The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, D.C.) announced 12 new companies have joined the association’s membership. 

Ancient Nutrition, an Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese herbalism supplement supplier. 

Charlotte’s Web, a whole-plant hemp-health supplement manufacturer. 

Epion Brands, a finished product marketer of Kori Krill Oil.

Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc., provider of polymers and excipients, product design, development, and manufacturing services. 

McCormick & Company, Inc. a manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products for the food industry. 

Plexus Worldwide, LLC, provides dietary supplements and beauty products focused on the human microbiome, weight loss, and overall wellness. 

Remedi Therapeutic Foods, Inc., a finished product marketer of fortified foods. 

Therabotanics, a direct-to-consumer, natural supplement company that develops and markets condition-specific nutritional supplements backed by gold-standard, placebo-controlled studies.

The Emerson Group, a consumer products equity company with long-standing connections to major and regional retailers and wholesalers that ensure manufacturers of OTC, nutrition and beauty brands receive necessary attention and representation.

Haynes and Boone, LLP, an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai. 

MilliporeSigma, the life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada, a global science and technology company.

TraceGains, a supplier of compliance, quality management, and new product development platforms that helps food, supplement, and CPG companies deliver on brand promise.

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The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced 12 new companies have joined the association’s membership. 

CRN announces 12 new member companies

Lief Labs (Valencia, CA) made a commitment to support Vitamin Angels’ Healthy Futures Initiative, a unified effort working to raise $500,000 to address the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities in the United States and globally.

“Due to the impact of this global health crisis, Lief Labs’ sponsorship and commitment to support the important efforts of Vitamin Angels is even more critical,” said Adel Villalobos, CEO and founder of Lief, in a press release. “We are extremely proud to join Vitamin Angels’ Healthy Futures Initiative to help ensure that vulnerable populations heavily impacted by COVID-19 receive the essential nutrients they need to build the foundation for a healthy future.”

Scale-up Vitamin Angels’ prenatal multiple micronutrient program to further combat high food insecure communities and the increased risk of malnutrition for vulnerable pregnant women.

Scale-up Vitamin Angels’ vitamin A program to fill gaps in coverage caused by disrupted systems, which can leave children vulnerable to illness and infection.

Expand training materials and digital tools to train more service providers that can support overwhelmed health systems.

“Our work ensuring that nutritionally vulnerable populations receive access to the essential nutrients they need has never been more important than right now,” Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels founder and president, said in a press release. “Thank you, Lief Labs for your generous commitment to the health and well-being of the most vulnerable pregnant women and children among us. Through your support, our work will continue, and together we will help mitigate the devastating effects of COVID-19 and make this world a healthier place.”

Lief Labs made a commitment to support Vitamin Angels’ Healthy Futures Initiative, a unified effort working to raise $500,000 to address the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities in the United States and globally. 

Lief Labs announces commitment to support Vitamin Angels’ Healthy Futures Initiative

CV Sciences Inc. (San Diego, CA) has announced a strategic expansion of its product line to include non-CBD condition-specific dietary supplements. The first to launch is CV Acute, which is a clinically researched, wide spectrum, proprietary plant-based formula that supports immune and respiratory health. The new product integrates a time-tested Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbal formula with modern analytical chemistry and extraction techniques.

“I was assigned to establish the Department of Defense Global Emerging Infections Surveillance Program in Southeast Asia in the early 2000's, helping manage both the SARS and Bird Flu outbreaks for the U.S. military. There I observed the tremendous value in combining traditional herbs with modern diagnosis and treatment,” said Michael D. Lewis, MD, MPH, Colonel (Retired), U.S. Army, and CV Sciences medical advisor, in a press release. ““TCM herbs have powerful anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activity without side-effects [often] associated with drugs. The herbs in CV Acute have been shown to be safe and effective alone or when added to modern medical treatment of viral and bacterial infections.”

“Our launch of CV Acute represents a strategic category expansion, and a natural evolution of CV Sciences’ positioning as a leading health and wellness company,” explained Joseph Dowling, chief executive officer of CV Sciences, in a press release. “CV Acute is considered a valuable botanical formula to maintain immune and respiratory health at times when protection is needed the most – including the uncertain times of the 2020/2021 flu season. This is particularly important as many retailers have not been able to offer CBD products, which have also demonstrated immune system support.”

He adds, “We considered adding CBD to the formula, however our goal is to make CV Acute broadly available to consumers through all retail channels at an affordable price so they can have easy access to the immune and respiratory health benefits this formula has demonstrated to provide. We view PlusCBD as a companion product to CV Acute because PlusCBD provides maintenance for the immune and endocannabinoid systems, while CV Acute delivers high intensity immune support when needed.”

CV Acute will be available at select retailers nationwide and through major e-commerce retailers by August 2020.

CV Sciences Inc. has announced a strategic expansion of its product line to include non-CBD condition-specific dietary supplements. 

CV Sciences announces category expansion with new TCM immune formula sans CBD

An ostrich egg weighs 4 lb., the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs. Some people use ostrich eggshells to carve ornaments or to make containers or decorative jewelry.

Fun Fact! An ostrich egg weighs 4 lb., the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs. Some people use ostrich eggshells to carve ornaments or to make containers or decorative jewelry.

Big bird, big egg

Unibar Corp. (Houston, TX) launched CapZfuel, a bioavailable and safe capsaicin extract that offers optimal thermogenesis support to better convert fat into energy. The ingredient is contained in enteric-coated beadlet that delivers directly to the intestines where it can be absorbed without unnecessary damage or irritation to the stomach. As a result, CapZfuel can extend exercise duration by enhancing endurance and energy as a potent sports-nutrition solution.

“Thermogenesis is an important function that utilizes the body’s fat as a fuel source and thereby helps to improve energy, reduce fatigue, and conserve muscle mass for better sports performance,” said Sevanti Mehta, president of Unibar, in a press release. “COVID has resulted in an increase of at-home exercise and having a supplement to help burn fat safely and efficiently will help with consumer’s weight management and exercise goals.”

CapZfuel is free from pharmaceutical excipients, like methacrylate, and achieves better dissolution and palatability without the use of surfactants and soothing agents. It is manufactured according to ISO, cGMP, HAACP, and PMDA requirements as well as certified kosher and halal. 

Unibar Corp. launched CapZfuel, a bioavailable and safe capsaicin extract that offers optimal thermogenesis support to better convert fat into energy.

Unibar launches thermogenic ingredient, CapZfuel

By all appearances, hemp-derived CBD, or cannabidiol, has one heck of a PR team. How else would you explain why the cannabinoid generated more internet search queries than Kanye West, the NBA, Taylor Swift, the keto diet, 

 or—you guessed it—Jesus, at least according to a recent 

 of searches across social media and the web?

“And after people search for information about CBD,” notes Tom LaForge, head of consumer research, Charlotte’s Web (Boulder), “they end up talking about it with friends and family. When a product works, we like to share the news so others can get relief, too, right?”

And that, perhaps more than any marketing campaign, may account for CBD’s meteoric rise in the public’s perception. But CBD is hardly the only beneficial cannabinoid in town—or, for that matter, in hemp. An alphabet soup of more than 120 documented cannabinoids populate the cannabis plant, and researchers are only now beginning to learn what they do, and how.

Consumers will be learning about them, too. “We’re already seeing some new products featuring other cannabinoids hitting shelves, and this is causing ears to perk up,” LaForge says. “Scientific investigation into these compounds is just getting underway, but the public should be hearing more about them in the months and years ahead.”

Chemically speaking, cannabis has a lot going on inside—and CBD is just the start. Researchers have identified more than 500 distinct molecules that the cannabis plant produces, and they’re still finding more.

For example, says Lex Pelger, director of education, CV Sciences (San Diego, CA), “The terpenes found in cannabis are the molecules that produce the smells of most of the plants we love, and the cannabis plant can produce many of them.”

Then there are the amino acids that cannabis uses to build proteins, he says. Sugars and hydrocarbons supply fuel, flavonoids and pigments change the plant’s appearance, and a host of vitamins and minerals do their part to keep it working, too.

“Combined with other phytocompounds like chlorophyll and phenols and, most of all, a rich array of fatty acids that the human body uses to make its own endocannabinoids”—more on those in a moment—“these substances all make hemp an unrivaled superfood,” Pelger says.

Still, he concedes, “The cannabinoids get all the press.” And not without reason, considering that many of them—from CBD to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and beyond—interact with receptors in our bodies’ own endocannabinoid system, or ECS.

The ECS is a complex cell-signaling system that comprises not only cannabinoid receptors and their associated proteins but endocannabinoids themselves—that is, cannabinoid compounds that our bodies produce endogenously, even if we’ve never come within striking distance of a cannabis plant.

Jen Palmer, ND, director of education at Charlotte’s Web, describes the ECS as “the master switchboard of the body,” influencing everything from the cardiovascular, nervous, and endocrine systems to our skin condition, appetite, sleep patterns, and immunity. Its endgame: maintaining balance by moderating our bodies’ systems “when they become overactive,” Palmer says.

Scientists only began teasing out how the ECS does all this in the 1990s, Pelger notes, which is when they first discovered the system’s two best-known receptors, CB1 and CB2, and its two key endocannabinoid neurotransmitters, anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol.

These compounds trigger the ECS’s cannabinoid receptors, producing—at least in the case of anandamide—largely desirable results. In fact, Palmer notes, anandamide is known as “the ‘bliss molecule’ for its calming, centering effects” and floods our systems following happy pursuits like exercise, meditation, and yoga.

But because our endocannabinoids chemically resemble their phytocannabinoid cousins found in the cannabis plant, the two groups of molecules often trip the same receptors, says Pelger, who adds that it was early research into the mechanics of the ECS “that catalyzed the work being done now on how cannabinoids from the plant interact with the endocannabinoids we all produce within each of us.”

That research continues, as does investigation into why the cannabis plant evolved to produce so many cannabinoids in the first place. “Our best guess,” Pelger says, “is protection against insects or UV rays in the plant. Regardless, we do know that these phytocannabinoids cause a huge array of effects in humans.”

And we know more about those effects with respect to CBD than with any other phytocannabinoid.

That makes sense to Michael Bryce, cofounder and global chief marketing officer, Healist Advanced Naturals (New York City). “Behind THC, CBD is the most abundant cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant,” he says, “and is typically the most abundant cannabinoid found in hemp”—which the 2018 federal Farm Bill defines as cannabis containing 0.3% or less THC.

This abundance makes CBD easier to extract from the plant—and in higher concentrations, to boot—than other cannabinoids. And that, says Bryce, helps explain why “scientists started working to understand CBD before they tackled other phytocannabinoids.”

But there’s another reason why CBD gets “the lion’s share of attention,” Pelger says: “Because it works. Its popularity endures because a flood of anecdotes is confirmed every week by new science examining CBD and finding many different effects at the biochemical level. That seems to be why CBD can function like a Swiss Army knife for the body and brain.”

Consider its stimulatory effects on the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which Bryce notes “are known to support mood regulation.” CBD has also demonstrated significant neuroprotectant, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant capacities, he adds.

Palmer notes that among the most common reasons people turn to CBD is to “maintain that sense of calm. When stress rises—causing occasional anxiety—hemp-derived CBD can provide relief by balancing the nervous system.” She points to published research

 showing that taking CBD prior to public speaking helped calm subjects while also promoting normal heart rate and blood pressure during their speeches.

“CBD may have additional effects,” adds Bryce, “and additional research is needed to determine which cellular mechanisms are related to specific benefits. But the potential for harnessing these properties to improve health and wellbeing is only beginning to be discovered.”

So you can’t blame scientists—or the rest of us—for focusing on CBD. “Thousands of research papers have been churned out looking into its chemistry, pharmacology, and effects in mammalian systems,” Pelger says.

But when it comes to cannabis’s “minor cannabinoids,” he continues, “For some, we only have a few dozen research papers published about their effects.”

In fact, we call them “minor” not as a reflection of their potency, he notes, but because cannabis prohibition effectively closed the door on studying them in the natural, bioactive form in which they occur in the plant itself.

“So when people say that cannabis needs more research,” Pelger concludes, “that’s especially true of these minor cannabinoids. Like some rare salamander or galaxy, we know they exist, but not how they work or what they do. Each represents a potential new path for modulating the endocannabinoid system.”

Palmer agrees, adding that the concerted efforts of all of cannabis’s compounds—not just CBD—may generate the best results.

As she points out, “It’s the medley of the phytocannabinoids and other compounds in hemp working together that supports the actions of CBD—a synergistic phenomenon called the entourage effect.”

One encounters that term a lot among advocates for cannabis-based wellness. But while Pelger is as much of a cannabis advocate as anyone, he describes the entourage effect less romantically as “actually a bit of scientific hand-waving designed to cover up the complexity of how a bunch of cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, fatty acids, and the 500 other components of a well-made hemp extract interact with the human body.”

In other words, while the scientific literature seems to suggest that CBD in the “entourage” of a full-spectrum cannabis extract works better than isolated CBD, “we couldn’t pinpoint why,” Pelger says.

Some more cannabinoid mysteries: The compounds don’t always work in concert. “Even when interacting with the endocannabinoid system, some cannabinoids from the plant might activate receptors while others block them, and still others might not bind directly but rather change how other cannabinoids bind,” Pelger explains.

And while many phytocannabinoids appear to bind to some of the major neurotransmitters—not just the aforementioned serotonin and dopamine, but glutamate and GABA, too—“they can also regulate and alter genetic transcription,” Pelger says, “increasing the number of certain proteins and vastly complicating the picture of how phytocannabinoids cause their effects.”

Are there any lessons that the cannabis-curious can draw from all this? Probably not at the moment. But as research on the broad spectrum of cannabinoids and their mechanisms of action mounts, clarity is bound to descend.

As Bryce says, “Most people aren’t aware of these minor cannabinoids and their potential benefits, but a buzz is growing pretty quickly.” Think about where CBD was five years ago, he suggests. “That’s is where we are now with the other cannabinoids. There continues to be more research looking at the potential benefits of cannabinoids such as CBG (cannabigerol), CBN (cannabinol), and more, and I’m very excited to see how this area continues to develop.”

Take CBN, a hemp phytocannabinoid that Bryce describes as the “‘sleepy’ cannabinoid, given some clinical findings showing that it has sedative properties.”

LaForge agrees that CBN’s sleep benefits are compelling, pointing to 2020 Brightfield Group research showing that while more than 50 million U.S. consumers currently use CBD, 5 million report also being aware of CBN. “And their awareness translates to interest,” LaForge insists: “Fifty percent of all those aware of CBN report being ‘very likely’ to purchase it.”

As one of the more abundant phytocannabinoids in the plant, cannabichromene, or CBC, has attracted scientific interest. It appears to interact with transient receptor potential V channels known to play a role in pain signaling, Palmer explains, adding that in animal studies

 it “muffles” pain-related chemical messages sent to the brain. Animal studies

 also show that it balances inflammation throughout the body, including on the skin, and “may uplift mood and energy,”

CBC can appear naturally in full-spectrum hemp extract, depending on plant genetics, she notes, “and it’s likely that in the very near future we’ll see more products on shelves that emphasize CBC and other valuable phytocannabinoids.”

And Pelger’s noticed some press and “a small but growing amount of consumer attention” on CBG. Called the “mother cannabinoid,” it’s the first that the plant produces in its biosynthetic pathway and the source of all other cannabinoids.

Pegler notes that people report energizing effects from CBG—why some choose it instead of coffee as a pick-me-up. While that might hold back more widespread use—too much can leave people feeling 

 energized—“overall,” he predicts, “from the moderate amount we know about CBG, it could well become another staple cannabinoid on the shelf.”

As Bryce points out, “We have a long way to go” before shelves start filling up with these minor cannabinoids. Some clinical studies are in progress, “and some pharmaceutical companies have conducted initial drug development research with cannabinoids other than THC and CBD,” he says. “But as of right now no controlled clinical trials with any have been published.”

Palmer is optimistic that the knowledge base will expand. “As restrictions loosen up for cannabis research in general, we expect to see a more concerted effort to understand the mechanisms of action for compounds like CBC, CBG, and CBN,” she says. “Hopefully, more clinical trials will soon focus on understanding their clinical applications, particularly as naturally delivered in a full-spectrum hemp extract.”

But for the foreseeable future, LaForge wagers, CBD will remain the biggest name in hemp. “We’d love to see other cannabinoids proven effective, too,” he notes. And the sooner the science arrives, “the sooner we can start developing new cannabinoid-based wellness products.”

Hasse J. “CBD Is More Popular than Jesus, Kanye West, The NBA, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, and AOC Right Now, Data Shows.” 

Published online November 1, 2019. Accessed at: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2019/11/01/cbd-popularity/#28c68d8b54e7

Zuardi AW et al. “Inverted U-shaped dose-response curve of the anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol during public speaking in real life.” 

Maione S et al. “Non-psychoactive cannabinoids modulate the descending pathway of antinociception in anaesthetized rats through several mechanisms of action.” 

, vol. 162, no. 3 (February 2011): 584-596

Izzo AA et al. “Inhibitory effect of cannabichromene, a major non-psychotropic cannabinoid extracted from 

, on inflammation-induced hypermotility in mice.” 

“Antidepressant-like effect of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids isolated from 

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 

As consumers—and researchers—grow curious about hemp’s other cannabinoids, what health gains might they find?

Beyond CBD: Exploring other hemp cannabinoids’ health benefits

Informa Markets (Phoenix, AR) has announced that, in light of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, SupplySide West and Food Ingredients North America, scheduled for October 27-30, 2020 in Las Vegas, would be cancelled. 

“We have been in close communication with our partners, customers and audience to ensure we meet their needs and expectations,” said Marisa Finnegan, show director, in a press release. "Even with guidance from Informa’s AllSecure health and safety guidelines, and the re-opening of Mandalay Bay in recent weeks, our community responded to personal outreach and an industry survey by making it clear that while they value the show, many would not be able to come due to safety concerns or travel restrictions."

In lieu of the live event, SupplySide is launching a virtual platform called SupplySide Network 365 to facilitate safe networking opportunities. “As we look to support the growth of the health and nutrition industry, it is evident that new thinking is required to facilitate connections, provide opportunities for discovery, and showcase innovation across the supply chain,” said Danica Cullins, brand director, SupplySide, in a press release. “SupplySide Network 365 will offer a seamless year-round opportunity to develop new relationships, dig into thematic areas of interest, and much more. Stay tuned for more information and updates in the coming weeks.”

The official video announcement can be viewed 

SupplySide West, scheduled for October 27-30, 2020 in Las Vegas has been cancelled. 

SupplySide West 2020 has been cancelled in light of COVID-19 pandemic

As Congress begins deliberations on additional financial assistance, the Natural Products Association (NPA: Washington, D.C.) is pushing officials to include tax credits for natural products businesses facing high reopening costs due to COVID-19.

According to a new survey, NPA members project spending an annual average of $13,595, with some expected to spend as much as $200,000, on COVID-19-related priorities including testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and workplace changes to accommodate social distancing. Some companies indicated they were bracing for significant costs but were unable to calculate them due to the uncertainties of state-level government decisions on reopening.

“As Americans have turned to nutritional supplements to support their health and immune systems in this crisis, natural products businesses have truly been a lifeline,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of NPA, in a press release. “The downside is that this has come at great cost, and this survey reflects that. It is vital that Congress include targeted tax credits for natural products businesses, so they can continue to serve the American people and keep their doors open. We checked with our members on what they need most from the next stimulus package and this was the no. 1 priority.”

To help businesses absorb the costs related to safely reopening, NPA is backing a proposal called the Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit. It will help businesses reopen safely while ensuring employee and customer confidence by:

Providing a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50% of the costs incurred by the business for COVID-19 testing, PPE, disinfecting, extra cleaning, and reconfiguring workspaces until the end of the year.

Encouraging and enabling businesses to take the recommended steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces.

Limiting this benefit to a maximum of $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees, $750 per employee for the next 500 employees, and $500 for each employee thereafter — recognizing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on small- and medium-sized businesses.

Natural Products Association is pushing Congress to provide tax credits for natural products businesses facing high reopening costs due to COVID-19.

NPA urges Congress to help natural products businesses offset COVID-19 related costs with tax credits

Medicascy Artificial Intelligence Solutions Platform (MedicascyAI), from efficacyAI (Dillsburg, PA) is a new technology that uses artificial intelligence to predict, in just a few weeks, where ingredients will have significant impact, cutting research and development time while improving the product. The technology intends to reduce the nutraceutical industry’s reliance on secondary science, and guide primary research toward more successful results. This $43 million, scientifically proven technology has documented results in more than 50 major peer-reviewed papers and has also been recognized by receiving awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

MedicascyAI screens the interactions of molecules with every human protein to help determine how specific plant-based molecules may benefit health, as well as any potential adverse effects. This is a process that typically requires years and millions of dollars in research. “Artificial intelligence is accelerating this process while reducing costs and improving outcomes with more science behind it,” said Jeffrey Skolnick, PhD, chairman of scientific Board and chief innovation officer for efficacyAI, in a press release. “Results come in weeks, not years, and are accompanied by carefully calibrated confidence indices (CIs).

CIs predict the probability that the prediction is correct and have been validated through subsequent experiments. Skolnick says that MedicascyAI has already analyzed over 1,475 GRAS molecules and 300,000 natural compounds, estimating that the AI’s algorithm covers about 97% of all proteins and can make reliable predictions for about 40% of molecules found in natural products. 

“There is significant latent demand for non-drug solutions,” Skolnick explains. “But the dietary supplement industry’s pricing model doesn’t support the type of due diligence used by pharma. MedicascyAI speeds up certainty with less overall cost by using a set of sophisticated algorithms that analyze compounds for safety and efficacy in relation to the biological processes that jeopardize good health.” 

Suggest testing known supplements for other health benefits.

“MedicascyAI can be used to create effective new products and identify potential new uses for existing branded products. It can also analyze current products for safety and efficacy. All we need is the chemical structure,” says efficacyAI chairman and CEO Tony Bellezza. “This is also an excellent starting point if you want to create a new product that focuses on a specific health benefit.”

Medicascy Artificial Intelligence Solutions Platform is a new technology that uses artificial intelligence to predict, in just a few weeks, where ingredients will have significant impact, cutting research and development time while improving the product.

New AI-based system, MedicascyAI, predicts where ingredients will have significant impact 

Getting old ain’t what it used to be. In fact, by some estimates it’s better. That’s because today’s seniors are as likely to try their hand at a new language or enter a 5K—socially distanced, of course—as they are to sharpen their bingo skills and kick back.

But no matter how they spend their time, seniors have earned the right to hold their golden years to a high standard—as they do their dietary supplement choices. After all, seniors turn to supplements to improve their quality of life; so, if the act of supplementation itself is a drag—whether because of pill burden, fishy reflux, or otherwise—it defeats the whole purpose, right?

That’s why supplement brands that cater to savvy seniors had better consider the demographic’s unique needs when designing their products. As Dan Peizer, senior director, global consumer health marketing and strategy, Catalent Pharma Solutions (Somerset, NJ), says, “Making the dosing process as easy as possible for seniors can really help with adherence.”

The more we learn about aging, the more we learn about the role that everyday interventions can play in helping us do so successfully.

As Steve Holtby, president and CEO, Soft Gel Technologies Inc. (SGTI; Commerce, CA), points out, “The best actions we can take to prevent chronic disease, maximize immune-system response, decrease inflammation, and prevent premature aging include all those basic things that keep us physically and psychologically fit anyway: exercise, sleep, recovery, stress reduction, healthy relationships, and, importantly, diet and nutrition.”

In other words, “Getting older is inevitable, but people can age well by incorporating supplements into their daily regimens,” he says.

And in remarkably reliable numbers, older consumers do. “The market among seniors for supplementation is significant,” says Peizer, who points to 

 (CRN; Washington, DC) data from the association’s 2019 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements showing that 79% of adults age 55 and older take dietary supplements.

The science supports their decision. As Peizer says, “Research that’s emerged on supplementation’s benefits, along with the expanded formulation choices available, has certainly played a part in this increase.”

Now that COVID-19 has everyone thinking about how to bolster their baseline health, seniors have even more reason to seek out supplements.

“As information emerges about the risk factors that increase COVID-19 severity—like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease—seniors, and frankly all demographics, have taken more interest in supporting and maintaining a healthy immune and other systems through supplementation,” Peizer says. “While it’s too early for a deep quantitative analysis of purchase trends, anecdotally we’ve seen a lot of interest in taking formulations that may help provide this support, including those with vitamins C, D3, and K2.”

But seniors already have a lot to take—

. More than one-third of the drugs prescribed in the United States go to senior patients, notes Peizer. One AARP 

 even found that Americans aged 50 to 64 take three to four different prescription drugs daily, with older Americans regularly taking as many as five. No wonder the Department of Health and Human Services figures a 55% prescription-drug noncompliance rate among seniors.

“Clearly, adding supplements to the mix only increases this burden,” Peizer says. Yet seniors continue to lean on supplements for the nutrients they need.

As if that weren’t burden enough, Peizer continues, “Seniors are challenged more than other age groups when taking supplements because of the natural changes associated with the aging process.”

Holtby agrees, noting that a Harris Interactive poll found roughly 40% of American adults struggle to swallow pills. “Commonly cited issues include gagging, a lingering aftertaste from an incomplete swallow, and having a pill become lodged in the throat,” he notes.

What’s more, supplements may present some of the heaviest pill burdens that seniors face. FDA researchers, reviewing the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Adverse Reporting System database, 

 10 years of supplement-associated swallowing reports related to pill size and found upwards of 75% occurring in seniors aged 65-plus trying to take supplements that were simply too big. USDA recommends that generic tablets not exceed 17 mm in any dimension, the report notes, yet researchers found the 10 most troublesome supplements to be larger.

Another concern: drug interactions. “This is an important issue when considering supplementation for seniors, and one that the medical community focuses on,” Peizer says.

 followed more than 2,000 subjects aged 62 to 85 over two intervals spaced five years apart and found that concurrent use of five prescription medications rose from 30.6% to 35.8% during the study period, while supplement use rose from 51.8% to 63.7%. “Of note, the researchers cited an almost-400% increase in omega-3 use among the group, which was attributed to consumer awareness of the supplement’s heart-health benefits,” Peizer points out. “Of concern, however, was the number of seniors who might have also been on prescription medication because of the stroke risk.”

Holtby adds that nutrition drinks pose another potential threat. Given that an 8-oz beverage might deliver up to 40% of a senior’s daily vitamin K requirement, he says, “If a senior consumes multiple such drinks per day, the amount of vitamin K can directly affect the efficacy of blood thinners like warfarin, or Coumadin.”

In industry’s defense, Peizer notes, “It’s beyond supplement makers’ purview to advise on risks related to seniors’ established prescriptions regimens.” Nevertheless, he continues, “It’s still important that industry help educate medical professionals and pharmacists on supplementation’s benefits, so that they, in turn, can help seniors benefit from them safely.”

Meanwhile, supplement makers can focus on what they do best: designing the most effective formulations to support seniors’ health, and delivering them in the most palatable formats available.

First, formulation: Although nutrients like as B vitamins and vitamin D are available in small formats, omega-3s and calcium, to take two examples, appear in larger forms needed to carry relevant doses—“often with unpleasant side effects like reflux and a chalky mouthfeel, respectively,” Peizer concedes.

So, combining nutritionally relevant doses of multiple in-demand nutrients in an easy-to-take supplement system is the order of the day. “Having to take many supplements individually really adds to the problems with pill burden,” Peizer says.

“Dose form is another critical factor in ensuring that the product is easy to take,” he continues, “accounting for chewing and swallowing issues, reflux, and other challenges.”

For example, according to Holtby, capsules tend to be tougher to swallow than tablets because they’re lighter than water. “That means that they float on the surface of any liquid you try to swallow with them.”

By contrast, more than eight in 10 consumers associate softgels with efficacy, ease of swallowing, and easy digestion,” contends Peizer, pointing to a 2009 survey on the matter

. Even better, he continues, “Their formulation flexibility allows for beneficial combinations.”

Fast-dissolving tablets offer another “great option” for seniors, Peizer goes on, “especially where swallowing is an issue.” The format requires no water and can accommodate flavoring, better to mask off-notes associated with some nutrients.

In fact, Catalent’s Zydis product dissolves in as little as three seconds, Peizer says, and more conventional “melt” tablets and granules take about half a minute to dissolve in the mouth, or in water. “Both technologies directly address seniors’ needs and provide a path for supplement companies to offer more differentiated products to this important segment faster.”

And as more seniors appreciate supplementation’s benefits, that promises to make everyone’s experiences better.

AARP survey. “Prescription drug use among midlife and older Americans.” Published in January 2005. Accessed at: 

https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/health/rx_midlife_plus.pdf

American College of Physicians media release. “Multivitamins and calcium supplements among most difficult pills for seniors to swallow. Published on August 20, 2019. Accessed at: 

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/dietary-supplements-are-toughest-pills-to-swallow-for-senior-citizens

Dima M et al. “Changes in prescription and over-the-counter medication and dietary supplement use among older adults in the United States, 2005 vs 2011.” 

Market Analysts LLC. “OTC/VMS Delivery Forms Study.” 2009.

Supplement brands that cater to savvy seniors had better consider the demographic’s unique needs when designing their products.