Researchers in the US have pointed to growing consumption of
'nutrition' bars and functional beverages as a risk to health -
they say these new foods threaten to leave a generation with
permanent damage to oral health and...
Taking ephedra is 200 times more risky than taking many other
commonly used herbs combined, report US researchers who pitted the
reported side effects of the controversial weight-loss supplement
against those of herbs such as gingko...
US researchers have found that a recently discovered gene regulates
HDL or 'good' cholesterol. The study, published in the February
issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could lead
to new therapies for heart disease.
Researchers at the UK-based John Innes Centre have developed a
broccoli variety which contains up to 80 times the amount of
glucosinolates, a cancer-fighting compound, than standard broccoli.
A plant which could be grown for commercial...
Researchers in the UK report that the popular homeopathic remedy
arnica failed to help reduce swelling and bruising in a small group
of patients undergoing surgery.
Researchers at the University of Leicester in the UK have launched
one of the biggest studies into childhood obesity in the country.
The dietary behaviour of more than 7000 South Asian children will
be assessed, with the aim of improving...
Coca-Cola has launched a new energy drink on the Irish market, the
company's Ireland division announced this week. BPM Energy, which
is so far exclusive to Ireland, differs from other products on the
market in that it is designed...
The dairy ingredients business unit of Dutch company DSM Food
Specialties has opened its first sales and customer service office
in the Far East - marking the company's continued investment in
this part of the world.
A Chinese population-based study provides strong evidence that
women who take folic acid supplements during pregnancy do not have
an increased likelihood of having a multiple birth, according to
the results in this week's issue...
Around a quarter of all prescription drugs sold in the United
States, Canada and Europe contain active ingredients derived from
plants, claims a new report. Global over-the-counter sales of
plant-derived drugs are estimated at $40...
Extracts from white tea may be able to protect the skin from
cancer, report researchers in the US, who believe that the tea's
antioxidant properties may boost the immune function of skin cells,
protecting against the oxidation...
New developments at Swedish probiotics company include a marketing
agreement with Nature's Sunshine in the US which is expected to
boost sales of its Reuteri tablets. There is also a new deal from
South Korea, confirming its...
Dutch food group Numico said today the head of its US operations,
which includes the struggling vitamin maker Rexall Sundown, is to
step down in a management re-shuffle designed to boost performance.
Milk, it seems, is the next product to get the major marketing
makeover. For years a staple product in most western diets, milk
has become increasingly important in recent years not least because
of growing awareness of the health...
Minute Maid, the orange juice drink from Coca-Cola, will now
feature health and nutrition advice from the Mayo Clinic on its
packaging in the US, an additional bonus for a drink which is
already touted as a healthy product.
Provexis, the UK company whose main product CardioFlow, a novel
extract from tomato, has been shown to be beneficial to the heart,
has been given a major boost with the addition of a leading British
scientist to its Scientific Advisory...
TNO Nutrition and Food Research of the Netherlands has recently
launched a project designed to verify the various claims relating
to functional food ingredients.
A botanicals research project has been launched by ingredients
supplier Unigen Pharmaceuticals and the consultants Botanical
Liaisons to discover new plants that could be used in natural
medicines.
Sales at Wyeth consumer healthcare decreased 6 per cent in the 2002
fourth quarter and 3 per cent for the 2002 full year. Poor
performance of the cough and cold products was however partly
offset by sales of Centrum vitamins.
The health food and sports nutrition business of Novartis, now
called Nutrition & Santé, saw a small rise in sales for fiscal
2002. The Swiss pharma group is trying to grow the unit ahead of
its planned divestment.
Red-clover derived isoflavones may help prevent the progression of
prostate cancer in patients by inducing cell death in the cancer
tumours, report Australian researchers, who say their small study
could explain the geographical incidence...
A new survey by the UK's Food Commission finds that the food
industry has done little to tackle the problem of salt in our diets
- in some cases, levels are hardly any lower than they were in the
70's, despite repeated promises...
Researchers at Wageningen University say that people with a
genetically determined, reduced breakdown of the amino acid
homocysteine have an increased risk of coronary heart disease but
that the reduced homocysteine breakdown only...
A symposium of top UK cardiologists and international heart experts
last week confirmed the key role of diet in reducing the burden of
coronary heart disease (CHD). They said that the health care
profession needed to push diet up...
Vitamin D rather than calcium intake is important in protecting
post-menopausal women from fractures associated with osteoporosis,
US researchers confirm in the February issue of the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Britvic Soft Drinks, the UK's second largest soft drink producer
after Cadbury Schweppes, is to launch a new brand next month
offering drinkers a product which it claims is unique to the
British market.
Flat sales at Chr. Hansen's food ingredients unit in the first
quarter, as a slight rise in sales in Europe, South America and
Asia/Pacific failed to account for the 6 per cent drop in North
America.
Food fortification with vitamins and minerals is one of the most
effective methods to improve health and prevent nutritional
deficiencies, say researchers in a new study, which reviews
fortification programmes carried out in the US....
Western Europe's cereal bars market is 'massively underexploited',
according to market research analysts Datamonitor. The report
suggests that this product could be a promising driver of growth
for confectionery makers...
UK company Extreme Drinks is expanding distribution of its
functional beverage range thanks to an agreement with Allied Domecq
subsidiary CG Hibbert. The energy and sports drinks will soon be on
sale in duty free outlets.
A European project is set to investigate the factors leading to
obesity as a type of eating disorder. The researchers hope the
results will be used to improve the level of healthy eating by
reducing the risk factors for eating disorders...
Parent company of the leading nutritional supplement retailer
Holland and Barrett reported strong sales in this year's first
quarter, helped by strong sales across both the UK and US retail
divisions.
An upcoming conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, will examine the
role of functional food ingredients in relation to the eating
quality and to the nutritive value in new product development.
Trials of a natural supplement designed to stop smoking have caused
controversy in the UK as they are being carried out on pregnant
women. Manufacturers of NicoBloc however say it is a safer method
than the usual nicotine replacement...
Contrary to widely held views, giving iron supplements to anaemic
children when they have a cold or other upper respiratory tract
infection can improve their iron status without side effects, finds
a recent study.
Acidophilus and other probiotic supplements may be gaining in
popularity but a report by independent testers ConsumerLab, says
live bacteria may actually be missing in many priobiotic products.
Swiss chemicals company the Lonza Group said today it topped the
previous year's performance, with operating income, excluding
non-recurring items, up from CHF413 million to CHF419 million
(€286.5m). The group confirmed its targets...
A new method of studying the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis
highlights the inability of dietary approaches such as calcium
supplements when it comes to triggering the growth of new bone.
Despite the recent evidence showing that B vitamins and folic acid
supplements could protect against the onset of heart disease,
researchers from Australia say they have found no link between
blood folate levels and death from heart...
With new probiotic-containing dairy foods reaching the market every
week, a European research project is looking at how the
manufacturing process is key to an effective end-product.
This year's Natural Products Expo Europe, taking place at the RAI
Amsterdam from 4-5 June, is adding to its usual format an EU
compliance programme and a forum focusing on business opportunities
in Russia and emerging eastern...
Locating specific Lactobacilli strains could lead to the
development of new treatments for intestinal inflammations and
infections, report researchers working on an EU-funded project on
probiotics.
Snack bars, snack mixes and energy bars continue to be a driving
force in the snacks market, according to a recent report, and
steady growth in the sector this year is to continue through 2003.
An easy-to-use tool for the detection of gluten in foods will be
developed in an EU-funded project designed to help people with
coeliac disease avoid problem foods.
A popular health supplement taken with antioxidant vitamins may
help prevent atherosclerosis, or blockage of the blood vessels, say
researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.
European researchers involved in the Eurobesity project are
assessing the candidate genes that might be involved in obesity to
find out why some people prefer a high-fat diet and others do not.
It looks, tastes, and smells just like cheddar cheese, but cannot
be called cheese because of its special cholesterol-lowering
ingredient. Developed by scientists in Cambridge University, the
first so-called hard cheese containing...
