Nestlé launches prediabetes program bringing glucose-regulating supplement to Malaysia

09 Dec 2021 --- Nestlé is launching its first prediabetes program in Malaysia, with its Nutren GlucoSmart supplement aimed to help maintain normal blood glucose.

The powder can be sprinkled over meals and contains Reducose, a mulberry leaf extract and natural ingredient known in Asian traditional therapies for lowering blood glucose spikes.

“The results from our clinical study demonstrate the maximal efficacy of Reducose in lowering the glucose response after a carbohydrate complete meal by 30%,” says Christian Darimont, metabolic health expert at Nestlé Research, who performed the study.

Importance of formats
Notably, the best results were observed when the product was mixed within the meal rather than consumed separately before eating. 

“Hence the importance of having the product in a format that can be sprinkled over a meal,” flags Darimont. 

Across the industry, the importance of delivery formats has been flagged where younger consumers in particular, are seeking new experiences in their supplements. Companies are experimenting with a range of formats, including gummies, pastilles and even chewy sweets. 

Digital support
Maintaining healthy blood glucose levels after meals is central to lower Type 2 diabetes risks. According to Nestlé, approximately 7.5% of the world’s adult population has suboptimal metabolic health and is considered to be prediabetic. If not addressed, prediabetes can progress into Type 2 diabetes leading to health complications and increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the company notes. 

As part of the prediabetes program, Nestlé will also offer a web-based digital platform that carries out an assessment of diabetes risks and provides tailored recommendations for prediabetes-friendly meal plans.

“It is really critical to prevent the onset of the disease, hence our focus on a comprehensive prediabetes program,” says Yu Cheng, global head of metabolic health at Nestlé Health Science. 

It applies nutritional rules controlling the parameters that are most relevant in prediabetes, such as glycemic load, calorie and sodium intake, to propose recipes from an extensive proprietary recipe hub. 

The recipes are then algorithmically combined into weekly prediabetes meal plans in line with local guidelines and recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet, notes the company. 

Prediabetes increasingly explored
Last year, research revealed that the earliest event leading to prediabetes is a dysfunction of the beta-cell – the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels – independent of body weight. 

As companies target niche markets, citrus-derived flavonoids and ingredients manufacturer Ingredients by Nature launched Eriomin, touted as supporting glycemic control and reducing systemic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Experts have also called for a more personalized, diabetes-focused medical nutrition therapy as the cost of diabetes treatments have raised flags across the world. The UK in particular has been described to be at a “tipping point of a public health emergency,” with 5.5 million people in the UK expected to be living with diabetes in the next decade.

Edited by Andria Kades