The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) has proposed a ‘tentative’ upper maximum limit for beta-carotene in food supplements after a risk assessment suggested in this form it may increase the risk of lung cancer and death in smokers.
Supplementation with pea protein may produce the same bicep muscle thickness improvements as whey protein, suggests a new study from Roquette and the University of Burgundy in France.
UK sports nutrition brand Science Fitness has challenged firms to ramp up quality control (QC) measures to reduce the risk of sector-wide implication in doping cases via contamination.
A carotenoid from green algae called siphonaxanthin may inhibit the development of fat cells and the build-up of fat in fat tissue, suggests new research from Japan. The compound could be a novel ingredient for use in weight management supplements, said...
By 2035 it is estimated that 8% of the global population will be classed as ‘pre-diabetic' – putting them at significantly higher risk of developing full type 2 diabetes. Such startling statistics are ticking bomb for healthcare costs, but could...
In the future doctors could prescribe low calorie diets to reverse type-2 diabetes, not tablets and surgery, according to one scientist conducting a 5-year study on such a strategy.
Although the mechanism of action is somewhat unclear, polyphenols have a solid and growing body of research backing their effect on the regulation of blood sugar levels, experts say.
We need to work towards the point where there is no excuse for positive drug tests in professional sports, says Darren Campbell, the English gold medal Olympian and co-founder of nutrition firm Pro Athlete Supplementation (PAS).
Daily supplements of extracts from French maritime pine bark may boost a range of cognitive measures and mood in healthy professionals, says a new pilot study from Italy.
Medical foods formulated for diabetes are still in a state of limbo more than 18 months after the US Food and Drug Administration issued an updated draft guidance on the category in 2013. After a comment period, the guidance has languished in a draft...
As obesity rates worldwide continue to rise and the related scourge of diabetes increases in lockstep, companies marketing ingredients in the United States intended to help consumers who find themselves sliding somewhere along this curve toward a full...
Spanish firm Biosearch Life targets ‘unexplored’ applications with its patent application for probiotic strains it says could help control hypercholesterolemia.
Combining oil and extracts from grape seeds, two by-products from the wine industry, can form stable nanoemulsions for delivering resveratrol, and protect the ingredient for use in functional food applications.
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) safety assessment on caffeine is not necessarily a green light for high caffeine consumption or for long-stalled health claims, according to industry commentators.
EFSA’s full low-calorie diet regime report – published this week – can help “tackle the societal challenge of obesity”, the EU’s specialist food trade group has said.
400mg of caffeine a day from all sources is not a safety concern, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said in a long-awaited caffeine risk assessment.
Combining vitamin D supplements and circuit training may trim belly fat levels and improve blood lipid profiles in elderly women with low D levels and type-2 diabetes.
2014 was a great year for curcumin, and Sabinsa is expecting an even better 2015 with new data from a randomized clinical trial showing the ingredient’s ability to lower blood lipid levels and ‘opening up a new direction in the already robust body of...
EFSA has rejected Clasado’s health claim appeal for its Bimuno prebiotic for a third time – but the UK-Maltese nutra firm has vowed to fight on and submit again.
Supplementation of alkaline potassium salts may help preserve bone health by lowering the excretion of calcium and acid as well as the bone resorption marker NTX (N-terminal telopeptides), according to meta-analysis.
Despite challenging times in the ingredient business there exist excellent opportunities particularly for mid-sized ingredient firms, concludes Nordic strategy and marketing agency Invenire. Analyst Patricia Wiklund unpicks key trends from the recent...
Danish probiotic firm Bifodan has created a second business unit for probiotics targeting women’s intimate health, splitting the business between dietary supplements and over-the-counter (OTC) medical products.
US probiotic market growth has been bolstered by big media investment, something yet to be seen in the EU, according to the Swedish firm Probi which just secured its largest transatlantic order to date.
A citrus extract called limonin glucoside may decrease select markers of inflammation by as much as 40%, according to results of a double-blind placebo-controlled study in overweight/obese people.
A 9-study dossier linking herbal extract fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) and improved glycaemic response has been deemed insufficient by the EU’s central science agency. But the firm’s chief told us, “We do not see this as a rejection.”
Self-styled 'germvangelist' and microbiologist Jason Tetro says the probiotic industry is obsessed with technicalities and needs to venture back in time to access the innate, holistic power of probiotics.
Leucine supplementation could “significantly” increase muscle protein synthesis in elderly individuals, and therefore be useful in addressing age-related muscle wasting, according to meta-analysis.
Supplementing the diet of people with early-stage type-2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome with fish oil or a combination of borage and echium oil may improve cholesterol levels and other biomarkers, says a new study.
As part of a second phase of its Botanical Adulterants Program, The American Botanical Council has released the first of a series of laboratory guidance documents, this one pertaining to the herb skullcap. First, the program alerted industry as to what...
Sugar low: “The use of such a health claim would convey a conflicting and confusing message..."
Five glucose health claims approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) back in 2012 have been officially banned by the European Commission due to concerns over what they would say to consumers about sugar consumption.
Bacteria that have evolved to help us digest the yeast that give beer and bread their bubbles could also help to fight off yeast infections and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, say researchers.
BASF and Stepan Lipid Nutrition have called the latest European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) weight management rejection for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) "surprising" and questioned whether the EU's central food science agency has done...
Supplements of vitamin E tocotrienols from annatto may enhance the cardiovascular benefits of the American Heart Association Step-1 diet, suggests a new clinical study.
The recall last last year of a probiotic product found to be contaminated with a fungus should not cast a pall over the entire sector, experts say. Though they are products consisting of cultured microorganisms, probiotic ingredients are no more at risk...
Nutrition giant DSM has partnered with the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) for a large-scale research project on the impact of phenotypes on micronutrient status.
A new competitor has arrived on the plant-based omega-3s scene with the announcement of FDA no-objection GRAS status for Ahiflower oil, an ingredient from Technology Crops International. The oil offers a balance of omega-3, -6 and -9, according to the...
An Israeli firm has debuted ‘his, her’s and theirs’ food supplements aimed at boosting the fertility of ageing couples who want children - the chances of pregnancy drop to as low as 5% after the age of 40.
Resveratrol, the powerful polyphenol found in red wine and certain fruits may work by activating an ‘evolutionarily ancient’ stress response in human cells, say researchers from The Scripps Research Institute.
A Mars-backed study has provided further evidence that high cocoa flavanol consumption may help improve cognitive function, possibly through changes to insulin sensitivity.
Dietary supplements with garlic (Allium sativum) may beneficially affect blood pressure, especially for hypertensives, says a meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials.
By Adam Ismail, Executive director, Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3
Inflammation defines the era we live in today. I do not mean inflammation as it relates to health, instead I am referring to the inflammation of information and how consumers devour it.
The Dutch supplements trade group NPN has severed ties with EHPM, the Europe-wide group it was a founding member of, citing differences in approaches to EU health claim reform.
"We hope to develop a pill for fexaramine within 24 to 36 months to try in humans."
The mainstream press has latched onto a mouse study that shows a bile-controlling, gut restricted pharma intervention can mimic food intake and therefore potentially be an obesity beater. But could it pass clinical inspection? One weight loss researcher...
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