Lipogen introduces CognoLipid to cognitive health and chronic stress management markets

05 Feb 2021 --- Israel-based ingredient manufacturer Lipogen is introducing CognoLipid to the mental health market, with a particular focus on alleviating women’s stress. The company emphasizes that the move will help expand its presence in North America.

The patented phospholipid formula combines phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidic acid (PA) to aid cognitive performance. It can reduce high chronic stress by balancing the stress hormone, cortisol.

“High levels of cortisol affect men, women and children. That leads to a breakdown in the immune system, which affects memory, focus, concentration and alertness,” Stephen Lukawski, lead sales and business consultant for Lipogen, tells NutritionInsight.

“Last year, we were talking about immune health. It’s not just about immune health anymore, though. It’s about chronic stress.”

CognoLipid is suitable for liquids, powders, gummies, chewable tablets and softgels.Targeting the women’s market
Mindful that stress levels in women and men can vary, Lipogen’s research has previously tested CognoLipid’s effects in:

• Reducing PMS symptoms and high chronic stress in women.
• Stabilizing high chronic stress levels in men.
• Tackling “winter blues” with smaller doses in older adults with dementia.
  
  Lukawski highlights how studies on women’s stress levels are lacking because of female hormones and birth control affecting study results. 

Besides tapping into the women’s health market, Lukawski notes that Lipogen is further looking to the mental well-being segment for children, who have not been exempted from pandemic-induced stress.

Industry’s hidden secret
Lipogen affirms there are no scientific studies to date demonstrating PS alone has any effect on chronic stress. Rather, it is the blend of PS and PA that make CognoLipid effective.

“This is the hidden secret in the industry: Everybody thinks that PS has an impact on chronic stress and it doesn’t,” Lukawski details.

CognoLipid is entering the global market, primarily focusing on women’s health.“It may help with acute stress, which is more sports-oriented, but chronic stress is more social- and physiological-oriented. That affects us differently.”

What is lacking, Lukawski continues, is better consumer education on the strengthened effects of PS in combination with PA. “The real story has not been told.”

Clean label with cabbage
Tapping into the clean label trend, CognoLipid is vegan, allergen-free, and has a US Food and Drug Administration-reviewed Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) designation.

Lipogen uses an enzyme process to manufacture the phospholipids using cabbage. As a water-based extraction process, it opts out from using standard organic solvents. 

The proprietary process mimics how the human body creates the nutrient, promoting quick absorption by the body and its brain cells. 

Lipogen states it is the only known manufacturer of phospholipids that does not rely on chemical solvents to produce phospholipid formulas.

Growth in launches with a brain-mood health claim.Stress in North America
Innova Market Insights pegged “Mood: The Next Occasion” as one of its top F&B trends for 2021.

The uncertainty driven by the ongoing pandemic and busy lifestyles are putting a spotlight on products that can offer stress relief, mood-balancing effects and other functional health benefits.

According to Innova Market Insights data, Western regions are driving growth in brain-mood health supplements. 

In North America, 23 percent of supplement launches were tracked with a brain-mood health claim in 2019, compared to 16 percent in 2015.

NutritionInsight’s latest industry roundtable spotlighted mental well-being as a major trend influencing the supplement sector, with the potential to surpass more traditional physical areas, such as weight management and appearance.

In the future, Lipogen is looking to partner with Fruit d’Or Nutriceuticals to further expand into the women’s health market. A CognoLipid-cranberry combination in gummy form will target chronic stress and UTIs.

By Anni Schleicher