Energy drinks are adding a touch of zest to the European soft
drinks market, with Mintel's Global New Products Database revealing
an array of weird and wonderful names, ingredients and marketing
ploys designed to entice consumers...
South Africa has joined numerous European countries by banning all
products containing the herbal remedy kava from sale. Yet another
market to be tackled by the coalition of kava campaigners launched
recently in Europe.
A report commissioned for the UK's Food Standards Agency has
provided the clearest evidence yet that there is a link between
advertising food products aimed at children and the declining
health standards among the younger generation.
Researchers in Australia will develop new foods and diets as part
of a new preventative healthcare initiative, designed to add an
extra 10 years of healthy life to members of Australia's ageing
population.
Women should be cautious about using the herbal remedy ginseng in
the early stages of pregnancy, say researchers who have found the
botanical to cause abnormalities in rat embryos.More research is
needed to identify the effects of...
Dietary patterns are not consistent predictors of cancer, reports a
major European research project, but while foods cannot take the
blame for development of the disease, diet could alter the effect
of contributing factors.
Sweden's Cerealia Foods has increased its health offering with the
acquisition of five companies focused on vegetarian, organic and
healthy food products.
Belgian firm Cosucra Groupe Warcoing is exiting the sugar beet
processing business to concentrate entirely on added value
ingredients for health foods, it announced this week.
Japanese firm Kyowa Hakko has produced a tablet version of its
novel cholesterol-lowering ingredient CSPHP, allowing dietary
supplement makers to include the compound in capsules.
Elderly people could gain some protection against cognitive decline
by taking B vitamins to reduce levels of homocysteine, after
researchers find the amino acid is a modest predictor of mental
performance.
Netherlands-based DSM and Swiss chemicals group Roche said today
they have received approval from the US Federal Trade Commission
for the Roche vitamins deal. With final transfer of the business to
DSM expected at the end of the month,...
The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) says it has not issued an
official health warning about the Atkins diet, contrary to media
reports yesterday claiming that the government-backed agency had
linked the diet to increased risk...
UK-based Vibrant Life is to market a reformulated version of the
established US bone health supplement CalMagFizz, it revealed at
the Natural Trade Show in the UK last week.
Scientists have identified significant antibacterial and
antioxidant activity in two plant extracts, used traditionally in
Ghana to heal wounds, they reported at a conference last week.
Antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin C tablets, could become
the new remedy for osteoporosis, say researchers in the UK, seeking
a replacement for HRT, known to prevent the bone-wasting disease in
women.
A new European project will examine the safety and efficacy of iron
supplementation in pregnant women. Treating anaemia in pregnancy
raises concerns about overloading with iron, which can interact
with other nutrients affecting metabolism.
As with other trade issues, bringing the EU and US together on an
internationally recognised approach to health claims seems to be a
long way off, if ever achievable, concluded experts at a recent
seminar on health claims.
A phytoestrogen-rich multivitamin supplement should be considered
as the first option for women suffering from menopausal symptoms,
say UK researchers, presenting results of a small trial that showed
the benefits of the pill over...
Heart disease patients in the UK taking the blood thinning drug
warfarin have been warned to avoid cranberry juice, after reports
that the drink increases the drug's potency.
Balchem has revised its outlook for the third quarter, following
continued softness in the encapsulated and nutritional products
segment, said the firm yesterday.
Drinks with added health benefits are stealing the spotlight from
the saturated cola market, finds a new report, which suggests that
manufacturers are starting to look to elixirs and ready-to-drink
tea and coffee to regain sales growth.
The UK needs a national nutrition strategy to tackle the long-term
causes of some of its most costly chronic diseases, argues a
scientist in a leading British journal Science and Public
Affairs.
Biacore International has had its food analysis kit, used for the
rapid routine testing of the vitamin food supplement folic acid,
fully validated and certified as a Performance Tested Method by the
Association of Analytical Communities...
A product made with avocado and soybean oils by French firm
Laboratoires Expanscience could slow down and help repair some of
the damage caused by osteoarthritis, suggests laboratory research.
Ingredients in Chinese herbal medicines may vary widely depending
on the manufacturer, said scientists speaking at a conference this
week. This could have implications for the safety and efficacy of
the medication, they suggest.
Chemicals in liquorice, not only eaten in confectionery but also
used as a remedy for gastrointestinal disorders, could have an
effect on testosterone levels, according to a new study presented
at the British Pharmaceutical Conference...
A Spanish company, specialising in developing nutraceuticals from
vegetable fats, has patented a process to obtain a concentrated
polyphenol product from the waste water of olives.
Whole milk and apples and pears appear to protect against asthma,
suggests a new retrospective study from Australia. Soy-based drinks
however have been associated with a rise in risk of the disease.
A faster way to measure quantities of vitamin B12, both in foods
and in dietary supplements, has been developed by scientists in the
US. The discovery will improve data for commercial vitamin
supplements.
One in 20 people are taking potentially dangerous combinations of
herbal and prescription medicines, said researchers this week,
suggesting that health professionals need to increase their herbal
knowledge to respond to the boom in...
The popular herbal and homeopathic remedy arnica may indeed work,
said UK scientists this week, who claim to have found a scientific
basis for the plant's anti-bruising action. The team is currently
trying to synthesise the active...
The EU's traditional herbal medicinal products directive will not
lead to the major loss of popular herbal products on the UK market
feared by many in the retail sector, suggests the latest estimate
from the country's medicines...
Drinking a cup of coffee is more likely to reduce muscle pain
during a workout than taking an aspirin, suggests a small study
from the US. But the researchers do not know if caffeine, found in
numerous sports nutrition products, acts...
The EU is inviting up to 50 small and medium-sized businesses to
participate in a new functional food network, aimed at boosting
innovation in some of the areas investigated by recent European
research.
Twelve people in Japan suffered from liver injury after taking two
kinds of Chinese herbal to lose weight, according to a brief
journal communication today.
A large project to assess the health benefits of local wild
vegetables eaten in Southern Europe has already found significant
activity in antioxidant assays, researchers said today.
Dutch inulin specialist Sensus is to add a powdered inulin to its
Frutafit portfolio at the upcoming Food Ingredients Europe
exhibition in Frankfurt. The product is aimed at applications
requiring excellent solubility.
Herbal product manufacturers and kava suppliers are to stage a
lobbying campaign to try to force kava, a herb taken to combat
stress, back onto the shelves of European pharmacies.
A plant extract has been found to inhibit tumour growth in
laboratory tests. It could be used to target some of the cancers
that are currently most difficult to treat, suggests the research.
UK firm Provexis looks set to release a novel heart-healthy drink
next year after recent human trials on its tomato-based product
proved successful. CardioFlow is a concentrated tomato extract but
it contains no lycopene.
Food and drink manufacturers are facing tougher competition as
category boundaries are blurred with the addition of beauty
ingredients to a range of foodstuffs, claims a new report.
Makers of amino acids and other food additives are hoping to boost
revenues with growing popularity of Japan's latest fashion trend -
clothes with added supplements.
Consumers are urging food makers to include nutrition information
on foods, but as many as one in four can not find what they are
looking for on current labels, reveals a new survey from the UK's
Food Standards Agency.