The "French paradox" - rich cuisine and a slender population - can
be explained in part by portions that are significantly smaller in
French restaurants and supermarkets than in their American
counterparts, say researchers.
The benefits of a Mediterranean diet are extolled once more as
Harvard researchers report that compounds found in red wine and
certain vegetables may be the key to a longer, healthier life.
Aiming to increase public awareness of gut health, today marks the
beginning of Gut Week 2003 in the UK, encouraging people to both
eat healthily and be aware of the symptoms of gut disorders.
A seminar to be held in Northern Ireland on 3 September is to
discuss the importance of scientific proof of health claims on
functional foods, with reviews provided by two international
experts.
Obesity has long been thought to have a link with a higher risk of
breast cancer in postmenopausal women. But now scientists claim to
have discovered the definitive link between the two - increased
oestrogen levels.
The British Nutrition Foundation has expressed concern in response
to the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on nutrition
and health claims. While understanding the need for regulation to
discourage misleading claims...
Germany-based Merck KGaA announced today the acquisition by Merck
CHC Holding of Peter Black Direct Marketing, a UK-based direct
marketer of vitamins, minerals and supplements.
Strong results across a range of business units helped US
agribusiness Cargill post a stable set of figures for the
fourth-quarter of 2003. Food ingredients operations in Europe,
Latin America and North America claim a particularly...
German speciality ingredients supplier Nutrinova has collaborated
with Swisscaps, a capsule provider for pharmaceutical and dietary
supplement companies, to develop soft gel capsules containing its
DHActive omega-3 oil.
Dark chocolate could potentially reduce both cardiovascular and
thromboembolic disease, due to its high flavonoid-rich cocoa
content, suggests new research on chocolate consumption.
Complementary health products maker Comvita New Zealand reports
strong trading well ahead of last year's performance and expects to
finish the year with a sound financial result as it prepares to
list on the NZX's new AX...
A new breed of soft drink is making its debut in the functional
drinks sector. A blend of Chinese herbs and fruit juice, Firefly
provides health-conscious consumers with an energy drink with no
added sugar or artificial stimulants.
Degussa Food Ingredients and biopharmaceutical company Thuris
yesterday announced a collaboration to determine sites of action of
certain brain stimulating compounds to identify effectiveness for
future use.
A new small study suggests that Belgium-based Orafti's enriched
inulin - RaftiloseSynergy1 - results in significant improvement in
absorption of both calcium and magnesium in post-menopausal women.
Heart-friendlier products may be one of the benefits from new corn
varieties developed by US scientists at the US department of
agriculture's chief scientific research agency and Iowa State
university (ISU).
A drug designed to mimic the effects of vitamin D hormone may be
able to boost the effectiveness of radiation treatment for prostate
cancer, report researchers in the British Journal of Cancer.
Dutch infant food and nutrition company Royal Numico continues to
strive for profitability, but despite an improved performance
overall, divestments and continued poor performance by its vitamins
retail business GNC continue to plague...
The increase in the prevalence of diabetes may be due to better
detection and people surviving longer with the disease not an
increase in new cases, according to new research published in
The Lancet.
Researchers from Germany have genetically engineered plants to
produce particles of human papillomavirus (HPV) that could be used
in the creation of vaccines or as edible vaccines themselves.
First half sales at speciality chemicals group Cognis dropped to
around €1.5 billion, significantly lower than last year's €1.6
billion, but the firm claims it achieved growth in almost all units
exluding the impact of the exchange...
The controversial high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins diet is a
danger to public health and based on nothing more than 'pseudo
science', warned a leading British nutritionist this week.
The active ingredient in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), has been found to block the growth of bladder tumours in
rats, suggesting the chemical could be used to prevent bladder
cancer.
Numico Research has received a US patent for a supplement
preparation containing lecithin, red wine extract and vitamin E,
said to have numerous health benefits, including help prevent
cancers and heart disease.
The plant extract guggulipid, widely used as an alternative to
cholesterol-lowering drugs in Asia, has turned out to be no more
effective than a placebo in clinical trials, report researchers in
the latest edition of JAMA.
Taking supplements of creatine, a compound found in muscle tissue,
can significantly boost both working memory and general
intelligence, according to researchers in Australia.
UK dairy farmers are planning to market the controversial A2 milk,
said to be better for the heart, and also claimed to help children
with autism, according to a report.
A scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem claims to have
developed a less fattening variety of the lycopene-rich watermelon
which is just as sweet as current varieties.
European kava manufacturers are meeting suppliers in Brussels this
month in a final attempt to try to save trade in the herbal, almost
wiped out by bans in most EU states. They have also produced a
report demonstrating its safety...
Natraceutical, the biotech subsidiary of Spanish cocoa products
group Natra, looks set to shift its focus away from caffeine
towards nutraceutical products, as it announces its third patent
application this year.
Sales of supplements for menopause symptoms are likely to surge in
coming months, after a major UK study finds that combination
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) could double the risk of breast
cancer.
Newly-formed Acatris is planning a major assault on the UK market
and has predicted that Britain will be among the top three growth
markets for its health ingredients.
Products containing the herb Chelidonium majus should
include a warning label to consumers, Australia's Complementary
Medicines Evaluation Committee has advised.
The world's number two vitamin maker BASF boosted second quarter
earnings in its agricultural and nutrition segment, despite flat
sales from across the group's businesses and a pessimistic outlook
for the full year.
Increasing intake of polyphenols, by eating more fruits and
vegetables such as apricots or onions, or taking supplements, may
help to prevent intestinal cancer, reports a European research
group.
Russian dairy company Wimm-Bill-Dann is investing in a new
functional range, and says it has already seen strong sales of its
new probiotic drink Imunele.
Italian L-carnitine specialist Sigma-Tau Healthscience this week
received a US patent for a composition, containing both L-carnitine
and creatine phosphate, to prevent muscle fatigue and enhance
sports performance.
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.
Women whose diet includes the phytoestrogens isoflavones and
lignans could be at reduced risk of endometrial cancer, the fifth
most common cancer among women worldwide, report researchers.
Green tea's ability to fight cancer is even more potent and varied
than scientists suspected, say researchers who have discovered that
chemicals in green tea shut down one of the key molecules targeted
by tobacco to cause cancer.
With virtually all of the world's new soybean production expected
to come from increased plantings in South America over the next
five to ten years, organisers of an international conference on
soyfoods have chosen Brazil as...
Cereal manufacturers could see growing sales in our
weight-conscious times as a new study shows that people who eat
cereal are less likely to be obese than those who skip breakfast or
choose a traditional English start to the day.
Increasing intake of antioxidants could be the cheapest and most
practical way to delay cataract formation, report researchers, who
found that women who used vitamin C supplements for 10 or more
years were 64 per cent less likely...
Fortifying foods with folic acid may not reduce the incidence of
Down's syndrome, say University of Toronto researchers, although
they suggest we may to need to wait for the next generation of
women to give birth before the their...
Increasing intake of vitamin C may be able to help prevent stomach
cancer, report researchers this week. A study found low levels of
the vitamin in blood samples to be associated with higher chances
of Helicobacter pylori infection,...
