As the initial shock of a petition attacking the dietary supplement weight loss category starts to wear off, industry needs to work on developing a unified protection strategy, say US trade associations.
The supplements industry continues to fight for its territory just weeks before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to respond to a petition that would reclassify weight loss claims as disease claims.
Reclassifying weight loss claims as disease claims will unfairly "disease-ify" many health conditions, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).
Low-carb diets are as effective as Mediterranean and low-fat diets in delivering long-term weight loss, according to a two-year study published in the July issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
GlaxoSmithKline's alli product - which is the only weight
loss drug to directly compete with dietary supplements - has
already become the third top-selling obesity drug less than a year
after its launch.
A petition by drug firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) requesting that
weight loss claims be treated as disease claims maintains that
there is no credible science to back up weight loss ingredients
used in dietary supplements.
A petition filed with the US FDA calling for the agency to treat weight loss claims as disease claims could wipe the weight loss category from the dietary supplement map.
Supplements of soluble dietary fibre may increase weight loss by
boosting satiety, and has beneficial effects for cardiovascular
health, suggests a study.
NutraIngredients-USA examines the enforcement strategy of the US
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in its efforts to ensure that the
marketing claims made by food and dietary supplement manufacturers
are accurate and substantiated.
Nutrigenetically tailored diets can result in better compliance
with weight management goals, as well as longer-term BMI
reduction and improvements in blood glucose levels, says new
research.
DSM's proprietary ingredient Fabuless, formulated in yoghurt,
stopped weight gain after weight loss, says a randomized,
placebo-controlled, double-blind trial.
Humanetics Corporation said it has received notification from the
US Patent and Trademark Office that its flagship weight loss
ingredient 7-Keto has been granted a patent for modulating basal
metabolic rate and affecting weight loss,...
A diet is not just for January. Sure, the wagon-ride to a healthy
weight is a bumpy one and some won't manage to cling on. But global
government efforts to reduce the impact of the obesity crisis on
public health are ongoing,...
Berkem is promoting its coffee-derived Svetol ingredient for
functional food uses, communicating positive clinical findings on
weight loss that build on epidemiological data connecting the
well-loved beverage to health benefits.
Sticking to a low-carbohydrate diet with some limits of calories
has long-term benefits on body weight and blood sugar levels, says
a new study from Sweden, but a leading diabetes charity advises
against following such a diet.
Commercial weight loss programmes all result in about the same
levels of weight loss, says a new study in the British Medical
Journal, but not all are based around the principles of healthy
eating.
A new clinical trial from the US has reported that a low-carb diet
improves cholesterol levels, as a second study in a week reports
health benefits for this once bright star of the diet world.
Green tea extracts containing the catechin EGCG could help curb the
rise, and ease the complications of obesity, DSM Nutritional
Products tells attendees at Vitafoods in Geneva.
A low-carbohydrate diet results in more weight loss after six
months than a low-fat diet, but long term could raise bad
cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease, claims a
meta-analysis.
January is the traditional diet season, but consumers should be
wary of pills promising quick results - and not just because the
vast majority do not work. FDA has issued a warning about two
brands of diet pills made in Brazil and...
Marine ingredients firm Primex says the entry of its chitosan
product into the functional foods market, combined with new
clinical trials, will mark a significant turning point for the
business in the coming year.
The shellfish fibre chitosan has been shown in some trials to help
weight loss but inconsistent product quality has led to conflicting
results, believes one supplier.
Consumer attitudes to health and the role of food in achieving it
are changing, according to a new report, and food marketers should
reconsider how they go about wooing the American consumer.
Soy meal replacements may not produce more weight loss than a
milk-based meal replacement but they do have advantages for overall
health, suggests a US study, confirming prior results in animals.
The Federal Trade Commission has shown once again that it is
prepared to flex its muscles over false and unsubstantiated claims
for weight loss products, having reached a $100,000 settlement with
Iworx and Selfworx.com, marketers...
Ingredient company InterHealth Nutraceuticals has added to its
store of evidence indicating the efficacy of two of its ingredients
for weight loss and cardiovascular health with studies presented at
Experimental Biology in San Diego...
SlimFast owner Unilever has gained the exclusive global rights to
an appetite-suppressing compound extracted from the hoodia gordonii
plant by UK-based Phytopharm, reports Dominique Patton.
Plant extracts company Frutarom Switzerland has carried out new
research to support the weight-loss effects of its mate product, a
herb becoming increasingly popular in the supplements category.
Taking a daily chitosan supplement had little effect on weight loss
in a new study on obese volunteers, a finding that challenges
previous research showing that the fibre could help people lose
weight.
Glanbia Nutritional Products is hoping to build on growing consumer
awareness of the link between dairy foods and weight loss, with a
new ingredient specifically designed to add the beneficial
components of milk products to other...
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...
Most dietary supplements do not have sufficient evidence to support
claims for weight loss, according to two UK experts, who reviewed
the evidence for a number of natural products including yerba mate,
chromium picolinate, ephedra...
Supplement maker Metabolife, a name strongly associated with the
weight loss herbal ephedra, has launched a new appetite
suppressant, free of both ephedra and caffeine.
Eating grapefruit, long recommended by diet programmes for weight
loss, may indeed impact the body's insulin levels, speeding up
metabolism and leading to weight loss, say researchers from the
US-based Scripps Clinic.
A moderate-fat weight loss diet reduced dieters' cardiovascular
risk better than a low-fat diet, usually recommended for heart
health, report Penn State researchers.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has drawn up a set of
guidelines to assist the media in the voluntary screening of 'too
good to be true' weight loss products and supplements.
The safety of the Atkins Diet and other high-protein,
low-carbohydrate diets has been criticised after a preliminary
report released last week linked one death and numerous illnesses
to the weight loss regime.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled with yet another
maker of weight loss supplements, charged for using false and
unsubstantiated product claims.
Nutritional ingredients maker Humanetics says it has signed an
agreement with supplement manufacturer NBTY to sell the Humanetics
weight loss ingredient 7-Keto. The new weight loss product will be
available from NBTY's Vitamin...
The media should 'do the right thing' and stop running ads that
contain obviously deceptive weight loss product claims, Federal
Trade Commission chairman Timothy J. Muris told the Cable Televison
Advertising Bureau in New...
A US District Court in Texas has ordered Mark Nutritionals, maker
of Body Solutions Evening Weight Loss Formula, to stop making
certain claims about its product. The order is in response to a
complaint by the Federal Trade Commission...
Study results presented this weekend at the American Dietetic
Association's annual meeting showed that patients with type 2
diabetes who used calcium-rich meal replacements in conjunction
with a prescription appetite suppressant...
The weight-loss services provider Weight Watchers International is
suing Florida-based supplement company USA Prescriptions for
placing unauthorised pop-up ads for diet drugs on the
WeightWatchers website.
Following the FTC's recent report on false claims made by weight
loss products, the Strategic Research Institute in New York is
holding a forum for weight loss marketers to learn about the latest
findings, investigations, guidelines...
Japanese health ministry officials are launching a series of
measures to prevent further health scares after the problems caused
by dieting aids imported from China.
