Unintentional weight loss “overlooked” by industry: Envara Health launches medical food addressing fat malabsorption

21 Oct 2020 --- Envara Health will launch a medical food called Encala later this month. Its aim is to address fat malabsorption in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other exocrine pancreatic diseases.

Envara Health CEO and co-founder Jim O’Connell tells NutritionInsight that this launch fills a gap in the weight management sector.

“For decades, the nutrition industry has been focused on weight loss. However, one in five [US consumers] has a digestive disease, while many others suffer from unintentional weight loss. We hope the Encala launch will shine a brighter light on malabsorption – a real problem that has been overlooked by the industry.”

“Beyond treatment”
CF causes the body to produce thick mucus, making it difficult for the intestine to absorb fat and nutrients, requiring people to eat more calories to compensate.

Encala tackles this issue by providing an easily absorbed type of fat called lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). This offers fat calories to food and beverages while simultaneously helping the body absorb fat and fat-soluble vitamins that are already present in food.

As a result, Encala can assist in weight management “beyond what you would experience on pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) alone,” the company notes.

“Lacking” clinical evidence in medical foods
There is a “convergence of interest” across the food industry in nutritional products that offer health benefits, says O’Connell. 

An NIH-funded clinical study found Encala supplementation improved the BMI index, weight and height of children with CF after three months.“[A convergence of interest] is actually a requirement for medical foods, yet breakthrough science and clinical evidence often seem to be lacking,” he argues.

To this end, Envara Health conducted a National Institute Health (NIH)-funded clinical study to understand how Encala might help people with CF improve fat and nutrient absorption. 

For one year, 110 children with CF, pancreatic insufficiency and more severe fat malabsorption added Encala or an active placebo to their meals, beverages or snacks twice or three times a day. 

After three months, subjects from the Encala group experienced greater improvements in fat absorption and fatty acids than the test group. They also reported improved weight, height and body mass index (BMI). 

Envara is currently evaluating what other benefits Encala might provide across a broader range of conditions.

“While a growing number of companies in the food industry are making health claims, we want to raise the stakes and lead with real clinical evidence. Data matters to all of our customers, their families and their clinicians,” O’Connell maintains.

Encala in pasta, cookies and smoothies
Encala was also determined as a safe, well-tolerated and efficacious means of supplementation in the at-risk patient group both in this NIH-funded clinical trial and in previous studies, says O’Connell. 

“Based on feedback, we have reduced the serving size by 40 percent, increased the amount of structured lipid, eliminated added sugar and made the powder gluten-free,” he details.

 Convenience and eased integration into meals and beverages was also important to Envara Health. Encala will arrive as a plant-based powder available in 15-serving pouches or on-the-go single-serving sticks. 

O’Connell flags that the weight management sector has neglected attention toward consumers fighting unintentional weight loss.The company’s website offers recipes that explain how to make pancakes, pasta, cookies and smoothies with Encala. 

“Many years have been spent refining and improving [Encala’s sensory] attributes, including achieving a taste-neutral profile that could be mixed in a variety of foods and beverages,” O’Connell underscores.

The therapy is recommended for use under medical supervision in adults and children over one year of age who have transitioned to toddler or family table food. 

Converging weight management and medical food
Previously, NutritionInsight discussed how the weight management sector is moving away from the traditional weight loss focus, although key terms such as “thinning,” “slimming” and “fat-burning” are still key terms in the sector.

Meanwhile, the medical foods sector is seeing heightened demand, encouraging Dutch Medical Foods’ market entry earlier last month. Its peptide-based medical food products target CF, alongside diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and digestive impairment.

The increasing cost of medical services has further caused a consumer shift toward adopting healthy alternatives and preventative mindsets. A recent US study pointed out that subsidizing healthy foods could help lower medical costs. 

By Anni Schleicher