Do immune health claims attract regulatory attention?

Or will brands find ways of portraying immune health as a relevant concern long-term? Leading wellness brands share their strategies going forward.

Is a decline in immune health supplement sales inevitable?

Valensa International (Eustis, FL) has announced that its signature joint-health ingredient, FlexPro MD, has been certified as a functional ingredient for Functional Health Foods in the Republic of Korea. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea has deemed that FlexPro MD is in compliance with Articles 14 and 15 of the country’s Functional Foods Act, and therefore, products carrying the formulation can make a functional claim to maintain joint health.

The certification was based on two mechanistic studies and two human studies investigating the ingredient, which is a proprietary and multi-patented blend of phospholipid-bound omega 3 EFAs (from krill oil), Valensa’s Zanthin natural astaxanthin and Valensa’s Flexonic proprietary lower molecular weight hyaluronic acid. The mechanistic studies showed that the formula may significantly inhibit NF-κB activation, the expression of pro-infammatory markers, and ameliorate joint as well as the severity of articular cartilage destruction.

According to Valensa, one human study conducted by Valensa in the U.S. found that FlexPro MD outperformed a standard full dose of glucosamine and chondroitin, providing three times the joint support. A new 12-week multi-center human clinical trial of 100 subjects conducted in Korea showed significant improvements in self-reported and physician-assessed joint pain assessments in subjects taking FlexPro MD, compared to placebo. In the study, which Valensa states will be published later in 2023, subjects taking FlexPro MD experienced 50% or greater reduction in joint discomfort over 12 weeks.

“FlexPro MD covers the critical factors of joint health care that consumers seek,” said Umasudan Pal., chief executive officer of Valensa, in a press release. “These factors include mediating joint discomfort, managing inflammatory cascades, improving joint stiffness and overall joint physical function. The product delivery form, small dose and effectiveness also improves compliance and customer repeat purchases. FlexPro MD formulation is available for discerning brands that wants to differentiate their joint health portfolio with a clinically studied formula that can also be customized for their customer segments. Valensa is evaluating licensees in specific channels and markets.”

Park, D.R.; Ko, R.; Kwon, S.H.; Min, B.; et al. FlexPro MD, a Mixture of Krill Oil, Astaxanthin, and Hyaluronic Acid, Suppresses Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Cytokine Production Through Inhibition of NF-κB. 

Park, M.H.; Jung, J.C.; Hill, S.; Cartwright, E. FlexPro MD®, a Combination of Krill Oil, Astaxanthin and Hyaluronic Acid, Reduces Pain Behavior and Inhibits Inflammatory Response in Monosodium Iodoacetate-Induced Osteoarthritis in Rats. 

Articles

Valensa International has announced that its signature joint-health ingredient, FlexPro MD, has been certified as a functional ingredient for Functional Health Foods in the Republic of Korea. 

Valensa’s FlexPro MD has been certified in Korea as a functional ingredient

Photo © AdobeStock.com/ Gennady Danilkin

, a premier event for marketing and communications professionals in the wellness space organized by The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.), will be held on May 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C. The event will provide insights, best practices, and critical guidance on a number of topics, including:

Science and sustainability, and when it does and doesn’t matter in consumer marketing

E-commerce marketplaces and value-added retailers

Legal claims about wellness products for non-lawyers

Real talk with online nutrition experts about the value of credibility over clicks

How immersive experiences and AI will challenge marketing and communications conventions in the not-so-distant future

Ephraim Cohen, global managing director, media and platforms, of Omnicom’s FleishmanHillard, will deliver the keynote presentation. A 30-year veteran of major agency public relations, Cohen will offer attendees perspectives on how to navigate the ever-changing digital marketplace.

“I’m excited to be speaking at WellComms because, for communicators, it’s a time of continual change where we can increase our business impact,” said Cohen, in a press release.

The event is sponsored by Jamieson Wellness and Pharmavite.

The event, called WellComms: Ignite!, will be held on May 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C. 

CRN announces upcoming event for health and wellness marketing and communications professionals

Jennifer Grebow is the editor-in-chief of 

, an award-winning media-content provider in the dietary supplement and natural products market. 

, an MJH Life Sciences brand, provides insights and industry updates critical to manufacturers of dietary supplements, healthy foods, and nutritious beverages. 

 keeps industry abreast of current market trends, research updates, news, and regulatory developments. 

goes beyond the 24-hour news cycle and provides in-depth analysis to help industry players navigate the challenges and changes in the near- and long-term. 

, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Spore-forming probiotics are in high demand because they offer formulating advantages on top of their health benefits. Due to their naturally protective coatings, many spore formers are more durable than non-spore-forming probiotics, especially during food and beverage manufacturing. At March’s Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA, microbial and enzyme ingredients supplier Bio-Cat (Troy, VA) explained why spore formers have become such a big part of its business.

Bio-Cat is “extremely bullish on not only continued growth in probiotics but on the segment which are spores, specifically, because of their inherent benefits,” said Mark Walin, senior vice president of business development and marketing, at Expo West. He added: “We believe we’re not only in the right overall space of probiotics, we believe that we’re in the right segment, which is the spore-forming segment.”

Research is active within the rich landscape of spore-forming probiotic strains. A number of spore-forming strains are already commercialized, but there are many more in development. Each spore-forming strain offers its own benefits. Even if two strains come from the same bacterial species—say, 

“the specific strains could be different in terms of their heat tolerance and the pH ranges at which they optimally provide their benefit,” Walin explained. He said that even within Bio-Cat’s own portfolio of spore formers, there are differences in how each strain performs. “They vary,” he said. Bio-Cat will recommend the right strain depending on a customer’s needs.

“We’ve sequenced and characterized thousands of strains,” Walin said. “We understand the nuances between strains.”

For instance, he continued, “One of the inherent virtues of many of the spore formers is the metabolites and compounds they can secrete, including enzymes.” Different strains produce different enzymes or different levels of enzymes.

One example is Bio-Cat’s newly launched spore former, OptiBiome BS50 

BS50). A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

 not only showed the strain’s positive benefits for gastrointestinal symptoms in 76 healthy adults, but it led Bio-Cat to begin exploring how OptiBiome BS50 can aid protein digestion. “This particular strain produces protease,” Walin said, “and protease can accelerate and improve the bioavailability of protein.”

“This is tremendous,” he continued. “We have a probiotic that may be used to assist and facilitate protein digestion.”

On top of those digestive-health and protein-digestion benefits, BS50 provides the manufacturing advantages that many spore formers do. “One of the things that’s phenomenal about this strain is its flexibility for different formats,” Walin said, such as “its heat tolerance during the manufacturing process and its survivability when exposed to oxygen.”

“So many probiotics are extremely fragile,” he added. “They’re essentially destroyed in the manufacturing process, heat, or moisture.” OptiBiome BS50, he said, has been shown to survive shelf life even after a package is opened and the product has been exposed to air or relative humidity. “And that’s not true of many of the probiotics on the market,” he said.

“So,” he continued, “you can put OptiBiome BS50 into a gummy or a gelatin form. You can put it into a nutrition bar where there’s heat, pressure, and moisture applied, within certain tolerances that you would never be able to get through with some of the other strains that are in the marketplace.”

Bio-Cat is moving OptiBiome BS50 full-steam ahead in the market. It secured an independent conclusion of Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for the ingredient’s use in food and beverages following the publication of a manuscript last year demonstrating OptiBiome BS50’s safety.

 Walin said the company is now also pursuing an FDA GRAS conclusion.

Spore formers like OptiBiome BS50 can also be combined with Bio-Cat’s 

 specialty, enzyme ingredients. The two can complement each other in formulation, Walin said.

In formulation, each would offer different benefits. Enzymes, for instance, generally work more quickly than probiotics, and consumers feel their effects faster. “Enzymes work fast. They work in the gastric phase of digestion,” Walin explained. By contrast, he said, probiotics “work later in the digestive system.”

“We think there’s absolutely a ‘baton hand-off,’” he said. “It’s almost like you have a sprinter handing the baton off to a distance runner. It’s the same race, the same journey, and the same substrate, but that substrate is changing because it’s being hydrolyzed either by the acid in the stomach or by the enzymes in the stomach that either your body is producing or a supplement is delivering. Then it moves to the intestinal phase where the pH goes up and the environment is far more alkaline. And now probiotics often thrive in that environment—and, in the case of spore formers, they can continue the work. In addition, those spore formers are also now producing enzymes, further helping to enhance absorption and bioavailability.”

“Combination formulations are something we’re working hard on, to find the right combinations,” he concluded. “We believe we’re uniquely positioned to deliver innovation and solutions in that area.”

Garvey, S.M.; Mah, E.; Blonquist, T.M.; Kaden, V.N.; Spears, J.L. The Probiotic 

BS50 Decreases Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. 

Brutscher L.M.; Borgmeier, C.; Garvey, S.M.; Spears, J.L. Preclinical Safety Assessment of 

BS50 for Probiotic and Food Applications. 

At Expo West, microbial and enzyme ingredients supplier Bio-Cat explained why it’s heavily focused on spore-forming probiotics.

Bio-Cat is bullish on spore-forming probiotics: Natural Products Expo West report

First, there was the supply chain havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, inflation is putting a wrench into how nutraceutical and wellness companies can forecast which ingredients they will need and when. At March’s Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA, ingredient suppliers and distributors explained how they are helping their customers through the uncertainty, whether that’s remaining flexible or providing advice based on where they see the market heading.

“Every customer’s been different this last year in terms of how they’ve been handling ordering,” said Douglas Jones, global sales and marketing manager for collagen ingredients supplier BioCell Technology LLC (Irvine, CA). “It’s very difficult to see patterns because everything’s so inconsistent.”

The good news, of course, is that for the most part, the nutraceuticals industry hasn’t seen a huge drop-off in consumer purchasing, meaning product manufacturers are still buying ingredients. “I think there was some hesitation after the big spike in inflation and the big spike in petrol,” Jones said. “We know that consumers did cut back from about May until August, but then in August they came back and were buying more and more. Other than that interruption, I haven’t heard from any customers that they’ve been experiencing anything different at retail.”

He continued, “We’re not going to see the double-digit growth we saw in 2020, but then you can’t reasonably expect you would ever see that again. That was an extraordinary time. But for the category, we’re not seeing a dip either. We’ve seen growth slow down a lot, but it’s not reversing, and [experts are] predicting that we’ll go back to a normal growth pattern next year. Given all the uncertainty that’s in the market, I think that’s fairly reasonable. At least that’s what I’m seeing. And then everything else is on a company-by-company basis.”

The good news is that there is more ingredient inventory available than there was during the height of the pandemic when supply chains were fractured. “We’ve gotten to a place where more of the inventory is free-flowing for more of our customers who are not on contracts,” said Kristin Vitek, director of marketing, Prinova (Carol Stream, IL), at Expo West. “There’s more supply readily available.”

Back when inventory was scarce, as an ingredient distributor, Prinova was luckily able to invest in a lot of inventory. “So we were able to fulfill contracts when other suppliers weren’t,” she said. “We took on a lot of inventory to make them happen.”

She continued, “We’re still working through that now. Prices are coming down, and there’s inventory stacked at our customers’ facilities because consumers may be slowing down purchasing…So now, instead of it necessarily being just a logistics shortage, we’re able to deliver the material but our customers may not be ready for it at this point in time.”

Jones similarly said he’s observed that “Some companies built up enormous inventories. Now, they’re going back to more normal inventories, so I think hopefully by the time we get to fall, everybody will be on a more normal footing.”

Said Vitek: “So, you’re starting to see a small slowdown on that side of the supply chain, but unless there’s another major hiccup coming globally from our raw ingredient suppliers, we’re in a really, really good position now.”

Even for an ingredient selling as strong as collagen—which, unlike some ingredients, shows extremely high growth today—it’s still challenging for companies to forecast upcoming demand and ingredient needs due to how unpredictable the global economy and supply chain have become.

“Trying to get forecasts has been a challenge,” said Jones. “And then you get forecasts and a company will say, we’re not going to order in three months—and then the next week you get an order. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always grateful for the orders. Our business is growing. I just think we all wish we had a good crystal ball.”

Companies are still trying to get a handle on where the economy is heading, Vitek agreed. “We’re still in the gray, not quite knowing where the economy is. It’s a very confusing time for a lot of people because brands don’t know how much they really need to keep on hand…Yet, spending is up, so it’s very hard to judge what’s going on.”

As a distributor with a global supply base and even its own large employee-based division located on the ground in China, one of the valuable services Prinova provides its customers is a monthly ingredient report to provide them with as accurate a supply chain picture as possible. “One of the things that Prinova does that is unique in the market is our monthly ingredient market report,” Vitek said. “In that report, we update our customers on the supply chain with whatever we know. All of our product managers in their key categories will give pricing out with 30-, 60-, 90-day projections. So if we know prices may be falling in the future, we will share that with our customer base. It’s up to them if they need to buy now or buy in the future, but that report really has proven to be quite valuable to a lot of our customers.”

It also helps newcomers learn the business. “What’s interesting is that a lot of the buyers coming in are now younger, maybe right out of college or with just a few years of experience under their belt,” she said. “This tool is a way for them to learn the industry and to be able to make better decisions or at least better recommendations to their purchasing team or their sourcing team.”

Ingredient suppliers and distributors explained how they are helping their customers through the uncertainty.

Supply chain and forecasts still adjusting in 2023: Natural Products Expo West report

Photo © Shutterstock.com/jovan vitanovski

CV Sciences Inc. (San Diego, CA) has received a formal Certificate of Grant from the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) for its patent application 7216697, which covers methods for the treatment of smokeless tobacco addiction through the administration of pharmaceutical formulations containing cannabidiol (CBD) and nicotine. Corresponding patents applications for similar patent protection were also files in other key markets, with granted patents in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Netherlands, and Italy.

“The worldwide market for smokeless tobacco addiction is a multi-billion dollar sector, providing a life-changing treatment to people around the world,” said Joseph Dowling, CEO of CV Sciences, in a press release. “CV Sciences’ developmental efforts surrounding CBD and nicotine have the potential to alter healthcare with a safe, natural method to reducing addiction to harmful substances. JPO’s patent grant further validates our first-of-its-kind treatment and positions the company to meet the medical needs of millions of patients globally.”

The JPO formal grant will further the development efforts of the drug candidate CV Sciences seeks approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If approved, this product would be the only FDA-approved treatment for smokeless tobacco addiction, say CV Sciences.

CV Sciences Inc. (San Diego, CA) has received a formal Certificate of Grant from the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) for its patent application 7216697.

CV Sciences granted patent in Japan for potential treatment of smokeless tobacco addiction that combines CBD and nicotine

A new ingredient from Gencor (Irvine, CA) called Trigogen is designed to support metabolic health and glucose levels. The company launched the ingredient during March’s Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA.

Trigogen is a novel, standardized fenugreek seed extract focused on the plant alkaloid compound trigonelline. It is shown to support fasting and postprandial glucose levels.

According to a Gencor press release, “Trigogen’s promising benefits have been shown in a preclinical and a recently published human clinical trial. Gencor’s laboratory study examined how trigonelline may work to support metabolic health and demonstrated an insulin-sensitizing effect. The study revealed that ß-cells (cells within the pancreas responsible for insulin production) attenuated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which may help support ß-cell health and function. The research also revealed improvement in the antioxidant status of the pancreas.”

In addition, a recently published double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trial demonstrated a significant improvement in fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial glucose response, and triglycerides in subjects who supplemented with Trigogen.

 The 12-week study was performed on 48 adults with “some degree of impaired glucose metabolism.” Subjects took either placebo or 250 mg twice daily of Trigogen.

The results indicate that Trigogen supports healthy blood sugar levels in a fasted state and also supports a healthy blood sugar response to a meal.

In a press release, Ramasamy Venkatesh, cofounder of Gencor and business development specialist, stated, “What makes our product unique is its ability to support healthy pre- and postprandial glucose levels.”

Pickering, E.; Steels, E.; Rao, A.; Steadman, K.J. An Exploratory Study of the Safety and Efficacy of a 

 Seed Extract in Early Glucose Dysregulation: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. 

Clinical studies indicate that Trigogen supports healthy blood sugar levels in a fasted state and also supports a healthy blood sugar response to a meal.

Gencor’s new glucose-support ingredient Trigogen is derived from fenugreek: Natural Products Expo West report

Vitafoods show floor, courtesy of Informa

, taking place online from May 1-12 and in person at the Palexpo Convention Center in Geneva, Switzerland from May 9-11. The show will offer some new features such as a Sustainability Resource Center and Startup Innovation Challenges, as well as some previous content offerings through the Future of Nutrition Summit on May 8 and the Vitafoods Europe Conference on May 9-10.

The Sustainability Resource Center offers expert presentations and insights on a full range of sustainability issues such as supply chain traceability, regulatory compliance, certifications, carbon offsetting, alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and gender and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. The Startup Innovation Challenge, together with the Startup Pavilion, will offer companies a unique opportunity to find innovative ingredients, technologies, services, and finished products that will help grow their businesses.

For those who want to stay ahead of the curve, the Future of Nutrition Summit, a paid-for one-day summit, will discuss trends and technologies that will shape the nutrition industry in five year’s time. Speakers at this summit will include:

Agathe Danjou, evolution and disruption strategy director at Danone, on translating trends into actionable, long term business strategies

Evan Berk, global director of nutritional sciences and innovation at Unilever, on the evolving science of personalized supplementation

Michelle Egger, chief executive officer of pioneering biotech startup BIOMILQ, on developing novel technology to make human milk outside the body to feed future generations

Guru Ramanathan, adjunct professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center and managing director of Dutch Medical Food B.V., on the role of wearable devices in improving health outcomes

Dr Aniket Sabnis, external innovation and partnering at Bayer Consumer Health, on using open innovation to shape the future of consumer health

The paid-for, two-day Vitafoods Europe Conference will focus on the challenges and opportunities in nutraceuticals, as well as applications of the latest scientific research in trending health area. Speakers at the conference will include:

Dr. Caroline Munari, global R&D platform lead at Nestlé Nutrition, on optimizing maternal nutrition from pre-conception onwards

Eve Mulchay, category manager for proteins at Tirlán, on meeting consumer needs as protein goes mainstream

Rick Miller, associate director of specialized nutrition at Mintel, on how brands can keep up with an everchanging sports nutrition industry

Dr. Suzan Wopereis, principal scientist systems biology at TNO, on nutritional strategies to modulate Inflammatory resilience

Jennifer Cooper, chief scientific officer at LPS Health Science, Dr. Adrian Lopresti, managing director at Clinical Research Australia and Dr. Emma Wightman from Northumbria University on the whitespace opportunities in brain health and emotional wellness

Colleen Draper, co-founder of PhenomX Health, on the potential of precision nutrition to support womens’ health during the menopause.

“We are incredibly excited to announce the line-up for the Future of Nutrition Summit and the Vitafoods Europe Conference 2023,” said Andy Mather, brand director of Vitafoods Europe at Informa Markets, in a press release. “Delegates at these events will gain unique insights from some of the very best minds in the industry, namely those that are making a real and tangible impact not just on the future direction of the nutraceutical industry, but also on consumer health and wellbeing. Our aim is that people walk away from these talks and networking sessions feeling inspired and filled with invigorating ideas on how they can drive their own business forward. From the trends and innovations that steer product development today, to examining the factors that will be instrumental in shaping the next five years of health and nutrition, these events are truly an opportunity for learning that’s not to be missed.”

Returning to this year’s Vitafoods Europe will be the Vitafoods Insights Theater, which offers free-to-attend expert sessions that dive into current global consumer trends, updates on regulatory and supply chain issues, as well as insights into delivery formats and packaging.

Registration is open for Vitafoods Europe 2023, taking place online from May 1-12 and in person at the Palexpo Convention Center in Geneva, Switzerland from May 9-11. 

Vitafoods Europe 2023 to feature education-rich programming

Lactoferrin production facility courtesy of FrieslandCampina Ingredients

FrieslandCampina Ingredients (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) announced the opening of a new lactoferrin production facility in Veghel, The Netherlands. The new facility will increase the company’s total capacity from 20 metric tons to 80 metric tons per year, and features new machinery designed to ensure quality and purity of the company’s lactoferrin. The new equipment has been installed across the production process, from milk collection to packaging and shipping. Additionally, the plant will run on 100% green electricity, largely generated by the FrieslandCampina’s member farms and certified under the EU’s Guarantee of Origin scheme. To reduce waste, water and salt residues produced during the manufacturing process are reused as well.

Lactoferrin is a protein naturally present in human milk that is popular in infant formula. Associated with immune health support, the ingredient is also becoming increasingly more popular in specialized adult nutrition applications.

“Today, the importance of supporting immunity for better health and holistic well-being is widely recognized. Taking steps to improve immune health is becoming a part of many people's daily routines,” said Herman Ermens, president at FrieslandCampina Ingredients, in a press release. “I’m looking forward to seeing how our customers tap into the holistic well-being trend by offering their consumers new products that combine multiple health benefits in one convenient application. By expanding our production capacity and implementing new technologies, we’re not just meeting the growing demand for lactoferrin, but doing so in a way that prioritizes both quality and sustainability. Over 25 years ago, we were one of the first companies producing lactoferrin and I’m proud to say we’re still leading innovation in this area to help people get the most out of life, always.”

The new facility will increase the company’s total capacity from 20 metric tons to 80 metric tons per year.

FrieslandCampina Ingredients opens new lactoferrin production facility

Two new studies demonstrated significant athletic-performance benefits of ActivAMP, a branded ingredient from Gencor (Irvine, CA). At the Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA, in March, the company explained why these new results broaden the audience for ActivAMP beyond just those pursuing weight management to those seeking significant gains in aerobic performance.

ActivAMP is an extract derived from the leaves of 

 standardized to two key saponins, gypenoside L and 20(S)-ginsenoside Rg3. At Expo West, Christopher Bailey, PhD, Gencor’s director of scientific affairs, explained that the ingredient activates the enzyme 5’ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPk).

“AMPk is a metabolic regulator of energy in both muscle and fat cells, so it helps to promote the availability of the energy,” Bailey explained. “In fat cells, it trends towards lipolysis to increase availability of free fatty acids. In muscle cells, it helps increase availability of energy in the mitochondria.” In press materials, the company further explains that “AMPk is often called the ‘master metabolic regulator’ and switches on the same fat-burning and energy-producing metabolic processes that exercise does.”

“Typically,” Bailey said, “AMPk is activated only by exercise.” But studies demonstrate that Gencor’s ingredient ActivAMP can achieve this via supplementation.

Previous clinical research, including a 16-week clinical study in adults

 published last year, focused on weight management. Studies showed that ActivAMP helps improve body composition and support weight management, including helping to reduce visceral and gynoid fat, reducing body mass index, and reducing total fat mass.

At Expo West, Gencor announced two new studies showing that ActivAMP significantly helped to improve aerobic exercise performance. One study is pending publication, and the other was recently published in 

The published study was conducted in 100 healthy Korean adults aged 19-60. Subjects were randomized to take either a placebo or ActivAMP for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the treatment group demonstrated a significant increase in VO

 pulse, indicating increased aerobic endurance because subjects can utilize more oxygen during exercise and absorb more oxygen per pulse. In addition, ActivAMP subjects had a significantly higher level of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in their blood, indicating increased blood flow thanks to expanded blood vessels and thus improved energy supply to the body through the blood. The researchers concluded that oral supplementation with ActivAMP “has a positive effect on resistance to exercise-induced physical and mental fatigue.”

At Expo West, Bailey further reported that a new study now being prepared for publication further supported these athletic-performance gains. After supplementing with ActivAMP, subjects in the unpublished study completed a 20-kilometer distance session on a cycle ergometer. Supplemented subjects completed the session 4% faster compared to placebo subjects.

Said Bailey, “You might not think 4% is a huge amount, but when someone’s running a marathon and an elite athlete is finishing in 2 hours, we’re talking about over a 4-minute reduction in time. It literally gives them a 4% advantage.” And, he said, the ingredient is a legal substance under the World Anti-Doping Agency.

These new studies not only expand ActivAMP’s audience beyond weight management and into sports performance, but it may also support healthy lifestyles in general. As Bailey explains, “You need a certain VO

max or aerobic capacity to do activities of daily living—carrying the groceries, walking up and down stairs—and the higher your VO

max is, the relevant intensity is lower. If you can maintain a higher VO

max over your entire life, then those regular daily activities are not so taxing.”

Not only that, he pointed out, but by expanding the use of ActivAMP to everyday fitness and athletic activity, consumers are more likely to use it more than just seasonally, which is how they tend to treat weight-management supplements. “Weight management tends to be a cyclical or a season product,” he explained. “For instance, in January, people are really motivated…But with athletic-performance products, people want to be active every day…So from a product-development standpoint, it serves two different purposes” of broadening the consumer audience and also broadening usage opportunities.

Rao, A.; Clayton, P.; Briskey, D. The Effect of an Orally Dosed 

 Extract (ActivAMP) on Body Composition in Overweight, Adult Men and Women: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. 

Ahn, Y.; Lee, H.S.; Lee, S.H.; Joa, K.L.; Lim, C.Y.; Ahn, Y.J.; et al. Effects of Gypenoside L-Containing 

 Extract on Fatigue and Physical Performance: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Trial. 

At Expo West, the company explained why these latest study results broaden applications for ActivAMP beyond weight management to athletic performance. 

New study expands Gencor’s ActivAMP metabolic-health ingredient to athletic performance: Natural Products Expo West report

PLT Health Solutions (Morristown, NJ) discussed the broad range of adult consumers who can benefit from the company’s new Nutricog cognitive health ingredient. The company debuted Nutricog at March’s Natural Products Expo West trade show in Anaheim, CA.

, Nutricog is a blend of two Ayurvedic herbs, haritaki 

The company shared results from a clinical trial, which it says will be submitted for publication, performed on 100 male and female subjects aged 40-65 years. The study results yielded two striking takeaways about the ingredient: first, that its benefits are very wide-ranging, meaning they can apply to a broad range of consumer age groups, and 2) the results were very strong because they were verified by not one but two tests.

First, Nutricog showed significant benefits for immediate recall, delayed recall, overall learning, learning rate, focus, and recognition index. Notably, when multitasking, subjects experienced an increase in cognitive speed at the same time they experienced improvements in accuracy. These broad-based benefits make Nutricog a timely ingredient for the brain health market which, increasingly, is attracting younger customers in addition to older ones.

“If you look 10 years ago or so, most of the [cognitive health] studies and the subjects were in a declining state or pre-declining state of aging. You were looking at an older demographic,” said Steve Fink, PLT’s vice president of marketing, at Expo West. “This is not the case anymore. This is mainstream, so this is an ingredient that could be bolted onto a sports performance product, a once-a-day men’s or women’s formula, or an immune-health product.”

He continued: “We see a very wide range of application-use cases and need states because this is something that’s for performance. It’s mental performance, so that could be everything from being able to remember the playbook for a sports event, preparing yourself to give a speech, or just remembering all the cousins you have whom you haven’t seen for a while before you go to a family wedding.” It’s an especially useful ingredient for busy, active working professionals looking for extra mental support, added Dawna Salter-Farfan, PhD, RD, PLT’s senior clinical research manager.

Salter-Farfan pointed out another significant takeaway from the Nutricog study, which was that its effects were demonstrated in two tests: the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).

Salter-Farfan, whose background is in neuroscience, said, “What was really exciting when this data came in was that there’s two different batteries that were used to study the subjects…It’s common in this research to maybe test in one battery—to test for multiple outcomes, and you might get one or two of those outcomes. What’s so unique about this study is that we saw multiple outcomes from two different testing batteries. We did both the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), which tests more of an auditory memory process. Then we followed it up with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), which is a visual test.”

She continued: “So we’re hitting both kinds of memory, and when we saw multiple outcomes come out positive, and they backed each other up, that was really exciting to see and gives it a believability factor.”

With the addition of Nutricog, PLT Health now boasts a rich catalog of brain-health ingredients. “PLT has been deeply entrenched and committed to the cognitive side of the industry for more than a decade,” Fink said. “We’re one of the pioneers in bringing rigorous science to support different need cases across a wide range of cognitive sets, from stress to memory, and we have been constantly innovating and growing our assortment." Its cognitive-health branded ingredients include Synapsa, Rhodiolife, Zembrin, zumXR, Zynamite, and now Nutricog.

He continued: “We spent a lot of time really curating a complementary assortment of solutions. This is obviously one that really fits in the cognitive function space. But we also have mental energy solutions that stem from physical and mental energy. We have non-stim mental energy. We have support for body and mental stress.”

Those solutions could also be combined for enhanced cognitive products. Of Nutricog, Fink said, “It’s another bolt-on solution that really fills out the portfolio and complements different need states.”

These broad-based benefits make Nutricog a timely ingredient for the brain health market which, increasingly, is attracting younger customers in addition to older ones.

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