Across the Nutraverse: GABA reigns in Japan, FDA tainted product warnings, botanical adulteration rates and more
Japan: GABA still hottest ingredients in FFC, but HMPA is fast-rising
Exclusive data from Japan-based nutraceutical consultancy firm Smooth Link Inc. revealed that GABA—a non-proteinogenic amino acid commonly used in supplements for stress relief, sleep aid and blood pressure reduction—remains the most popular ingredient across the different types of Foods with Function Claims (FFC).
In total, there were 250 products that contained GABA in FY2023, and 49 products that contained rice bran-derived 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) propionic acid (HMPA)—the second most popular functional ingredient.
The first HMPA notification was made public in February 2010, and the number of notifications has increased since then because of possible health claims associated with it. For example, studies have shown that HMPA can reduce abdominal visceral fat and improve metabolic disorders.
Visit NutraIngredients-Asia for the full story.
USA: FDA warns against use of tainted Umary and Amazy products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued another warning advising consumers to refrain from purchasing or using Umary and Amazy products marketed as dietary supplements.
“FDA has received an increase in adverse event reports with the use of Umary products since the agency issued a warning in June 2024,” the FDA noted. “The adverse event reports are consistent with known common adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and serious skin reactions associated with the drug ingredients found in Umary.”
These prescription drug ingredients, which are not listed on label, include diclofenac and omeprazole, as confirmed by FDA laboratory testing of certain Umary and Amazy products.
Read more on NutraIngredients-USA.
Global: Review attempts to estimate adulteration rates of five popular botanicals
A new systematic literature review of five popular botanical ingredients indicates a wide range of estimated adulteration rates, with the highest reported for Ginkgo leaf extract samples at 56.7%.
The five botanicals included in the new analysis are among the top selling herbal supplements in the U.S. market, accounting for over half a billion dollars in sales in 2022.
The review, by the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), noted that estimating the extent of adulteration using published data is a very challenging and imperfect process.
“The numbers obtained for the extent of adulteration of the five botanicals investigated for this systematic review may not be representative for the overall adulteration rate in the global herbal dietary and food supplement industry, but it is clear that adulteration of botanical ingredients is a problem and impacts a substantial portion of products sold as dietary or food supplements,” said Stefan Gafner, the American Botanical Council's chief science officer and BAPP director.
More HERE.
Science: Increasing omega-3 intakes linked to delayed aging
Findings published in Frontiers in Nutrition indicated that there may be an optimal dose for omega-3s to delay biological ageing, measured using Phenotypic Age Acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel), which is the difference between an individual’s phenotypic biological age (determined using biochemical markers) and their chronological age.
This is not the first time that omega-3 intake has been linked to delay biological ageing, with a 2022 review in Nutrients reporting that the scientific literature to date “overwhelmingly” supports beneficial effects of omega‐3 fatty acids on the length of telomeres, a marker of biological aging.
Commenting independently on the findings, Harry Rice, PhD, VP of regulatory and scientific affairs at the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), told NutraIngredients: “Despite relatively significant study limitations as outlined by the authors, the present results are intriguing and provide a compelling reason to design future research to determine the causality, if any, between EPA/DHA and ageing.
“While we’re far from finding the elixir of life, results from the present research, combined with the promising, yet limited, body of scientific evidence demonstrating benefits of EPA/DHA for attenuating the shortening of telomeres, suggest that EPA/DHA could really have anti-ageing benefits.”
