Kyowa Hakko educates dieticians and nutritionists about brain health supplements

At Kyowa Hakko’s Neuro Navigators event on November 8. (Left to right, standing): Crystal Webber, MS, RD, chief innovation officer of FIG (Formulation Innovations Group); Karen E. Todd, RD, CSCS, EP-C, CISSN, vice president of global brand marketing for Kyowa Hakko USA; Danielle Citrolo, PharmD, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, Kyowa Hakko USA; Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, CEO of Master the Media; Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN, vice president of scientific affairs at Mindbodygreen. (Left to right, seated): Diana Morgan, MS, CISSN, vice president of global regulatory and government affairs at Nutrabolt; Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN, founder and CEO of Nutritious Life and the Nutritious Life Studio; and Hannah Margaret Allen, head of content at Mindbodygreen.

Ingredient supplier Kyowa Hakko USA (New York City) hosted an event on November 8 to educate dieticians and nutritionists about key issues around cognitive health supplements. The company, which supplies the branded brain health ingredient Cognizin citicoline, says that the event, called Neuro Navigators and held in New York City, was the “first of its kind.”

The event’s speakers discussed issues such as: 1) general myths surrounding dietary supplements, 2) important criteria to look for when vetting supplement quality, 3) market trends (such as the rising popularity of gummy formats), and 4) how supplements are regulated. Kyowa Hakko describes the main goal of the event as “educating healthcare professionals on assessing and identifying supplements with the best-quality ingredients and effective doses while ensuring they have the right tools to guide their clients responsibly….”

The event’s speakers were: Karen E. Todd, RD, CSCS, EP-C, CISSN, vice president of global brand marketing for Kyowa Hakko USA; keynote speaker Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN; Danielle Citrolo, PharmD, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Kyowa Hakko USA; Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN, vice president of scientific affairs at Mindbodygreen; Hannah Margaret Allen, head of content at Mindbodygreen; Crystal Webber, MS, RD, chief innovation officer at FIG (Formulation Innovations Group); Diana Morgan, MS, CISSN, vice president of global regulatory and government affairs for Nutrabolt; and Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, CEO of Master the Media.

Speakers encouraged attendees to look for the following trustworthiness indicators when evaluating supplement labels: branded ingredients, third-party certifications, and responsible health claims. Kyowa Hakko also discussed its Cognizin citicoline ingredient as an ingredient backed by clinical studies—in this case, more than 30 clinical studies.

Additionally, the event’s press release states, “Discussions about the regulation of the supplement industry, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees under its subcategory of food, received a great reception among attendees due in part to the recent surge in news articles discussing the role of dieticians and experts endorsing products. Transparency was the key takeaway.”

In the press release, Gerard Adams, president of Kyowa Hakko USA, added, “From the participation and enthusiasm of both the livestream and in-person audience to the transparency, with which we pride ourselves on as the trusted supplier and partner for our customers and consumers, combined with the diversity of this women of science–focused event, [this event] supported everything we passionately believe in.”