Vitamins & premixes

GNC 2.0: Strong e-commerce growth, major brand awareness & powerful partnerships

07-Jul-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Embattled supplement retailer GNC has started its passage through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with some investment experts and brand owners bullish about the new GNC that will emerge from the process.

Vitamin C sensor offers new opportunities in personalized health

06-Jul-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Researchers have developed a non-invasive technology that may support dietary adherence and detect nutritional deficiencies by tracking vitamin C levels in perspiration.

June new product launches: from anti-inflammatories to zinc

30-Jun-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Whether it's probiotic chews or oral immune spray, delivery systems are getting convenient and creative this summer.

Review paper makes strong case for new RDI for vitamin K2

30-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

Vitamin K2 has vital functions beyond vitamin K1 and should be considered for its own RDI, researchers argued in a review paper published recently.

Nattopharma partners KD Pharma for customised heart health products

26-Jun-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Norway-based vitamin K2 specialist NattoPharma and US-based omega-3 fish oil expert KD Nutra have partnered to create innovative cardiovascular health supplements.

Vitamin D supplements may reduce day, night, and 24-hour blood pressure

25-Jun-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Supplements of vitamin D may significantly reduce blood pressure throughout the day, with a higher 2,000 IU dose linked to reducing variability in systolic blood pressure, says a new clinical trial.

GNC enters bankruptcy while negotiating with Harbin as buyer

24-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

Struggling retail giant GNC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy according to a news report. GNC is reportedly entering into the process with Chinese firm Harbin Pharmaceutical waiting in the wings as a potential buyer.

Active nutrition and immunity: Experts discuss key ingredients, personalization, the microbiome, and more

22-Jun-2020 By Stephen Daniells

From probiotics to omega-3s, and from personalization to the ‘paradoxical’ effects of exercise on the immune system, a diverse panel of experts explored the intersection of exercise, immunity and nutrition during a recent webinar.

Novel findings: Mouse study shows annatto tocotrienols may impact gut microbiota, benefit metabolic health

22-Jun-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Tocotrienols from annatto may beneficially modify the composition of the gut microbiome and positively impact glucose homeostasis and inflammation, suggests data from a study in mice.

Red wine polyphenols plus zinc and vitamin E may aid muscle performance and recovery: Pilot data

16-Jun-2020 By Stephen Daniells

A combination of red wine polyphenols, zinc and vitamin E for 12 days may reduce markers of muscle damage, and maintain muscular power capacity in healthy men, suggests a new pilot study by Seppic.

Immunity and athletes: What does the science say for immune balancing ingredients?

15-Jun-2020 By Stephen Daniells

There are multiple options available to sports nutrition product formulators looking to create immune products, but what is the state of the science for these ingredients specifically for athletes?

Survey highlights brands most recommended by pharmacists

15-Jun-2020 By Danielle Masterson

The survey calls attention to pharmacists’ role in bridging the gap between the supplement and the medication aisles.

Vitamin D story becomes ever more compelling, supplement brand founders say

12-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

Recent research on vitamin D has made an even more compelling case for the critical importance of the nutrient, the founders of a supplement brand say.

FTC steps up virus claims enforcement while CSPI wants more done about Amazon sales

05-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

The prevalence of virus-treatment claims in the marketplace has made for both heightened enforcement from federal regulators and calls for even more action from an advocacy group regarding products sold on Amazon.

NAD cites superfood marketer for video implying coronavirus claim

04-Jun-2020 By Hank Schultz

The National Adverting Division has joined in the battle against coronavirus disease claims by advising a company marketing a superfoods blend to take down a video that NAD says crosses the line.

Study emphasises importance of differentiating between vitamin K1 and K2

01-Jun-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Intake of vitamin K2 is linked with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but K1 is not, according to a newly published observational study.

COVID-19: Internet 'rife with misinformation' about Vitamin D, say scientists

22-May-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Reports arguing high dose Vitamin D supplementation could treat COVID-19 are based on speculation and are a risk to public health, warns a team of scientists from across the globe.

News in brief

Supply woes cut Clorox’s supplement sales, but sanitizer demand more than fills gap

21-May-2020 By Hank Schultz

Based on strong sales of its cleaning products, The Clorox Company has increased its stock dividend. But supply bottlenecks meant sales of the company’s dietary supplements fell, bucking an industry trend.

Ghost Lifestyle CEO on new partnership with AB Inbev: ‘It’s a formidable one-two combo’

20-May-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Disruptive sports nutrition brand Ghost Lifestyle has announced a partnership with beverage giant Anheuser-Busch InBev for a new range of ready-to-drink products.

Ingredient shows promise in PMS relief: Study

19-May-2020 By Danielle Masterson

A recent peer-reviewed clinical trial revealed that an over-the-counter nutritional supplement containing oxaloacetate (OAA) and vitamin C significantly relieved PMS symptoms.

GNC succeeds in getting critical debt payment pushed back to August

15-May-2020 By Hank Schultz

Supplement retailing giant GNC seems to have prevailed in its high stakes negotiations with its lenders. Bloomberg Law reported yesterday that the company won a postponement until August of a major payment that could have caused the company to sink into...

Nature Made enters personalized nutrition market

13-May-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Pharmavite, the manufacturer of Nature Made vitamins, has debuted nurish, a monthly vitamin subscription service based on individual data culled from an assessment that asks about life stage, diet, lifestyle, health and allergies.

Advanced.GG puts Nutrition 21’s nooLVL front and center in the gaming & esports category

13-May-2020 By Stephen Daniells

The gaming and esports supplements category is dominated by one big brand, but one recent entrant is looking to grow its presence in the category with close links to key gaming superstars and putting a key ingredient front and center.

GNC turns up volume on bankruptcy alarm

12-May-2020 By Hank Schultz

Struggling supplement retailer GNC has reiterated a forthright statement that filing for bankruptcy court protection might be only days away.

CRN’s Mister: ‘This could be a sea change for the industry as consumers take more interest in their health’

07-May-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Consumers are turning to dietary supplements in record numbers, but the industry must deliver on the results the products are promising if the industry is to convert them to long term customers, says Steve Mister.

Persona CEO Jason Brown on state of personalized nutrition

06-May-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Consumers aren’t just looking for custom-made approaches any more, they’re expecting it. As technology advances, more companies are offering custom nutritional solutions.

NPA’s Fabricant: ‘It’s a global pandemic. We need to speak a global language when it comes to the science around vitamin D and zinc’

06-May-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Every week, new studies are emerging that highlight the important roles that nutrients like vitamin D and zinc play for our immune systems, but the dietary supplements industry cannot talk about much of it. Eventually, this needs to be rectified, said...

‘Overwhelming evidence’ supports Vitamin D’s immune function benefits

05-May-2020 By Stephen Daniells

There is an “indisputable relation between vitamin D and the immune system”, says a new review that shows that avoiding vitamin D deficiency has clear benefits for immune health.

LIVE NUTRAINGREDIENTS WEBINAR SERIES: 26 MAY – 25 JUNE 2020

NutraIngredients global teams to host series of immunity-focused webinars

04-May-2020 By Will Chu

NutraIngredients’ teams worldwide are to host the first ever co-ordinated series of webinars looking at immunity, with a focus on the microbiome, active nutrition, clinical research and botanicals.

Schisandra plus vitamin C may synergistically boost cognition (for mice at least)

29-Apr-2020 By Stephen Daniells

A combination of vitamin C and an extract from Schisandra chinensis may enhance learning and memory and recognition ability, suggests a new study done in Korea with mice.

Preliminary research links low vitamin K status to worse outcomes for COVID-19 patients

28-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

COVID-19 patients with low vitamin K status tend to have worse outcomes, according to preliminary results of a study conducted by researchers in the Netherlands.

Clear link between vitamin D deficiency and severity of coronavirus, say researchers

28-Apr-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Vitamin D deficiency may play an important role in the severity of COVID-19 infections so supplementation should be strongly advised at this time, according to researchers who studied mortality rates across the globe.

‘I’m not sure the current demand is a true reflection of what the market will support,’ says Gemini Pharma CEO

22-Apr-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Skyrocketing consumer interest in dietary supplements is placing increasing demands on a supply chain straining under national and international efforts to contain the novel Coronavirus, but could this be creating artificial demand?

ChromaDex, Elysium lock horns over outcome of appeals court decision on nicotinamide riboside patents

21-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

Ingredient developer ChromaDex Corp. and former customer Elysium Health have taken sharply differing views of the import of a recent appeals court decision regarding ChromaDex's patents on its nicotinamide riboside ingredient.

Coronavirus: Spotlight on the biotin supply chain

15-Apr-2020 By Danielle Masterson

China accounts for about 80% of the global biotin supply, making it the largest biotin production country in the world. While supply chain dependency on China is a well-known fact for the United States, the crippling impact of the coronavirus in recent...

NOW CEO: ‘March was unprecedented in the history of the company’

14-Apr-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Many dietary supplement companies are experiencing surging sales as consumers seek out health-promoting products, and Chicago-based NOW is no different. The company experienced “incredible” sales in March, but ingredient supply bottlenecks and the economic...

Nattopharma builds case for RDI for vitamin K2

09-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

Norwegian supplier Nattopharma is helping to build a suite of scientific evidence on the broad cardiovascular health effects of Vitamin K2 that the company hopes will support an official recommendation on intakes of the substance.

Depleting stocks, longer delivery time: Companies on meeting vitamin C supply amid COVID-19 disruption

08-Apr-2020 By Tingmin Koe

The huge demand for vitamin C has sent stocks running low for retailers and the situation is further complicated by longer delivery times and more expensive freight costs.

GNC lays off workers, freezes hiring in bid to survive crisis

07-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

Dietary supplement retailing giant GNC has announced ‘significant’ layoffs and other measures meant to help the business survive the current economic dislocations caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Persona Nutrition, other firms step up to provide free products, discounts to first responders

06-Apr-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Health and wellness companies are donating their resources to emergency personnel and first responders and Shawn Arent, PhD, pitches in to offer up some nutrition advice to the people who are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Video gaming surge shows pivot opportunity from Sports to eSports, but authenticity is key

06-Apr-2020 By Stephen Daniells

Video gaming has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers shelter in place, but the eSports opportunity for dietary supplement brands and ingredient firms has been around for a while. Will more brands pivot and what do they need to know?

Dietitian's view: Vitamin C and immunity

06-Apr-2020 By Nikki Hancocks

Vitamin C supplements are flying off the shelves but is there any truth in claims that this could help in the fight against COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses? Independent dietitian Carrie Ruxton explains all.

From the editor's desk

Supplement industry can win with emphasis on safety, clapping lid on disease claims

03-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

The dietary supplement industry has an opportunity to communicate with a new range of consumers in light of the current crisis. Highlighting the excellent safety of the products and quality initiatives underway can help keep the embarrassment of rampant...

Coronavirus: Spotlight on the Supply Chain

Industry offers insight into vitamin C supply chain

02-Apr-2020 By Danielle Masterson

The coronavirus highlights how much the world depends on China for key ingredients.

CRN UK highlights why essential nutrients have never been more essential

02-Apr-2020 By Will Chu

The ongoing threat of coronavirus could increase the potential for deficiencies in key micronutrients supporting the immune system, according to The Council for Responsible Nutrition UK (CRN UK).

Soil nutrition: NZ start-up to explore fulvic acid use for sports nutrition, gut, and immune health

02-Apr-2020 By Tingmin Koe

New Zealand start-up NZ Fulvic is studying the use of fulvic acid, a nutrient from soil extract, in providing sports nutrition, gut, and immune health benefits.

Ahiflower, hemp, monk fruit headline new product launches

01-Apr-2020 By Danielle Masterson

Despite the cancellation of Natural Products Expo West, many brands are pushing ahead and insisting the show must go on. From supplements for first responders to multivitamins for babies, the latest products to launch offer something for everyone.

Coronavirus: Spotlight on the Supply Chain

Potential supplement supply bottlenecks identified in response to federal government request

01-Apr-2020 By Hank Schultz

The US Department of Agriculture has contacted stakeholders in the dietary supplement industry to potential problems in the supply chain of dietary supplements in light of the current coronavirus crisis.

NAD tells Church & Dwight to drop gummy absorption claim; appeal filed

30-Mar-2020 By Hank Schultz

The National Advertising Division has directed Church & Dwight to stop making a claim of better absorption on its line of gummy vitamins. The company has responded by appealing the decision to a review board.

Prenatal folic acid supplementation may also offer cognitive benefits for children

26-Mar-2020 By Stephen Daniells

The importance of folic acid before conception and during the first trimester are well established, but new data from Ireland indicates that maintaining supplementation beyond the first trimester may lead to cognitive performance benefits for the child.