Rising consumption of energy drinks that contain high levels of
sugar and caffeine may be contributing to our expanding waistlines,
according to new research that could prove damaging for the booming
energy drinks market.
Caffeine increased the cyclists' absorption of carbohydrates from a
sports drink in new UK research, writes Dominique Patton,
offering a new area of innovation for manufacturers of sports
products.
Taking a Chinese herbal supplement containing ginseng and other
plants everyday for three months has been found to improve memory
in people with mild cognitive impairment, writes Dominique
Patton.
Irradiated herbal supplements, not permitted in the EU, are still
being sold in Ireland, says the country's food safety authority,
despite attempts to increase compliance last year.
The government has again demonstrated its commitment to
investigating the medicinal properties of botanicals, with the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) providing $1 million in funding to
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center...
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is to consider putting caffeine
tablets back on the banned substance list after several Australian
athletes, including the national rugby union captain, George
Gregan, admitted to taking them.
A study presented this week showing that black cohosh supplements
offer no benefit for hot flushes was probably too short to measure
any effect, says the herbal science group the American Botanical
Council.
Blue California is changing the ingredient purification process at
its China manufacturing facility from gamma-rays to ozone, in order
to meet regulatory standards in international markets.
Use of herbal medicine in German and France is the most widespread
in Europe, according to a report published in the New England
Journal of Medicine yesterday.
Many women may be overusing treatments for symptoms of menopause,
including hormone therapies that can pose a risk, an expert panel
called by the US government said this week.
NSF International and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) have
formed a strategic partnership to boost public confidence in
botanicals and encourage more companies to use them in their
products, reports Jess Halliday.
Caffeine significantly reduced insulin sensitivity in a small
study, and was not corrected by the usually beneficial effects of
weight loss or exercise.
Herbal medicines on the Australian market may need to be
reformulated after the government's decision this week to back a
wave of expert recommendations to tighten scrutiny of the
complementary medicines sector.
An 85-year-old specimen of black cohosh root still contained most
of the chemical compounds believed to help reduce hot flushes and
other menopause symptoms when analysed in a recent study, writes
Dominique Patton.
Leading supplements distributor Herbalife said yesterday that it
had stopped selling one of its products in Israel after an
investigation by health officials over complaints that it caused
liver problems.
More than a third of cancer patients in Europe use complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM), most often to increase their body's
ability to fight the disease, reveals the first Europe-wide study
of alternative medicine use.
Industry's demand for quality, standardized herbal extracts will
continue to drive new cultivation projects that will also ensure
the sustainability of plant species and biodiversity, claims a
leading supplier.
The UK's medicines regulator is setting up a new herbal medicines
advisory committee to provide it with expert advice on herbal
medicines in anticipation of the forthcomin European traditional
medicinal herbal products directive.
Europe's herbals market is set to regain some of its momentum over
the next year, with strong sales in supermarkets and non-pharmacy
channels demonstrating that consumers are regaining confidence in
natural products, writes Dominique...
Traditional herbal remedies can help in the battle against a range
of illnesses, including cancer and diabetes, according to data
presented yesterday to the British Pharmaceutical Conference in
Manchester, UK.
The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products - set up under the new
EU legislation designed to investigate the safety of herbal
medicines - is holding its inaugural meeting in London.
A UK team will investigate how much benefit arthritis patients gain
from herbal or homeopathic treatment in comparison to that gained
by other factors involved in the consultation with a practitioner.
The herbal rosenroot, launched on Norway's supplements market this
year, may be set to rival sales of ginseng in the Nordic markets,
according to the producer Rosenrot.
A range of new herbal products, based on traditional Arabic
medicine, will reach the European market at the end of the year,
aiming to bring both novelty and increased efficacy to the herbals
marketplace.
Drinking coffee could upset the body's ability to metabolise sugar,
with potentially serious effects in those with the increasingly
common condition type 2 diabetes, suggest scientists.
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.
Drinking caffeinated beverages may benefit some people who are at
high-risk for liver disease, according to new research presented at
a conference on digestive disease running in New Orleans this week.
Coca producers in Peru are creating a new application for the plant
in energy drinks and health foods, steering their industry away
from the drugs trade, according to a report.
A supplement derived from a rare Chinese mushroom could boost
energy levels and stamina during exercise in middle-aged adults,
reported researchers this week.
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...
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.
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.
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.
India's largest pharmaceutical firm Ranbaxy Laboratories has
expanded its herbals range with the launch yesterday of three new
products, to be marketed under the 'New Age Herbals' name.
A single dose of a dietary supplement containing ephedra and
caffeine can increase blood pressure and cause changes that have
the potential to affect heart rhythms, shows a new study by
American researchers.
Scientists in India and China are planning to increase cooperation
in herbal medicine research in a bid to boost their position in the
world's herbals trade, according to Indian press reports.
Growing sales of herbal medicines are threatening to wipe out up to
a fifth of the plant species on which the industry depends, a new
report will claim. It also accuses the herbal medicines industry of
doing nothing to stop the problem.
Men and women who drank more coffee and other caffeinated beverages
were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank
few or no caffeinated beverages, report researchers in a new study.
MEPs last week voted through amendments to the traditional herbal
medicinal products directive (THMPD) that will prevent it from
regulating herbal products sold under food law.
Plant extract suppliers, keen to offer their solutions for the
booming beverages sector, are promoting a number of concepts at
Food Ingredients Europe this week, many designed for enriched
waters.
German plant extracts manufacturer Finzelberg has launched a new
range of extracts for dietary supplements, including an
energy-boosting blend based on rhodiola rosea.
The use of herbal medicines entails risks, but probably fewer than
with synthetic drugs, argues a British Medicial Journal
editorial out tomorrow. And failing to fund further studies on
herbals represents the biggest risk to consumers,...
