ID Nutra’s satiety product gets EFSA novel food nod

28 Sep 2017 --- The thirst and hunger suppressing specimen H. parviflora, marketed by ID Nutra as SatiPlus, has been approved as a novel food by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The product’s potential benefits include a host of advantages related to weight loss and metabolism.

“The SatiPlus powder’s function as appetite suppressant, traditionally used as such in Africa, makes it ideal to consumers who want convenience,” Karin Nielsen, Vice President of ID Nutra SL, tells NutritionInsight. “They can achieve convenient ways to curb the hunger they typically struggle with when trying to lose weight.”

“Since 2015, when this whole food ingredient of H. parviflora was accepted in Ireland, it has been under scrutiny in the EFSA novel food workgroup. It has been a long journey due to structural changes at EFSA, but finally we’re here,” says Iris Danieli, CEO of Desert Labs Inc., the company behind H. parviflora for which ID Nutra is the commercial partner in the EU.

Effective suppressor of thirst and hunger
“As we all know, there are no miracle cures or quick fixes for losing weight. Reducing caloric intake, increasing energy turnover – and, in extreme cases, surgical assistance – are the only recognized ways to reduce the waistline,” Nielsen notes.

Since the 1930s, the thirst- and hunger-suppressing properties of Hoodia plants from Africa have been recognized and studied, ID Nutra notes.

Both authorities and the industry work hard to improve consumer diets in terms of caloric intake, mainly via reducing fat and sugar content. However, calories from snacking represent more than 25 percent of daily calorie intake for many consumers, according to ID Nutra.

The company adds that people who want to lose weight struggle with this daily habit, as well as issues with reversing their metabolic problems. These include rising blood glucose levels due to increased insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia and the risk of liver damage.

Desert Labs has evaluated the safety of its H. parviflora product with: a battery of published pre-clinical toxicological studies; a published, large clinical marketing study; and seven years in the commercial markets of the US (as well as several years in Russia and other countries) with no reports of adverse effects.

For example, data showed reduction of weight, BMI and waistline in a test group who had ice cubes with H. parviflora in their drinks daily, as opposed to the control group who did not have H. parviflora in their ice cubes.

Additionally, interesting results related to metabolic syndrome in a 30-day study of people with insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease demonstrated efficacy and no evidence of adverse events.

ID Nutra has branded the concept SatiPlus as it comprises both satiety and metabolic effects. “We expect to assist formulators in implementing SatiPlus in many innovative ‘anti-snacking’ solutions for consumers, such as capsules, tablets, soft drinks, fortified sweeteners, nutrition bars, lozenges, gummies and chewing gums,“ says Nielsen.

“The successes from the US and Asia, as well as the convenient dosage of this active botanical, leave opportunities for building a diverse usage,” Nielsen adds.

The natural powder from the H. parviflora has shown remarkable results, Nielsen says: “A single-blind, placebo-controlled 40-day study comprising 204 individuals consumed a supplementation of H. parviflora in flavored 3g ice cubes or placebo cubes. A statistically significant loss of BMI, weight and waistline was observed and self-reports were positive from the participants completing the study.”

ID Nutra notes that the ingredient is 100 percent natural and a whole-food – aligning perfectly with natural and clean label trends.

Looking to the future, Nielsen says ID Nutra is interested in operating in a business network of similar industry experts who have deep local insights. “You can say that we have a disruptive business model, aiming to expand across Europe, via partnerships, not via growing large organizations,” Nielsen says.

“At the moment, we’re open to more commercial partners in various regions, as well as application-specific companies who see an interest in innovating unique product concepts for the European markets,” Nielsen adds.

Desert Labs, together with ID Nutra, will now work with interested parties and introduce solutions at Vitafoods Europe 2018.