports either the safety or efficacy of
nutritional supplements in helping to improve diabetes-related
conditions despite strong public interest in natural therapies,
according to the head of a government-funded...
Thirteen popular multivitamin products failed a ConsumerLab test
because of lead contamination, lower ingredient levels than stated,
and/or inability to fully break apart for absorption, writes Wai
Lang Chu.
A panel of scientists in the US has developed a method to assess
the safety of common supplements based on available lab and animal
data, and suggests that this process could be used by regulators to
get round the lack of human clinical...
AXM Pharma and Sunkist Growers have entered into an agreement that
grants AXM exclusive rights to use the Sunkist brand name and
trademark for its vitamin and vitamin supplement products in China.
FDA's ephedra ban, scheduled for publication tomorrow, carries
broad implications for the entire dietary supplement industry, says
the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA).
US nutritional product supplier Perrigo continues to make inroads
into the European vitamin market, announcing the purchase of
privately-held Peter Black Pharmaceuticals for $13 million (€10.6m)
on Friday.
US nutritional product supplier Perrigo continues to make inroads
into the European brand vitamin market this week, acquiring the
privately-held Peter Black Pharmaceuticals for $13 million.
New Zealand's government looks set to renounce regulation of the
dietary supplement industry, in favour of a joint authority with
Australia. The news has provoked angry responses from manufacturers
who argue that they are facing...
A new system of classification for medicines in South Korea is
helping to drive growth of the country's OTC market, two thirds of
which is made up of vitamins and dietary supplements.
A supplement containing vitamins and minerals may help to slow the
progression to death of some of the 40 million people infected with
HIV worldwide, according to a new study.
Last week's Codex meeting made significant progress in its bid to
set global standards on supplements but in Latin America
regulations are still variable and closer collaboration will be
necessary to improve regional trade, a...
The Codex committee charged with developing world trade standards
for nutritional and special dietary foods made significant progress
in draft guidelines for vitamins and mineral supplements this week,
including a historic agreement...
The Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
yesterday agreed to abolish the 100 per cent RDA measure for
setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals, as proposed in a
draft guideline.
An overview of the Korean market for nutraceuticals suggests that
it is growing by 20-30 per cent annually, representing a
significant opportunity for foreign companies.
The Chinese herbal aristolochic acid, banned in several countries
for causing kidney failure and cancer, is readily available from
websites, according to a US researcher, revealing the growing
threat to the supplement industry from...
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...
The SupplySide West show in the US begins today with a packed
seminar schedule delivered by National Institutes of Health
researchers, ahead of the main exhibition opening tomorrow.
Leading Japanese vitamin maker Eisai is to create a new subsidiary
for its vitamins and supplement unit, previously known as the Food
Additives and Chemicals division.
The UK's vitamin and supplement market is one of the largest in
Europe, with sales of £350 million (€510m) last year. But with
sales levelling off for the past two years, and new European
legislation set to considerably reduce...
The UK's Food Standards Agency has updated information on products
made by Australia's Pan Pharmaceuticals, which have been on sale in
the UK and could be a health risk to consumers.
