USDA-backed Healright bars tap into “food as medicine” approach

08 Jan 2021 --- Food as medicine has major potential to address diet-related illnesses such as diabetes. This is the central philosophy for Advanced Micronutrition, which has just launched an e-commerce platform for its Healright micronutrient bars.

“Healright offers the first micronutrient and fiber bar that has been clinically tested to improve metabolic health and decrease the risk of chronic disease,” Faith Son, CEO of Advanced Micronutrition, tells NutritionInsight. 

“The unique fifteen-year collaboration between Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that went into this bar shows in the results. These bars help to repair gut health and address inflammation markers, reduce bad cholesterol and triglycerides and minimize nutrient deficiencies.” 

The formula found in Healright bars – which contain 15 vitamins, 15 minerals, plant sterols, Kerry’s GanedenBC30 probiotic, and insoluble and soluble fibers – has also been shown to improve insulin resistance and aid modest weight loss over eight weeks. 

Harnessing the right nourishment
Food as medicine is seeing a resurgence as many chronic health conditions are on the rise. Son argues that the Healthright bars showcase the potential of food as medicine. 

“At a time when poor nutrition is on the rise and a staggering number of adults are diagnosed with diet-related illnesses, like diabetes or high cholesterol, a variety of stakeholders from governments to scientists and consumers are trying to see if there is a different way to keep us healthy.”

She points to the growth of other related health supplement markets as evidence of the success of food as medicine. Also interesting is the levels of investment in start-ups and NGOs harnessing food as medicine to provide consumers with another path to wellness. 

Indeed, Innova Market Insights has addressed this rising demand for foods that bolster wellness in its “Nutrition Hacking” trend for 2021.

Notably, four out of five people say they believe in progress in food and beverages through science. Additionally, three in five global consumers are increasingly looking for F&B products that support the immune system.

NPD in this space has also been blossoming. This week, Babybel unveiled two functional cheese snacks with probiotics and vitamins. 

“One of the incredible parts about the food as medicine approach is seeing with the right nourishment – the right level of micronutrients and fibers – the body has a much stronger potential to prevent, manage, treat, and even in some cases reverse diseases.”

A new platform
The bars first became available for pre-sale over the summer, but the launch of Healright.com creates a new worldwide exclusive platform for the patent-pending formulation. They are now available in five flavors via subscription programs. 

According to Son, the bars can help anyone looking to bolster their micronutrient intake and improve overall gut health.

She explains that during the R&D process, the team established that it would be important to use as many real food ingredients that are rich in the critical micronutrients and fibers as possible. This includes so-called “superfoods” like dark chocolate, walnuts and blueberries.

Prioritizing gut health
Dr. Mark Shigenaga, a key member of the original research team from fifteen years ago, states that besides restoring vitamin and mineral adequacy, the second major goal informing the product development was to keep the gut as strong as possible.

Safeguarding gut health is one of the primary goals of the Healright bars. Proper feeding of the gut wall is very important because not only does it make it stronger, but these nutrients help power the gut’s immune system needed to support a healthy microbiome.

“By providing those types of nutrients in the bar, you’re helping to boost the physical strength and immunologic fitness of the GI tract, all of which is important for overall health,” Shigenaga explains. 

“We also wanted to leverage important ingredients that have been well-researched and relevant health benefits, like GanedenBC30, a probiotic with gut health benefits,” adds Son. 

In December, a study found that adding GanedenBC30 to milk protein concentrate can aid the digestion of carbohydrates and proteins once active in the small intestine after germination.

The probiotic has also recently gained health claim approvals from Brazilian authorities, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.

Advanced Micronutrition is a portfolio company of Keen Growth Capital, an impact investing venture capital firm based in Florida US. Keen Growth Capital invests in early-stage food-related companies that generate meaningful social impact in addition to above market financial returns. 

By Katherine Durrell

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