Beyond The Headlines: Brightseed and Manitoba Harvest’s bioactive fibers, Team USA reps Cheribundi during games
26 Jul 2024 --- This week in nutrition news, Cheribundi revealed five Team USA Olympic athletes will represent the company at the Paris games, Brightseed and Manitoba Harvest unveiled two new flavors for their Bioactive Fiber offerings and Brenntag entered into an exclusive agreement to distribute FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ Biotis products in France.
Meanwhile, iHerb introduced a new line of Martha Stewart Wellness supplements, RxDiets received funding for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered diets program and Marinova received accolades for its marine biotechnology research.
At the same time, Barfresh Food Group launched a line of fruit juice freeze pops to support school food nutrition and Debut unveils BiotechXBeautyLabs to “democratize biotech.”
Lastly, a new study showed that former research on the healthiness of moderate alcohol consumption is flawed and a team of US-based researchers found that food and nutrition insecurity impacts mothers more than other members of households.
Nutrition News
Cheribundi teamed up with five Team USA athletes ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics for brand promotion through the athletes’ social media accounts during the games. The athletes are Ryan Murphy — a four-time Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming, Chase Budinger — a 7-year NBA veteran and beach volleyball Olympian, Delaney Schnell — a two-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist in diving, Keturah Orji — a three-time Olympian and ten-time US track and field champion and Courtney Lindsey — a track and field champion. The athletes will represent Cheribundi during the Olympics to showcase the brand’s applicability in sports nutrition. In addition to the new partnerships, Cheribundi also revealed it supports 11 US National teams and the US Olympic Training Center.
iHerb launched three new supplements from the Martha Stewart Wellness brand (Image Credit: iHerb).In collaboration with Brightseed and Manitoba Harvest unveiled a second series of organic bioactive fibers. The new products target digestion and gut health and are available in coffee and chocolate flavors. The Bioactive Fiber utilizes the nutritional benefits of organic hemp fiber and Brightseed’s Bio Gut Fiber, derived from upcycled hemp hulls. The new flavors deliver significant fiber content — 7 g in chocolate and 6 g in coffee. According to Brightseed, a recent study published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements highlights the potential health benefits of hemp hulls and Bio Gut Fiber, including improved gut barrier function and metabolic health support. Additionally, a pre-clinical study with the University of Nevada, US, confirmed the prebiotic effects of Bio Gut Fiber, showing an increase in alpha diversity and short-chain fatty acid production — both indicators of a healthy gut microbiome.
Business news
Brenntag entered into an exclusive agreement with FrieslandCampina Ingredients to distribute its Biotis ingredients in France. Biotis has been shown to support gut, brain and immune health. Brenntag will handle the complete Biotis portfolio, including Biotis GOS (galactooligosaccharides) — an ingredient known for its stability, long shelf life and ability to promote the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria. Brenntag highlighted the growing demand for nutritional health products in France and said the collaboration will meet the increasing demand for high-quality nutritional solutions and positively impact consumer health across the country.
Global health products e-commerce retailer iHerb introduced a new line of supplements from Martha Stewart Wellness in collaboration with Marquee Brands and Project #1 Nutrition. This new range includes Marine Wellness Collagen, Wellness Greens and Wellness Reds and expands iHerb’s wellness offerings to over 180 countries. Moreover, the new supplements feature all-natural and sustainably sourced ingredients without artificial additives. The Marine Wellness Collagen promotes collagen production and quality sleep, Wellness Greens provides a day’s worth of green vegetables and Wellness Reds boosts energy with antioxidants and probiotics. The companies state that the supplements are crafted for versatility and effectiveness to support overall health and well-being.
RxDiet has secured US$3 million in seed funding — led by Giant Ventures and supported by Better Ventures and Form Life — to accelerate RxDiet’s bid to deliver personalized, medically tailored and AI-enhanced “food as medicine” diet plans directly to patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. RxDiet said its AI platform designs individualized meal plans based on medical needs and taste preferences, reducing food wastage and offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional programs. The approach has already gained traction with two of the three largest US health insurers, which cover the program’s costs. The new funding will enable the company to expand its team, enhance its grocery network and launch a low-cost digital tool to provide a new scalable solution to managing and preventing chronic conditions.
Debut unveiled its BiotechXBeautyLabs, which CEO and founder, Dr. Joshua Britton says “democratizes” biotech (Image Credit: Debut).
Marinova has been awarded the “Best Marine Biotechnology Company 2024 – APAC” at the 9th annual International Life Sciences Awards. This accolade highlights Marinova’s role in advancing the life sciences industry through innovative and sustainable marine biotechnology research. Marinova is known for its research, development and production of high-purity fucoidans. Its Maritech organic fucoidans are the result of over two decades of research and a proprietary extraction process. Fucoidans — bioactive polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweeds — are valued for their health benefits and are widely used in nutritional supplements, skin care products, animal health formulations and pharmaceutical research.
Product launches
Barfresh Food Group introduced a new line of 100% juice freeze pops, dubbed “Pop & Go.” The freeze pops are designed to enhance school nutrition programs nationwide and are made with a half-cup of fruit juice per serving. The freeze pops contain no added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors or colors and comply with the US Department of Agriculture’s reimbursable meal programs and “Smart Snack” guidelines. The offering is intended to offer healthier options for students throughout the school day by targeting lunch menus, which have a higher volume than breakfast.
Debut, a leader in biotech beauty, unveiled its BiotechXBeautyLabs — a formulation development and contract manufacturing division. According to the company, the new business will revolutionize the beauty industry by providing high-performing, sustainable biotech products through custom formulations and white-label solutions. BiotechXBeautyLabs will collaborate with global beauty brands to create innovative, 95% bio-based products without the high research costs typically associated with biotech. Debut’s CEO and founder stated that BiotechXBeautyLabs will “democratize access to biotech” — technologies previously out of reach for many brands due to high investment barriers. The division offers end-to-end services, including novel ingredient discovery, pre-clinical testing, formulation development and quality control and leverages Debut’s extensive intellectual property portfolio of over 7,000 proprietary claims. It also enables brands to launch biotech-enhanced products in as little as three months for white-label solutions and seven months for custom formulations.
New research suggests that former studies on the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption may be critically flawed.
Scientific Studies
A new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs challenged the long-held belief that moderate drinking, such as a daily glass of wine, is beneficial for health. The study concluded that conventional wisdom suggesting that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of heart disease and extends life may be based on flawed studies. It highlighted that many studies linking moderate drinking to health benefits suffer from significant design issues and often include older adults and fail to distinguish between lifelong abstainers and those who have reduced their drinking due to health issues. As a result, moderate drinkers are compared to a group that includes people who may have stopped drinking because of poor health, skewing results to make moderate drinkers appear healthier. The comprehensive analysis of 107 studies revealed that while lower-quality studies associated moderate drinking with a 14% reduced risk of death, higher-quality studies that included younger participants and accurately differentiated between abstainers and occasional drinkers did not show such benefits, suggesting that moderate drinking may not extend lifespan and carries potential health risks, including increased cancer risk.
A team of researchers at Virginia Tech, US, revealed that food insecurity impacts individuals differently within a household, with mothers often bearing the brunt. Published in Nutrients, the study explored how variations in food security affect low-income mothers and caregivers and finds that when food is scarce, mothers frequently alter their eating habits to protect their children and others in the household — negatively affecting their physical and mental health. The results showed that mothers in food-insecure households experience heightened anxiety and depression compared to those in food-secure homes and are forced to employ more coping strategies to manage the food shortage. According to the researchers, the findings underscore the need for targeted mental health support for caregivers facing food insecurity. The team also advocates for the development of screening tools to identify which household members are experiencing food insecurity and emphasizes the importance of providing both nutritional education and mental health support. Since food insecurity often fluctuates, particularly during the holidays or summer, the study highlights a need for ongoing and adaptive support systems to ensure adequate nutrition for all family members.
By William Bradford Nichols
