The Irish health authorities have confirmed they will review their
policy on energy drinks following the decision by the European
Court of Justice to uphold the French ban on Red Bull.
Australian soy product maker So Natural Foods has enlisted the help
of Olympic gold medallist swimmer Ian Thorpe to market a new
functional food range on its home market and in Asia.
The successful cloning of three mules sheds light on calcium's role
in cell signaling and could be important for understanding the
progression of human disease, according to US researchers.
A low-fat diet may help men with aggressive prostate cancer better
fight their disease and live longer, according to researchers who
showed that a diet low in polyunsaturated fats slowed cancer growth
and increased survival times...
New research on Alzheimer's disease could help explain how
antioxidants like vitamin E and certain lipids may delay onset of
the disease, which is set to affect growing numbers of people as
our populations live longer.
Recent acquisitions boosted sales at the consumer healthcare
business owned by German drug company Merck KgaA, but the company
is a long way from its targeted double-digit growth.
A polyphenol extract made from selected red grapes from the south
of France has been shown to signficantly reduce lipid deposits in
arteries, and produced a greater effect than red wine, reports its
manufacturer.
Scientists at the University of Bonn have identified a substance
that appears to be partly responsible for the previously
unexplained sedative effect of valerian, a herbal native to Europe
and used for more than 2,000 years.
In the largest study of its kind, researchers have shown that
diabetes can cause chronic liver disease and cancer of the liver,
increasing the threat posed by growing incidence of the disease
around the world.
Ingredients giant Danisco moves into the lead in the global
cultures business with its acquisition of the food ingredients arm
of ailing French chemical firm Rhodia.
The market for functional food products has grown steadily for
several years now, focusing primarily on the dairy sector. But
other sectors of the food industry, such as bakery and snacks, are
beginning to see more functional products...
A comprehensive national strategy 'organised across many fronts' is
urgently needed to tackle obesity in the UK and its threat to
public health, argues a new report issued by British doctors
yesterday.
Finland's Raisio group is preparing to build a new strategy around
health foods, it revealed yesterday, using capital from the planned
sale of its chemicals unit to fund growth in its ingredients
business.
After a 75 per cent drop in operating profit for the third quarter,
DSM's final quarter picked up, with better-than-expected turnover
at the Dutch group.
The rapidly growing sales of waters with added vitamins and
minerals, or functional waters are the result of slick marketing
with little real benefit for consumers' health, according to a
report by an Australian consumer magazine.
Red clover isoflavones may help to protect women, recently advised
to stop using HRT, from the risk of osteoporosis, suggests new
research that shows a protective effect of the supplement on the
lumbar spine.
A diet with a high glycaemic load could increase the risk of
colorectal cancer, find US scientists following recent research on
nearly 40,000 middle-aged women. Findings could further fire
interest into new methods of controlling...
The European Commission is seeking agreement on concrete measures
to halt the decline in global biodiversity at an international
conference which opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this week.
Dutch chemcials group Akzo Nobel is increasing prices for its
choline salt, choline L (+) bitartrate, by 10 per cent, to cover
costs resulting from new US regulations.
The European court of justice yesterday removed barriers to the
sale of fortified foods and sports supplements in France and Italy,
ruling that the countries' demands for prior authorisation of
products is illegal under European...
The numbers of British children with the hidden condition coeliac
disease, an intolerance to gluten, have been significantly
underestimated, say doctors in Bristol.
A major French study on the effects of nutritional supplements has
confirmed the link between iron deficiency and hair loss, reports
the leading French cosmetics group L'Oreal.
The new owner of Peter Black Pharmaceuticals, US-based Perrigo,
reported a record second quarter this week and confirmed that it
was ready to become a leading nutritional products supplier in the
British market.
Infant formula with added probiotic bacteria appeared to reduce
irritability in infants and lowered the frequency of antibiotic
use, report US researchers.
Herbal supplements available on the Irish market are still being
irradiated, contradicting European regulations on the practice and
highlighting a lack of traceability on supplement ingredients.
UK-based food research institute RSSL is to launch a service to
measure the glycemic index of foods, or how carbohydrates in
different foods and ingredients can trigger a rise in blood glucose
levels in consumers.
Dairy innovator Valio has extended its lactose-free milk drink to
Switzerland through its first licensing agreement for the
technology with the Swiss firm Emmi.
Some of the components in beer appear to protect against
development of colon cancer, report Japanese researchers, revealing
new results from a study on rats.
Smokers who breast feed should take iodine supplements, say Danish
researchers, who found that smoking could impact the transport of
iodine in human milk and could reduce iodine levels - a lack of
which could impact thyroid hormone...
An increasing tendency to diet is restricting intake of essential
vitamins and minerals among UK consumers, suggests the Health
Supplements Information Service, an education initiative funded by
UK supplement makers.
A Swedish study established to assess the effect of hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) for women with a history of breast cancer
has been stopped early after preliminary results show 'unacceptably
high' risks of breast cancer...
Higher levels of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C,
along with the antioxidant trace mineral selenium, were associated
with a lower risk of asthma in a large study on young Americans,
published this week.
A moderate-fat weight loss diet reduced dieters' cardiovascular
risk better than a low-fat diet, usually recommended for heart
health, report US researchers.
Europe and the US will hammer out the contentious issue of obesity
and the role food policy can play in getting to grips with this
major health problem at a Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) meeting in Brussels
today.
Probiotics, the bacteria thought to help gut health disorders,
allergies and even some forms of cancer, contain immune
system-stimulating DNA, which makes them just as effective when
inactivated as when consumed as live microorganisms...
The UK's supplement industry has won the right to challenge the
European Commission in the European court of justice over the
recent food supplements directive, which it claims is unlawful.
The US company Martek Biosciences is taking legal action against
Nutrinova Nutrition Specialties & Food Ingredients and its
owner Celanese Ventures for patent infringement, it announced on
Friday.
An international team of chemists has developed a new family of
antioxidants that are up to 100 times more effective than vitamin
E. They say the new chemicals could one day be used in supplements.
The UK's medicines regulators issued proposals yesterday to ban the
Chinese herbal remedy Qian Bai Biyan Pian, as it contain toxins
known to cause serious liver damage.
