Vedic lifesciences scoops NutraIngredients research project award
The team reported that a 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) Phosphate + sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) supplement, manufactured by the German company SBI Group, improved the antibody markers of immunoglobulin (IgG) titers against the COVID-19 antigen.
Commenting on the achievement, Kriti Chaudhary, business development manager at Vedic lifesciences tells NutraIngredients: “We thank the judges for choosing us as a winner and NutraIngredients for supporting this study. The other nominations were also really high-quality, so it was a tough decision.”
She adds: “This award has helped us tremendously. This is the first time we have applied for the NutraIngredients award and it’s a big deal for the team and it’s a big recognition.
“It has really motivated all the teams within the company. Winning an award for the company is really inspiring us to do better.”
The winning study
The study involved recruiting 200 healthy volunteers ages 18-70 years who were receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic period. It was noted that in those receiving the vaccine in combination with the studied supplement over the 21 day period, levels of IgG antibody titer were found to be significantly higher than in the control group with no intervention.
Therefore, it was demonstrated that the participants had a heightened immune response following the consumption of the 5-ALA-Phosphate +SFC supplement when compared to those receiving the vaccine alone.
With regards to the findings, Chaudhary adds: “Of course, more research is required to completely substantiate this claim, as well as a more in-depth analysis. But this was an important study because it helps to improve the effect of the vaccine.”
She continues to explain the benefits of the study outcomes to the SBI group, enabling the products’ future entry in global markets.
“It will have a huge impact once the supplement enters the market. It will help enhance immunity. It’s a very promising ingredient with huge potential,” she stresses.
She adds that Vedic plans to continue this project using more innovative study designs and improved outcome measures.
Vedic ventures
The 22-year-old company specialises in conducting toxicology studies, preclinical studies, and human clinical trials on a range of different products including functional ingredients, dietary supplements and finished products. These involve substances ranging across botanical extracts, vitamins, probiotics, and amino acids.
The team has completed more than 400 clinical and preclinical studies in compliance with international regulations and it is among the few GCP-compliant CROs that are fully aligned with the FDA and FTC standards for human studies.
“We help companies make claims to enable entry to the market. We’ve been doing this for many years in many different health areas, like gut health, brain health, sports nutrition, women’s health, and weight management. Finally, we write the study so it can be published in a good journal,” Chaudhary explains.
The team are currently conducting an array of projects including a sleep health study utilising the Garmin smart watch, a women’s health study into vaginal health testing moisture, dryness, pH and more, as well as a large project into IBS and microbiome analysis.
