Weekly Roundup: Hofseth Biocare outlines quarterly earnings, Nexira announces Canadian distribution with Quadra

05 Feb 2021 --- This week in nutrition news, Hofseth Biocare released its quarterly financial report. Meanwhile, Nexira announced its products will be distributed throughout Canada by Quadra as of April this year. Also, researchers uncovered links between dietary fiber and PTSD symptoms.

In brief: Business news
Hofseth Biocare (HBC) released its fourth-quarter 2020 financial report, showing gross operating revenues of NOK 23.1 million (US$2.7 million). The company highlighted the successful completion of a private placement of NOK 200 million (US$23.4 million) by insurance through 24.6 million shares into existing shareholders. HBC also received approval from Health Canada for its ProGo, and CollaGo supplements for health claims focused on maintaining healthy ferritin and hemoglobin levels in the blood. 

France-based acacia gum specialist Nexira announced its products will be distributed throughout Canada by Quadra as of April 1. Quadra serves the Canadian food industry with dairy, bakery, prepared foods, bars, sports nutrition, snacks, confectionery, meat, seafood and pet nutrition. The company’s R&D, marketing and logistical teams will also help Nexira develop its presence throughout Canada. Quadra will be taking over the role from LV Lomas. 

Fucoidan, derived from algae, is showing early signs as an effective ingredient for increasing muscle mass.Global life sciences company LGC announced the launch of a new website for its banned substance testing and certification programs. The site offers a “robust search functionality,” allowing users to filter nutritional products by regional availability, product type, brand or goal. The sites also provide expanded information for pages related to the certification process and education about banned substance contamination. 

Kopolow & Girisgen Doctors of Optometry, an optometry group based in Las Vegas, US, selected MacuHealth to provide its line of supplements for visual performance and health to its patients. MacuHealth produces vision supplements formulated with the macular carotenoids lutein, meso-zeaxanthin and zeaxanthin. 

In brief: Launches and releases 
HealthyWomen and Black Women’s Health Imperative, two women’s health expert bodies, announced a partnership to raise awareness of obesity as a disease and national health crisis in a manner that is “free of stigma, judgment and bias.” The campaign, dubbed Reclaim Your Wellness, will focus on making obesity a healthcare priority while improving the lives of people with obesity and changing how the world sees, prevents and treats obesity as a disease. Both partners will work on providing educational programs and resources for women online.

Nutrasource Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Services, a Canada-based nutraceutical and pharmaceutical life sciences company, announced it is now an official Institution-Wide Cannabis Research License holder under the Cannabis Act. The company obtained approval from Health Canada’s Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch. With the institutional license now in place, Nutrasource’s clients will have an accelerated path to cannabis human research authorizations, a process that historically involved uncertain and prolonged timelines when submitting individual projects on a stand-alone basis.

In brief: Regulation and guidance
The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) began formalizing a partnership with Trading Standards, the UK service that protects consumers from unfair trading practices. The Coordinated Primary Authority Partnership will allow ACI, and its members, to seek advice from the officials responsible for enforcing a soon-to-be compliant CBD market. Trading Standards will monitor products on the market and maintain a National Intelligence Database to support its officers. As part of the agreement, the ACI has agreed to run educational webinars and develop literature to enable Trading Standards officers to recognize non-compliant CBD products sold in the UK.Consuming adequate fiber could be important for patients with PTSD.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of industry self-regulation body BBB National Programs advised Nanoceutical Solutions to discontinue efficacy and establishment claims for its Nano Glutathione liquid dietary supplement. NAD issued the advice after finding insufficient evidence to support the claims, which insinuated a link between low glutathione and a range of serious diseases like cancer, following a challenge by the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Nanoceutical Solutions said it disagreed with the decision’s logic and findings but promised to heed the NAD’s advice. 

In brief: Research and studies 
A study at La Trobe University, Australia, demonstrated that oral supplementation of the fucoidan, a marine polysaccharide, might increase both muscle size and muscle strength in mice. The findings are the latest results of an ongoing research program conducted by fucoidan development company Marinova into the beneficial effects of fucoidan on sports performance. Fucoidan is a highly bioactive compound that occurs naturally in brown seaweeds.

Kate Farms presented new research at the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) virtual annual meeting, which demonstrated its pediatric formula efficacy. The results showed improved tolerance, weight gain and adherence in 159 pediatric formula users between one and 20 years old. Kate Farms’ pea protein plant-based enteral formula (PP PBEF) was also shown to reduce constipation by 32 to 40 percent. 

A study by the University of Toronto revealed several links between dietary nutrition and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants were less likely to exhibit PTSD symptoms if they consumed an average of two to three fiber sources daily. The study included 27,211 participants aged 45 to 85 years, of whom 1,323 had PTSD. Researchers hypothesize that fiber fermentation in the colon, which produces short-chain fatty acids, may communicate with cells and affect brain function. 

A clinical trial showed consumption of ExcelVite’s supplement EVNol SupraBio for 12 months could significantly improve renal function in diabetic nephropathy subjects. Fifty-nine diabetic nephropathy patients were randomized to receive either 200 mg EVNol SupraBio (encapsulated in softgel Tocovid Suprabio) twice daily or a placebo. An increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and a decrease in serum creatinine denoted renal function improvement throughout the participants. 

By Louis Gore-Langton