Kate Farms unveils latest plant-based medical formulas

26 Aug 2020 --- Plant-based formula producer Kate Farms has launched two new organic, plant-based products – the Kate Farms Standard 1.4 formula and Kate Farms Pediatric Peptide 1.0 formula. As with all Kate Farms formulas, these are created for patients with chronic diseases who are experiencing food intolerance. Made with plant-based, USDA organic, non-GMO ingredients and without major allergens or artificial sweeteners, the formulas are suitable for lactose-free, vegan and gluten-free diets and can be used for either tube feeding or oral intake.

“For the general consumer, heightened awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet have become both more familiar to them and desired by them. That’s why we are seeing the incredible growth of consumer brands such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, nut milks and cheeses and other plant alternatives to popular, but less healthy, fare,” Cynthia Ambres, Kate Farms Chief Medical Officer Cynthia Ambres, MD, tells NutritionInsight.

Kate Farms Pediatric Peptide 1.0.“For the medical consumer, the interest in plant-based formulas is being driven by outcomes – helping cancer patients and those with chronic gastrointestinal conditions gain and maintain weight; improving tolerance, which leads to greater compliance across all patient populations; and finally, the growing awareness that plant-forward eating (whether it’s delivered through a tube or orally) has incredibly healthy ramifications on your body.”

The new Standard 1.4 formula is a high-calorie, plant-based organic formula designed to benefit patients ages 14 and over with difficulty gaining or maintaining weight. Standard 1.4 formula is also marketed as ideal for patients with cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease and other conditions who can benefit from calorie-dense formula options.

Meanwhile, the Pediatric Peptide 1.0 is a nutritional formula designed for growing kids with impaired digestion from disease conditions to help them consume necessary nutrients.

“As is always the case when you’re formulating a new medical nutrition formula, the challenges are less technical than time-bound. The greatest challenge was bringing the product to market quickly enough to be able to help the thousands of people – adults and kids – who need it. Their timeline is usually shorter than ours, and our race is always to “launch and help, launch and help,” details Dr. Ambres.

Science-backed formulas
New research to be presented at the 2020 Virtual Congress on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism – the annual conference of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) next month – demonstrates that Kate Farms’ plant-based, oral, enteral formulas (PBEF) are effective in helping adult oncology patients maintain or gain weight.

The study, led by Shayna Komar, a registered and licensed oncology dietitian based in Atlanta, US, found that all 13 patients reported tolerating the formula without experiencing side effects, such as stomach or bowel issues that would have declined their nutritional health.

Of the nine patients who were able to return for follow-up, six gained weight and three maintained weight while consuming Kate Farms products. Researchers believe that the company’s new Standard 1.4 PBEF will be “even more effective” among oncology patients because it is high in calories and like all Kate Farms formulas, is made without common allergens or artificial ingredients, allowing patients to receive more calories and nutrition in fewer servings.

“Struggling with a chronic disease brings so many unknowns for patients, and their diets are one thing they can take control of on their journeys,” says Komar. “The patients in this study not only maintained or gained weight and tolerated the Kate Farms formula, but they actually enjoyed it, which also allowed them to continue their treatment. Kate Farms’ medical nutritional formulas empowered patients to improve their nutritional health.”

Addressing pediatric patients
Kate Farms Pediatric Peptide 1.0 meets the demand of pediatric dietitians, pediatric gastroenterologists and pediatricians for a formula that is easy to digest with fewer calories. It also addresses the demand for an organic, non-GMO and palatable product among parents.

Kate Farms Standard 1.4. Kate Farms Pediatric Peptide 1.0 is formulated as an offer of complete nutrition, available in a vanilla flavor designed for kids aged one to 13 years with impaired digestion. This plant-based peptide formula is made with organic ingredients and does not contain dairy, soy, corn, gluten or nuts

Researchers believe that Kate Farms’ Pediatric Peptide 1.0 will be effective among kids experiencing tolerance issues because it is made with organic hydrolyzed pea protein, and also made without common allergens or artificial ingredients.

Pediatric surgeon Dr. Juan Calisto, Director of the Colorectal Center at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, states: “We know that plant-based foods are less inflammatory and are associated with less diseases in humans.”

“Together with their healthcare providers, patients understand the vital role nutrition plays in their health,” says Dr. Ambres. “They are demanding better, and we are excited to be able to offer two new formulas with the same high-quality, plant-based, organic ingredients to help patients thrive by overcoming the difficulties associated with other formulas.”

By Benjamin Ferrer

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