Heart Health

Researchers took blood pressure readings from more than 14,000 men and women between the ages of 24 and 32.

The extract is now undergoing preliminary clinical trials at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK.

The study found that participants who consumed double-strength cranberry juice cocktail experienced “significant reduction” in arterial stiffness.

Can dairy play a role?

Carotech Inc. (Edison, NJ) has announced the results of a new study linking its tocopherol-tocotrienol complex to significant reductions in total and bad cholesterol levels.

The pine-derived phytosterols are the result of a new partnership between Danisco (Copenhagen) and Arbois (Savannah, GA).

Thanks to its newly improved SymTrap extraction technology, functional ingredient supplier Symrise AG (Holzminden, Germany) is now launching Actiplants, a portfolio of bioactive ingredients from natural extracts which the company says are extracted through a highly effective and energy-saving method.

A line of CocoaWell cocoa supplements from Reserveage Organics (Gainesville, FL) was among the 11 brands chosen by Natural Foods Merchandiser to receive its “Editor’s Choice” award at the March 2010 Natural Products Expo West trade show.

The researchers concluded that the supplement did not affect heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, or mean arterial pressure.

CRN’s says that phytosterol-powdered dietary supplements should be exempt from FDA's December 2010 ruling.

Enzymotec Ltd. has signed a long term deal to supply krill oil to Lupin Ltd. (Mumbai, India), a leading pharmaceutical company focusing on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, bacterial infections, and cardiovascular disease.

The New Zealand-based company is gearing up for industrial production of pharmaceutical-grade algal omega-3.

Pharmaceutical company Amarin Corp. (Mystic, CN) will present data from its MARINE trial, a Phase III study investigating omega-3 drug AMR101 as a treatment for very high triglycerides.

The study’s authors also concluded that an analysis of full-fat dairy products, including cheese, indicated neither an increased risk nor a decreased risk of elevated blood pressure.

Danisco (Copenhagen) has signed a long-term agreement with Arboris (Savannah, GA), the world’s largest producer of pine-derived phytosterols, to market Arboris’s phytosterols.

Diets rich in polyphenols were linked to reduced prevalence of hypertension up to 36%.

The company will address needs in personal nutrition, aquaculture, and biofuel with a single crop.

Winners and losers in the newest batch of EFSA health claims.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on soy diets suggests that soy consumption may lower blood pressure in subjects with normal blood pressure and more so in subjects with high blood pressure.

Functional chocolate brand Good Cacao and tomato-based heart-health ingredient Fruitflow took home this year’s NutrAward for best finished product and best new ingredient, respectively.

The company says that many scientists now support the notion that controlling the oxidation of LDL cholesterol is essential for maintaining arterial health.

Researchers at the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute are bolstering the research behind vitamin D and improved heart health and blood pressure.

A research group based in Italy has found that krill oil may be more efficient in activating fat metabolism than fish oil.

If you manufacture a product with phytosterols, beware. A series of recent regulatory developments is giving the health claim a face lift.

In the heart-health category, activity surrounding phytosterols-including health-claims regulations and new product launches-has been high.