SupplySide West 2024: ADM and IFF offer nutrition solutions to complement medical weight management

Continued awareness and growing interest in GLP-1 agonists and other anti-obesity medications are boosting consumer demand for natural solutions to accompany pharmaceutical approaches to weight loss. At the recent SupplySide West trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, nutrition companies showcased their complementary products for consumers taking these drugs. 

On the show floor, Nutrition Insight met with ADM and IFF to explore their new offerings supporting consumers’ weight loss and metabolic health needs. 

Vaughn DuBow, ADM’s senior director of product marketing, and Brad Schwan, VP of marketing, discussed the company’s ingredient innovation for GLP-1 agonist medication users and post-treatment support. 

Schwan added that ADM has been actively investigating this area from a consumer standpoint. “We think that this is a major consumer trend that is going to come, and it’s going to create a meaningful group of consumers who also have distinct needs.” 

“When you think about a big enough group of consumers with unique needs, that gives you a marketplace opportunity. As ADM, our role and focus is to help our customers design products that will win with consumers.” 

GLP-1 consumers

Supplementary product development around GLP-1 weight loss treatment has been ramping up, as evidenced by brand activity. Lemme, the supplement brand founded by reality star Kourtney Kardashian Barker, for instance, recently introduced Lemme GLP-1 Daily, a plant-based supplement that claims to naturally boost GLP-1 hormone levels.

ADM identifies five unique needs for GLP-1 consumers, which it addresses with its ingredient solutions. “Three of them are when the consumer is actively on a GLP-1 drug, and two of them happen when the consumer comes off the drug,” Schwan explained. 

“The first one is about muscle mass retention. When you lose weight, 20% to 40% of the weight you lose is coming from lean muscle mass. The second need is around minimization of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. We did a proprietary study, and about 40% of consumers on the GLP-1 drugs are experiencing some GI symptoms. A third key need is hydration — in our study, about 43% of consumers said they were struggling to remain hydrated.” 

At SupplySide West 2024, we met up with ADM’s DuBow and Schwan.DuBow highlighted ADM’s offering to support these consumer needs. He underscored that muscle retention is crucial for consumers, not just GLP-1 users. “We have many different ingredient solutions, starting with our proteins that can support lean body mass; we specialize in pea and soy protein.” 

For example, he pointed to a protein drink that offers pea, soy and milk proteins. “It’s fortified with 60% of your daily value of calcium and has three grams of fiber. It provides everything someone on these anti-obesity medications may need to see.” 

He adds that ADM focuses on biotics rooted in digestive health. “We have a new product, a probiotic and a postbiotic offering called ES1. That’s a unique offering, not only because it is a postbiotic that can enable it to be formulated into foods and drinks, but it also has some unique claim language behind it,” DuBow explains.

“Beyond traditional digestive health benefits, we have a reduction of bloating claim that can also be associated with that. Less distension, tightness and bloating help enable 40% of consumers with GI distress. We can directly attenuate that, ensure it’s not worsening and help them on their journey.” 

Metabolic health

The ADM representatives also detail the company’s fiber offering. DuBow shared that its Fibersol ingredient may delay hunger when consumed at 10 grams with a meal. “We have some opportunities to satiate consumers and make sure they’re not feeling as hungry for as long.” 

In addition, he explained that as people increase their fiber intake, they will retain water better, which will support their hydration. 

Schwan added that these solutions help people who stop using the GLP-1 drugs manage cravings. 

“While you’re on the drugs, dial down the level of food noise. You’re not thinking about food so much. When you go off the drugs, you turn the dial back up. Offerings that can help promote satiety are significant. We think customers who offer consumer products will find an advantage and a marketplace niche.”

IFF showcased its probiotic offerings for weight loss and gut health at the show, including Biotics Boost and Howaru.ADM offers other metabolic health solutions that assist with discontinuing weight loss drugs, such as BPL1, which has been shown to reduce visceral fat and waist circumference. “We can help support consumers with weight loss from BPL1 and help them feel more satiety throughout the day, for example with Fibersol, to feel like they’re fuller and will feel better simultaneously,” noted DuBow. 

Rousselot also presented a metabolic health solution at the show. The company presented new clinical data that confirmed that its Nextida GC collagen peptide composition can lower post-meal glucose spikes. Rousselot’s science integration manager tells us that the solution can enhance the natural secretion of GLP-1 hormone. 

Probiotic blends

IFF has a similar focus on metabolic health as a key focus area for product development, as Vik Prabhu, SVP of health sciences, told us at the trade fair. 

“We have been working in this area for over a decade. More recently, there has been a lot of excitement related to GLP-1. But our interest in metabolic health goes beyond our current fascination with this. GLP-1 is here to stay for a very long time and we’re working on some interesting concepts, but the broader aspects of metabolic health are critical in our portfolio.” 

Prabhu highlighted a probiotic blend developed by IFF for metabolic health, adding that some consumers may look for products to support their weight loss journey while others are interested in improving their fiber intake. “We have a probiotic with a prebiotic blend to improve consumers’ dietary fiber consumption.”

This Biotics Boost blend helps increase the secretion of GLP-1 hormones and acts as a synbiotic with the company’s probiotic Howaru B420 to support weight management. Howaru contains probiotic strains that relieve GI symptoms, including abdominal discomfort, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. 

The company is also invested in developing women’s health solutions targeting broad-spectrum concerns, which it presented at the recent SupplySide West event in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. 

With additional reporting by William Bradford Nichols at SupplySide West Las Vegas, US