HUM Nutrition debuts anti-stress gummy supplements

07 Jan 2021 --- US-based wellness brand HUM Nutrition has unveiled vegan anti-stress gummies that the company says can reduce symptoms of insomnia and anxiety.

Branded Calm Sweet Calm, the gummies are formulated with Ashwagandha root and L-theanine and finished with a natural sour cherry flavor.

The creators point to growing evidence of rising stress levels in the US, saying: “While it is impossible to eliminate outside stressors, there are ways to better control stress and its effects on your mind and body.” 

Indian ginseng for stress 
Ashwagandha, also known as Indian ginseng, is a nightshade plant traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine. 

The plant’s root extract is also an adaptogen shown in clinical studies to reduce stress over time. 

Reduced stress symptoms include improved focus and concentration, increased ability to stay calm in stressful situations and lower cortisol levels, says HUM. 

“Studies provide good evidence that we should be using Ashwagandha to help those suffering from anxiety, particularly those who wish to use a natural ingredient,” says Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

“A recent double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study shows that after eight weeks, those who took Ashwagandha had much lower levels on the Perceived Stress Scale and found a significant decrease in their serum cortisol levels.”

L-theanine, Calm Sweet Calm’s second ingredient, is an amino acid not commonly found in regular diets. It is proven to improve mood and can cause relaxation without the side effect of drowsiness, HUM asserts. 

Calm Sweet Calm adds to a growing number of supplements aimed at aiding rising public stress levels.Naidoo also speaks to the efficacy of combining these two ingredients. 

“The use of key ingredients Ashwagandha root coupled with L-theanine has shown to provide some relief from symptoms of daily stress.”

Stress is on the rise 
According to the American Institute of Stress, stress levels are becoming worse for around half of all US residents. 

Forty-eight percent of people have trouble sleeping due to stress factors, says HUM, and these symptoms can cascade over time into more serious health problems. 

As the body perceives stress, the adrenal glands generate and release the hormone cortisol into the bloodstream. While cortisol is stimulated by the body’s natural fight or flight response, cortisol release over prolonged periods can have long-term and damaging effects.

Such effects include headaches, a weakened immune system, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, poor skin health, weight gain and insomnia. 

Is supplementation the answer? 
In 2019, the Council for Responsible Nutrition reported that 77 percent of US adults say that they consume dietary supplements on a regular basis. 

Innova Market Insights has also reported that consumers increasingly see physical and mental health with equal importance, and has ranked Mood: The Next Occasion as one of its top trends for 2021. 

A 2018 Innova Market Insights survey found that eight out of ten consumers agreed that mental health is as important as physical health to their overall well-being, rising to nine out of ten respondents in China and Brazil. 

As public stress levels continue to rise, particularly under quarantine restrictions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, industry has an increasing space to provide new solutions through supplementation. 

In November, Nestlé Health Science’s personalized vitamins subsidiary, Persona Nutrition, released a line of supplements to address this growing market, with a range of products targeting issues such as sleep, energy and anxiety. 

Edited

By Louis Gore-Langton