Weekly Roundup: USDA invests US$8M for nutrition incentives, Bipartisan committee raises concerns over Dietary Supplement Listing Act

12 Aug 2022 --- This week in nutrition news, the USDA invested nearly US$8 million to increase dietary security and health. The key members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the principal negotiating body for FDA user fees, raise serious objections to the inclusion of the Dietary Supplement Listing Act’s provisions. These include the requirement for mandatory product listing. Meanwhile, the US will import infant formula from Mexico-based Reckitt Nutrition to address shortages.

In brief: Business news
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) stated that the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Produce Prescription Program will now have roughly US$8 million in access. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will handle the financing as part of the American Rescue Plan initiatives. GusNIP Produce Prescription initiatives give income-eligible people and families financial and non-financial incentives to buy fresh fruits and vegetables to promote nutritional health through greater consumption. GusNIP enterprises create understanding to enhance the health and nutritional status of participating families and use data to find and develop best practices on a large scale by bringing stakeholders from many sections of the food and health care systems together.

BrainMD’s Vegan Omega-3 Power is made with omega 3 technology.Bipartisan members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee stated that the controversial dietary supplement restrictions included in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) User Fee reauthorization in the Senate should be removed. Leading the effort was representative Jeff Duncan, who wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and minority leader Kevin McCarthy requesting that dietary supplement clauses be removed from the FDA user fee reauthorization agreement. Richard Burr, the ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee, submitted FDA user fee legislation last month that also leaves out the problematic provisions. They further pointed out that there were no official committee discussions of the requirements, no hearings and no regular, orderly debate of the measures.

As the US continues to experience infant formula shortages, the FDA will import formula from Mexico-based Reckitt Nutrition/Mead Johnson Nutrition under the agency’s recent increased flexibilities. The products include the base powder for PurAmino hypoallergenic infant formula – an amino acid-based formula with iron. PurAmino is a hypoallergenic, iron-fortified infant formula based on amino acids for infants and toddlers with severe allergies to cow’s milk protein and other foods. The majority of the distribution channels for the product will be hospitals, other healthcare facilities and a few retail outlets. The first delivery of 331 000 pounds of essential powder will be utilized to make about 6 million full-size, 8 oz bottles.

Jessica Bass James, the founder of Dance2Fit, introduced her brand, D2Fit Nutrition. D2Fit Nutrition uses collagen and biotin for improved workout results. The final product includes a blend of collagen and biotin, with the latter being a B complex vitamin that aids the body in obtaining energy from the food it eats. Collagen is linked to essential fitness objectives like increasing muscle mass, treating joint discomfort and even losing weight.  Healthy hair, skin and nails are also linked to collagen and biotin. The D2Fit Multi Collagen Preworkout is pegged as a suitable product for increasing energy, focus and endurance in the short term and joint health due to its dual influence on activity and appearance. Additionally, the mixture has a delicious sour gummy flavor that makes it both tasty and convenient to take.

GusNIP Produce Prescription initiatives give income-eligible people and families incentives to buy fresh fruits and vegetables to promote health.In brief: Launches and releases
BrainMD Health introduced the “world’s first” ultra-high triglyceride-form EPA/DHA vegan omega 3 supplement. According to the company, Vegan Omega-3 Power is made with omega 3 technology and contains 1,100 mg of omega 3 per serving, EPA at a dose of 700 mg per serving and DHA at 300 mg per serving. Additionally, the Vegan Omega-3 Power is the “only” dual NSF non-GMO and non-GMO project verified algal omega 3 oil. BrainMD’s Vegan Omega-3 Power’s PureAlgaeOmega3 vegan omega 3 oil is made in a facility that follows the Aquaculture Stewardship Council Chain of Custody and is solvent-free and clean-label.

In brief: Research and studies
A China-based study found that salt replacements reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and early mortality. However, it was unclear whether these advantages would extend to other regions. The study involved 21 relevant international clinical trials involving nearly 30,000 people, carried out in Europe, the Western Pacific Region, the Americas and South-East Asia. The salt substitutes’ sodium chloride content ranged from 33% to 75%, while their potassium content ranged from 25 % to 65%. The examination of the combined data revealed that salt alternatives reduced blood pressure in all of the subjects. Systolic blood pressure generally decreased by 4.61 mm Hg, while diastolic blood pressure decreased overall by 1.61 mm Hg. Regardless of the location, age, sex, history of high blood pressure, weight, baseline blood pressure, or baseline sodium and potassium levels in the urine, blood pressure reductions appeared to be consistent across all of these variables.

A China-based study unveiled that dietary salt substitutes lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes. OmniActive Health Technologies unveiled study results on enXtra, its caffeine-alternative energy supplement. The study was a placebo-controlled, crossover study involving 62 subjects. The study’s overall goal was to evaluate the efficacy of enXtra on mental alertness and fatigue after a single serving of 300 mg per day of enXtra. EnXtra consumption resulted in a quick increase in mental alertness, sustained through 5 hours. Similarly, scores for attention and focus were more significant in the group receiving enXtra, with benefits for attention measured as early as 30 minutes. The company expects the study to be published later this year. EnXtra is made from a proprietary extract of DNA-authenticated Alpinia galanga, better known as Thai ginger. It is well suited for energy drinks, RTDs, shots, bars, snacks and gummies.

Research from the University of California, San Diego, US, found that excessive consumption of alcohol can increase the number of bacteria in the gut. Still, a study on mice discovered that this imbalance doesn’t increase the risk of alcoholic liver disease. The researchers proposed that acetate produced by the liver diffuses back into the intestines, where it becomes a carbon source to support bacterial growth, causing gut microbiota reprogramming. Acetate is a nutrient used in cellular metabolism and plays a part in regulating appetite and immunological response. It is connected to metabolic alterations linked to diseases like cancer when present at excessive levels. The researchers gave mice a molecule that could be broken down in their guts into three acetates. The added acetate, the researchers discovered, affected the animals’ intestinal microbiota in a manner similar to what they saw when they gave the mice alcohol, but without adversely affecting their livers.

By Nicole Kerr