Weekly Roundup: FDA flags cesium salt supplementation, Lonza to reduce GHG emissions at niacin site

14 Feb 2020 --- This week in nutrition news, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) flagged supplementation with cesium salt as detrimental to heart health and a cause of death. Lonza initiated a CO2-reducing project after detecting emissions of nitrous oxide at its Swiss niacin plant. Meanwhile, Bioenergy Life Science (BLS) chose Lithos Ingredients as its exclusive distributor of Bioenergy Ribose in the Benelux region. Celebrating novel ingredient development projects, Kaneka announced the winners of its Naturally Smart Probiotics Giveaway Contest for its newly launched probiotic line Floradapt. In research, a vitamin D deficiency in expecting mothers was linked to an increased risk of the born children having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In brief: Health risks
Supplementation with cesium salts may lead to heart toxicity and potential death. This is the conclusion of an FDA review of multiple clinical case reports and non-clinical studies, with the FDA now warning consumers to avoid using dietary supplements containing cesium chloride or any other cesium salt. The FDA is also alerting health care professionals of the risks associated with dietary supplements containing cesium salts, flagging their recommendation or prescription. Cesium salts have never been proven to be safe and effective to treat cancer or for any other use, the FDA highlights. Moreover, multiple clinical case reports and non-clinical studies show significant safety concerns related to the use of such products, including potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias, hypokalemia, seizures, fainting, unresponsiveness and death. 

At its Visp, Switzerland, plant, Lonza has detected emissions of nitrous oxide, a waste-product of niacin production, which is an organic compound and a form of vitamin B3. As nitrous oxide does not present any risks to human health, there are no legal or regulatory limits regarding handling the substance. To address by nitrous oxide’s contributions to the greenhouse gas effect, Lonza defined technical measures in close consultation with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). By the end of 2021 at the latest, a catalytic converter will be brought into operation for CHF12 million (US$12.2 million), which will reduce annual emissions corresponding to approximately 600,000 metric tons of CO2 by at least 98 percent. This comes on the heels of a localized hydrogen cyanide gas leak that occurred at Lonza’s Visp plant last month.

In brief: Partnerships
BLS partnered with Netherlands-based Lithos Ingredients to be the exclusive distributor of Bioenergy Ribose in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium (Benelux countries). Companies will have access to Lithos Ingredients’ concept development and marketing expertise as well as mutual support from BLS. Bioenergy Ribose is a 5 carbon carbohydrate, essential to the production of cellular energy, BLS affirms. The ingredient works by regulating the body’s natural energy synthesis and helps muscles regenerate lost energy and reduce muscle soreness.

In brief: Launches
Kaneka awarded the Phase One winners of its Kaneka Innovation Award Program (KIAP) within its Naturally Smart Probiotics Contest. The laureates won a giveaway worth US$150,000 of the newly launched probiotic product line, Floradapt. Seeking new marketing strategies for the winners’ novel products in the Baby Colic, IGI, Cardio categories, Kaneka selected a total of seven independent, innovative US brands based on their interest in developing the next generation of probiotics with unique mechanisms of action. The company will launch Phase Two of its Innovation Awards at Expo West 2020, open to all US and Canadian industry manufacturers.

In animal care news, Bioiberica Animal Nutrition revealed Palbio 50 RD, a protein source to help strengthen the digestibility of the diet and food consumption for Peruvian poultry. The product improves the productive parameters and intestinal health of broilers and laying hens. As poultry farming represents 25 percent of the gross value of agricultural activity in the country, according to the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation data, Peru is a critical country in Bioiberica’s international expansion plan. In research, Palbio 50 RD has demonstrated a reduction of intestinal fermentation, water consumption, injuries on the sole of the feet, the mortality rate in broiler chickens (1-2 percent) and the weight of the non-meaty parts of the chicken. The product has also shown increased weight of meat in the slaughterhouse, the number of hens in production, egg weight and proportion of eggs. 

In brief: Research
A Finnish study identified that the risk of ADHD was 34 percent higher in children whose mother had a vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy than in those children whose mother’s vitamin D level was sufficient during the first and second trimesters. The goal of the study was to produce information for developing preventative treatments and measures for identifying children with ADHD risk. Published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the study included 1,067 children born between 1998 and 1999 diagnosed with ADHD in Finland and the same number of matched controls. The data was collected before the current national recommendation in Finland for the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy, which is 10 mg per day throughout the year. 

By Anni Schleicher