Weekly Roundup: UFC names Thorne official sports performance nutrition partner, STAMBA Superfoods launches full-spectrum liquid probiotic

24 May 2019 --- In nutrition news this week, supplement company STAMBA Superfoods launched a full-spectrum liquid probiotic, designed to optimally nourish the human microbiome. UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, named supplement company Thorne as its “Official Sports Performance Nutrition Partner,” while researchers at the University of Georgia reported that daily self-weighing can help people avoid holiday weight gain.

In brief: Collaborations
UFC has signed a new multi-year, global marketing partnership with Thorne that names the company as its “Official Sports Performance Nutrition Partner.” Supplement company Thorne also becomes an “Official Partner of the Performance Institute,” UFC’s state-of-the-art training and research facility that has served more than 400 athletes since opening in 2017. Under the terms of the agreement, Thorne’s line of NSF Certified for Sport products will be integrated into supplement plans created by UFC registered dietitians for athletes training at UFC’s Performance Institutes in Las Vegas and Shanghai. Thorne will also have ownership of the Performance Institute Nutrition Stations, dedicated areas that provide individualized health and wellness solutions to UFC’s athletes. 

In brief: Product launches
Organic supplement company STAMBA Superfoods has launched REPLENISH, a full-spectrum liquid probiotic, designed to optimally nourish the human microbiome. REPLENISH includes several high-quality, scientifically proven probiotic strains in a tasteless, odorless alkaline water-base that doesn’t require refrigeration. REPLENISH, and all STAMBA products, offer USDA-certified organic ingredients for optimum digestion, healthy skin, mood, immunity strength and nutrient absorption. STAMBA was founded by Asa Siegel, on the belief that natural, whole food nutrition products can play a positive role in our overstressed and undernourished modern lives. STAMBA is transforming the dietary supplement experience by offering customers potent superfood blends made with the highest-quality ingredients and accessible formulations. 

In brief: Research
Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) a have shown that a simple intervention – daily self-weighing – can help people avoid holiday weight gain. Participants in a 14-week UGA study who weighed themselves daily on scales that also provided graphical feedback showing their weight fluctuations managed to maintain or lose weight during and after the holiday season, while a control group gained weight. Researchers speculate that participants’ constant exposure to weight fluctuations – along with being able to see a target or goal weight line (their baseline weight) – motivated behavioral change that led to weight maintenance, or in the case of overweight subjects, weight loss. “Maybe they exercise a little bit more the next day (after seeing a weight increase) or they watch what they’re eating more carefully,” says study author Jamie Cooper, an Associate Professor in the Department of Foods and Nutrition within the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “The subjects self-select how they're going to modify their behavior, which can be effective because we know that interventions are not one-size-fits-all.”

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, demonstrated that employees at a large urban hospital who purchased the least healthy food in its cafeteria were more likely to have an unhealthy diet outside of work, be overweight and/or obese, and have risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, compared to employees who made healthier purchases. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship of eating behaviors at work with overall diet and health and can help to shape worksite wellness programs that both improve long-term health outcomes and reduce costs. Most Americans spend about half their waking hours at work and consume food acquired at work. Nearly a third of all US workers are obese, which has an impact beyond the individual’s health risks. Previous research has shown that obesity contributes to higher absenteeism, lower productivity, and higher healthcare expenses for employers. This study’s findings can lead to more effective strategies to encourage employees to choose healthier foods and reduce their risks for chronic conditions. “Employer-sponsored programs to promote healthy eating could reach millions of Americans and help to curb obesity, a worsening epidemic that too often leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer,” says lead investigator Anne N. Thorndike, MD, MPH, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, US.