The highly splintered nature of Europe's food supplement industry
is being underlined by the divergent reactions to forthcoming new
legislation, designed to harmonise trade across all member states,
writes Dominique Patton.
Herbal extracts manufacturer and supplier Sabinsa, has concluded a
12-week study to further explore the safety and efficacy of its
patented ingredient ForsLean, which research suggests increases
lean body mass.
Researchers at the University of Salford, Manchester, have
discovered a type of mint leaf, long used in traditional Chinese
medicine, that appears to destroy cancer cells.
Green tea extract is being tested by UCLA cancer researchers to see
if combined with a molecularly targeted therapy, it will prevent
the recurrence of bladder cancer in former smokers.
Another study has demonstrated that the best-selling herbal ginseng
interferes with the blood-thinning drug warfarin, one of the most
widely used anticoagulant medicines.
Evidence that the herbal St John's wort may cause important
interactions with conventional drugs, or even drug resistance, is
poor, say researchers in this week's British Medical Journal.
Burcon and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) have completed the
technical phase of the commercialization of Puratein and Supertein,
canola proteins, expected to have a wide range of applications in
the food and nutraceutical industries,...
A chemical that occurs naturally in the leaves of an African plant
could boost men's fertility, UK researchers told the European
Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology's annual
conference yesterday.
Plant extract supplier Unigen Pharmaceuticals will collaborate with
Salt Lake City based Weider Nutrition - a manufacturer of vitamins,
nutritional and sports nutrition products - to develop and
commercialize dietary supplement products.
Galaxy Nutritional Foods (GXY), a producer of plant-based dairy
alternatives, blamed low-carb trends for a net loss in its fourth
quarter. But a change in management and high overheads should also
be considered, reports Philippa Nuttall.
Cheaper processing methods could be on the way for makers of
decaffeinated coffee as scientists in Brazil identify naturally
growing caffeine-free coffee plants. As the global coffee market
remains dogged by rock bottom prices through...
Black tea may be healthy for the heart through its action on blood
vessels, suggests a small study that found the drink to dilate the
vessels allowing faster blood flow.
Nutraceutical ingredient supplier Nutratech has received a Canadian
patent for Advantra Z, a product it sees as a safe successor to the
banned herbal product ephedra.
Australian food ingredients firm Burns Philp could be close to
announcing the sale of its North American spice business, Tones
Brothers, for up to $500 million, say Australian media reports.
Little evidence supports either the safety or efficacy of
nutritional supplements in helping to improve diabetes-related
conditions despite strong public interest in natural therapies,
according to the head of a government-funded...
Researchers are to investigate whether a genistein-rich food,
derived from soybeans and shiitake mushrooms, could help slow or
even halt the progression of early prostate cancer.
Herbal companies looking for new products may not need to go far to
find new medicinal plants, according to a review, which finds that
weeds have produced more drugs and natural remedies than tropical
plants found in the rainforest.
Florida-based nutritional supplements company Bio-One has signed an
agreement to acquire a majority share in a Chinese herbal medicine
company in the Guangzhou Province.
The French food authority AFSSA has approved a health claim for
cranberry juice and powder and its effect on urinary tract health,
in the world's first health claim for the fruit, writes Philippa
Nuttall.
Canadian biotech SemBioSys Genetics is to develop safflower oils
rich in the omega-6 fatty acid GLA under a new agreement with
agricultural products company Arcadia Biosciences, the company
announced on Friday.
The highly purified green tea extract Teavigo has been shown to
significantly inhibit the process that promotes fat cell formation
in mice, and may help prevent overweight in people, says
manufacturer DSM Nutritional Products.
Plant extract suppliers are developing new technologies to
sterilise herbs to help customers avoid increasing scrutiny of
solvent use and meet higher demands for product quality.
Green tea may help to lower the prevalence of esophageal
adenocarcinoma, one of the fastest growing cancers in western
countries, said researchers speaking at a meeting on digestive
disease in the US last week.
The US demand for forskolin, a compound that promotes increased
lean body mass has grown to such an extent that one manufacturer
has increased the amount of farmland used to grow the plant to meet
the year round demand for the herbal...
St. John's wort supplements, which can be taken to treat
depression, do not meet quality standards according to researchers
whose findings prove just how differing health supplements are in
their contents and quality.
A compound in the curry spice turmeric appears to correct the
cystic fibrosis defect in mice, report Canadian scientists,
demonstrating the potential for treating the disease in humans.
A dietary supplement containing a mixture of herbals, vitamins and
amino acids may help boost fertility in women who have difficulty
conceiving, according to a US researcher, writes Dominique
Patton.
Manufacturers took a closer look at the rules governing botanical
extracts in the US, Europe and Canada at the industry's first
integrative medicine and natural healthcare exhibition this month.
Calls heard for a common set of...
Coffee contains similar levels of antioxidants to black tea and can
be just as beneficial to health, according to Scottish scientists
that have found coffee's antioxidants are highly absorbable by the
human body.
A line of herb enhanced soft drinks will receive wider distribution
in Canada with V-Net Beverage, the acquisitive supplier of Rush
Cola, signing an agreement with natural foods marketer Tree of
Life.
The active component in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate
(EGCG), already shown to fight several types of cancer, also
appears to kill cells of the most common form of leukemia, reports
a US team this week.
The standards of quality control on herbal supplements will need to
be tightened if the US public are to have any confidence in their
health claims. That was the main talking point of a symposium as
experts gathered for three days...
New research on walnuts - a key ingredient in a host of cakes and
bakery goods - will help manufacturers in the mature bakery market
gain a slice of the burgeoning health-promoting food trend.
Type 2 diabetes patients had lower blood sugar and healthier blood
vessels after supplementing with French maritime pine tree bark
extract Pycnogenol, report scientists in the latest study to
investigate a natural product for diabetes...
Echinacea supplements, one of the most popular herbal remedies in
the US, which is taken to treat the common cold, do not meet
quality standards according to researchers whose findings prove how
dietary supplements differ in their...
Oil from the seeds of an Asian plant, already shown to fight
leukemia, also appears to kill prostate cancer cells and shrink
tumors, signs of strong potential in the fight against the second
cause of cancer death among European men.
Children taking a remedy containing echinacea, propolis and vitamin
C had half the number of infections compared to a placebo group
during a winter study.
The key ingredient in the most popular ice cream in the world faces
a rise in price, already at a 10 year high, as the worst cyclone in
two decades hits Madagascar, the leading producer of vanilla.
Direct mail marketers have agreed to pay $2.2 million in consumer
redress and to stop certain deceptive advertising practices to
settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they made false and
unsubstantiated claims for weight loss...
Drinking coffee seems to reduce the risk of developing type 2
diabetes, a growing threat around the world due to the rise in
obesity and ageing populations.
A new trial on Caiapo, an extract of white sweet potatoes taken in
supplement form in Japan, confirms that it improves blood sugar and
cholesterol levels in type 2 diabetic subjects.
Swedish company Nutritech International has developed a range of
health foods to showcase its new organic activated barley, which
has a beta-glucan content almost double that of the original raw
material, as well as high levels of...
US researchers are carrying out a major, long-term study to
investigate the safety and efficacy of the herbal products black
cohosh and red clover in relieving menopause symptoms.
Ceramides are naturally occurring lipids that enable water retention and healthy functioning of the epidermal layers. As we age, the skin loses ceramides...
Research on Tinofend®, a proprietary, sustainable Tinospora cordifolia extract has shown a significant reduction in allergic rhinitis symptoms, enhanced...
Live life to the fullest, regardless of age. Our science-backed formulas, packed with clinically studied probiotics and botanicals, empower you to age...
