Polyphenols

Artemis believes Aronia berry is finally ready for prime time

13-Mar-2019 By Hank Schultz

Aronia berry developer Artemis believes accumulating science is helping to drive the uptake of this legacy North American botanical as an ingredient.

BAPP grape seed lab document builds case for branded ingredients, supplier says

12-Mar-2019 By Hank Schultz

The publication of a new guidance document on grape seed extract adulteration will strengthen the hand of branded ingredient suppliers, according to Polyphenolics company officials.

Seven key supplement trends from Expo West 2019

12-Mar-2019 By Stephen Daniells

We walked and we talked and we took photos, and here’s our list of 7 key trends for supplements from Expo West 2019 in Anaheim.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Proliferation of faux seals threatens to dilute true certifications

08-Mar-2019 By FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK: Confusion in the certification game

Do certifications within the supplement industry provide meaningful information to consumers? Or are they just a way to make a confusing market even more impenetrable?

Nutrigenomic study underlines blueberries’ blood pressure-lowering abilities

01-Mar-2019 By Will Chu

Phytochemicals responsible for blueberries’ colour may also play a role in lowering blood pressure according to a study that used metabolomics and nutrigenomic techniques.

Nordic-Indian spirulina producer targets global growth with functional food and drink line

27-Feb-2019 By Cheryl Tay

Finnish-Indian spirulina firm Prolgae Spirulina Supplies has revealed extensive plans for global growth, with its upcoming range of functional consumer foods expected to drive business in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.

New study sheds more light on blood sugar management properties of algae polyphenols

25-Feb-2019 By Adi Menayang

Supplementation of capsules containing a polyphenol blend from two types of algae and the mineral chromium picolinate may help normalize blood sugar levels, new study reveals.

Hydration specialist NUUN expands product line into recovery phase

21-Feb-2019 By Hank Schultz

Hydration specialist NUUN is expanding its line with a product aimed at recovery and relaxation after exercise.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Seppic signs deal as exclusive distributor of BioActor ingredients in the US

14-Feb-2019 By Adi Menayang

Seppic Inc. is now exclusive US distributor for nutritional ingredients of Dutch company BioActor BV, which includes MicrobiomeX, Bonolive, Watts’up, Cordiart, and Actiful.

Mango leaf extract linked to sprint muscle performance

13-Feb-2019 By Will Chu

Supplementation with the polyphenol mangiferin combined with luteolin could enhance sporting performance, with improvements seen in muscle performance during a series of sprint exercises, say researchers.

Eggplant flour may be a nutraceutical for functional foods: Study

07-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Flours made from eggplant may offer polyphenol- and antioxidant-rich ingredients for functional foods, says a new study from Mexico.

Hibiscus tea may help reduce cardiovascular disease risk, new study suggests

06-Feb-2019 By Adi Menayang

A team of British and Nigerian researchers reported immediate effects that suggest a reduction of cardiovascular disease risk after study participants ingested a hibiscus drink.

Recovery and education offer opportunities and challenges for DS brands for US military personnel

05-Feb-2019 By Stephen Daniells

US military personnel are big consumers of dietary supplements, with surveys showing over 60% regularly use the products, but dietary supplement brands have a big challenge when it comes to building loyalty: Education.

Celsius inks $6.9 million China distribution deal with Qifeng

01-Feb-2019 By Hank Schultz

Florida-based energy drink player Celsius Holdings has announced a deal that will both expand the company’s footprint in mainland China, as well as enable it to recoup money it has invested thus far in entering the market.

Bodybuilding.com uses customer data to build out personalized sports nutrition platform

31-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Data—not gravity—makes the world go round. In the sports nutrition realm, retailer bodybuilding.com says it is using the reams of data it gets from customers to build a better personalized nutrition platform.

Special Edition: Supplements for Pets

Niche ingredients from botanical sources, animal peptides making inroads in pet nutrition

31-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Ingredients for pet supplements tend to fall along familiar lines. Tried and true constituents of the supplements owners take tend to form the basis of the products they give to their animals. But new ingredients are starting to make inroads.

New supplement product specifically targets first responders as market

17-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

An entrepreneur who has been a fireman and whose father was a fireman has launched a supplement product aimed at supporting the nutritional needs of this and other similarly demanding professions.

Microbiome alteration among most promising strategies for boosting polyphenol uptake, review finds

14-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

A recent review finds that several promising strategies can help boost the bioefficiency of grape polyphenols and boost their utility as neuroprotective ingredients. Altering the gut microbiota to improve uptake was seen as especially beneficial.

2019 Trends: The ingredients and categories to watch this year

14-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells

As an avid industry watcher, I like to keep a close eye on what’s hot and what’s not in the market. Here’s my list of the top 10 categories and ingredients to keep an eye on for 2019…

Nutrition could cut the number of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease, study finds

14-Jan-2019 By Nikki Cutler

At least half of all premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths could be prevented by better nutrition such as by increasing consumption of whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids, according to an international study.

Beauty-from-within's functional food potential: Avida Health opens research institute with PFI

10-Jan-2019 By Tingmin Koe

Singapore-based Avida Health is driving the development of beauty-from-within functional food products via a partnership with Japan firm Pharma Foods International (PFI).

'Unexplored': Could haskap berries improve blood pressure and memory in older adults?

09-Jan-2019 By Stephen Daniells

Extracts from dark blue haskap berries may improve episodic memory and blood pressure in older adults, suggest results from a small pilot study from Canada.

Taiyo bets on drying technique to help differentiate cranberry-fiber combo ingredient

08-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Taiyo is betting on the polyphenol-protecting power of a special drying technology to help it differentiate its combination cranberry-fiber ingredient.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Marketers making microbiome claims should take lesson from ORAC debacle

04-Jan-2019 By Hank Schultz

Without care, the dietary supplement industry runs the risk of turning the word ‘microbiome’ into a synonym for shoddy marketing and weak science.

Cholesterol treatment guideline has little to say about polyphenols, other natural heart health ingredients

18-Dec-2018 By Hank Schultz

A recently published clinical guideline for the management of blood cholesterol gives an indication of how far the dietary supplement industry has to go in convincing practitioners of the efficacy of its products. In its 120 pages, the guideline spends...

Mars RCT supports epicatechin for vascular benefits of cocoa flavanols

05-Dec-2018 By Stephen Daniells

The vascular benefits of cocoa flavanols are linked to the bioactivity of (−)-epicatechin, but not procyanidins, according to results of a randomized, controlled, double-masked intervention trial.

Changing consumers, proprietary blends, and out-branding each other: ProSupps COO talks about key issues in the sports nutrition sector

28-Nov-2018 By Stephen Daniells

The sports nutrition category has undergone significant change in recent years, as many new non-core consumers are seeking out the products. This has coincided with increased regulatory scrutiny and calls for greater transparency, says the COO of ProSupps.

IngredientsOnline expands portfolio with new branded ingredients range

26-Nov-2018 By Stephen Daniells

‘We have revolutionized the way ingredients are bought and sold,’ says Peggy Jackson, VP of sales and marketing for IngredientsOnline.com, as the company expands its portfolio with branded ingredients.

Editor's Spotlight

Torii Labs co-founder bets on the liquid shot format as the future of herbal supplements

21-Nov-2018 By Adi Menayang

Shots are the future of botanical supplements, says entrepreneur Giles Hayward, whose company Torii Labs was selected by PepsiCo as one of the first members of its new Nutrition Greenhouse incubator.

GRMA: Publication of dietary supplement standards ‘imminent’

21-Nov-2018 By Stephen Daniells

Consensus-based standards for dietary supplements developed by the Global Retailer and Manufacturer Alliance (GRMA) will be published very soon, says the alliance’s president.

'Precision agriculture for nutraceutical industry': Indian start-up details ambitious plans to raise standards

07-Nov-2018 By Cheryl Tay

Indian agri-tech start-up Sattvaponics Solutions has outlined its ambition to be a game-changer in the nutraceutical industry, spurred in part by a recent investment from the Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE).

Mood support one way plant-based diets help type 2 diabetes sufferers, study finds

07-Nov-2018 By Hank Schultz

Mood support is one of the mechanisms by which a plant based diet can help suffers of type 2 diabetes, a new meta analysis has found.

‘Overcoming the low bioavailability hurdle of quercetin’: Indena study supports phytosome use to boost absorption

30-Oct-2018 By Stephen Daniells

A delivery system based on food-grade lecithin may boost the bioavailability of quercetin, a flavonoid linked to numerous health benefits but known to have poor low water solubility, low stability, and low bioavailability.

Highlights from the Harvard Probiotics Symposium

26-Oct-2018 By Stephen Daniells

The recent Harvard Probiotics Symposium brought together scientific experts from across the globe to discuss: “Gut Health, Microbiota & Probiotics Throughout the Lifespan: Dietary Influences”. Here’s what we learned.

Top picks from SupplySide West’s Education program for 2018

23-Oct-2018 By Stephen Daniells

With barely two weeks left before the industry makes it annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for SupplySide West, we look ahead to the events educational workshop program.

Turmeric’s popularity drives botanical supplement use increases, says CRN data

19-Oct-2018 By Stephen Daniells

Almost 20% of US supplement users over 55 are using turmeric and curcumin supplements, according to the 2018 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements.

Bee pollen a 'treasure trove' of metabolites as nutrient update raises safety considerations

16-Oct-2018 By Will Chu

The nutritional profile of bee pollen is 'a treasure trove of active natural metabolites', according to scientists, who've updated the food's nutritional values, which may have food safety considerations for the future.

Nitrate-rich fruit and vegetable extracts show BP benefits for healthy men

15-Oct-2018 By Stephen Daniells

Supplements containing nitrate-rich extracts from beetroot, celery stem and leaf, and red spinach leaf may help reduce blood pressure in young men with normal blood pressure, says a new study.

Nitric oxide is key to kingdom of healthy aging, scientist argues

02-Oct-2018 By Hank Schultz

Underlying all the common biomarkers of healthy aging is one key element—nitric oxide status, says a scientist.

Study suggests polyphenols can be used as markers of gut health, confirming trend in category, expert says

01-Oct-2018 By Hank Schultz

Some polyphenolic metabolites may be used as markers of gut health, a recent study concludes. This opens the door for pursuing the actions of phenolic compounds in future product development in the category, an expert says.

A scientific first? RCT supports cognitive benefits of chlorogenic acids

21-Sep-2018 By Stephen Daniells

Chlorogenic acids – compounds found in coffee – may improve measures like cognitive performance and motor speeds, says a new study from Japan’s Kao Corporation.

Study finds few cranberry products tested meet spec, notes chemical complexities

21-Sep-2018 By Hank Schultz

A recent analysis of cranberry products confirmed that quality is highly variable among this category of products and showed that standard analytical methods have important limitations when applied to these proanthocyanidin-rich ingredients.

Commentary

Are dietary supplements getting better?

14-Sep-2018 By Hank Schultz

Are dietary supplements getting ‘better?’ Or are the new products that come onto the market merely a matter of churn, replacing tired packaging and marketing concepts with updated versions?

Boysenberry useful against endothelial dysfunction in both mice and humans: Japanese study

13-Sep-2018 By Cheryl Tay

Boysenberry polyphenol and its anthocyanins may be able to inhibit blood and lymphatic vessel dysfunction and help to maintain vascular stability, according to a study by Japan's Niigata University.

Health

Cocoa for cognition: Study proposes how to assess what exactly in chocolate may give brains a boost

04-Sep-2018 By Adi Menayang

Belgian researchers propose a chocolate ‘mood pyramid’ to assess which of chocolate’s constituent compounds may affect the mood of chocolate eaters.

Apple extract may help control cholesterol levels in healthy people

30-Aug-2018 By Stephen Daniells

Polyphenolic extracts from Italian Annurca apples may increase the excretion of cholesterol by an impressive 35% in healthy people, according to a new study.

Study that maps 110 apple polyphenol metabolites highlights complexity of microbiome interactions

28-Aug-2018 By Hank Schultz

A recent study highlights the complexity of mapping what happens to polyphenols in the gut. Researchers identified 110 metabolites in the guts of subjects who drank a polyphenol-enriched apple juice.

Review: Hazy polyphenols picture hinders recognition of compounds' health benefits

13-Aug-2018 By Hank Schultz

A recent review postulates that the continued imprecise information that surrounds polyphenols has retarded the recognition of the health-promoting aspects of these compounds.

Micronutrient gaps in childbearing years ‘concerning,’ survey stresses

13-Aug-2018 By Will Chu

Females and younger adults in the UK appear to be vulnerable to micronutrient shortfalls, a concern given this life period includes the conception and childbearing years, the survey’s author warns.

Say 'no' to nootropics? Expert advises extreme caution and extensive research

13-Aug-2018 By Cheryl Tay

An Australian researcher has expressed concerns about consumers' tendency to 'stack' nootropics — also known as 'smart drugs' — claiming it has unknown effects on health, and urgently requires more research.