Blood sugar management

New NZ study to explore impact of Fonterra's probiotic strain on pre-diabetics

17-Jan-2018 By Cheryl Tay

A new study is aiming to find out if Fonterra's probiotic Lactobacillus ​rhamnosus HN001 can help to prevent diabetes in pre-diabetic individuals.

Herbalife's new personalised nutrition programme, Gene Start, debuts in South Korea

16-Jan-2018 By Cheryl Tay

Herbalife has chosen South Korea for the launch of its new personalised nutrition programme, Gene Start, as it seeks to capitalise on growing APAC demand for customised health solutions.

Carotenoids key to reducing diabetes and diabetic retinopathy risk: China study

16-Jan-2018 By Gary Scattergood

A diet rich in carotenoids may protect against diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, according to a new cross-sectional study on 747 Chinese subjects.

Currying favour: A combination of functional spices can help fight metabolic disorders

11-Jan-2018 By Gary Scattergood

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that a polyphenol-rich curry could aid the fight against type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases by improving postprandial glucose homeostasis and increasing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

Mediterranean diet could inspire functional food development to tackle type 2 diabetes: Review

05-Jan-2018 By Cheryl Tay

Components of the Mediterranean diet could provide a multi-component model for functional foods to combat type 2 diabetes, according to a recent review.

Diet may influence gallstone formation risk and type: Korean population study

03-Jan-2018 By Cheryl Tay

High red meat and animal fat intake may increase the risk of cholesterol gallstone formation, while high carbohydrate intake could raise the risk of pigment gallstones, researchers have revealed.

Asian-type diets linked to lower diabetes prevalence in the Gaza Strip: Iranian study

21-Dec-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Asian-style dietary patterns may be linked to a lower incidence of diabetes in the Gaza Strip, say researchers in Iran.

Sugary foods and processed meats the main culprits behind Aussie children's excessive energy intake

19-Dec-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Cakes, biscuits, processed meats and sugary drinks are among the main intervention targets to reduce the consumption of discretionary foods among children and teenagers in Australia.

Synbiotic supplementation can combat metabolic syndrome: Chinese review

14-Dec-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Altering the gut microbiota with probiotics and prebiotics could help fight metabolic syndrome, say researchers in China.

Innovation in noodle production could help fight diabetes in Asia

08-Nov-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Researchers are hoping that increasing the protein content in wheat crops will improve the nutritional benefits of noodles and help slash the risk of diabetes

Grasping the nettle: Iranian plants have anti-diabetes potential, say researchers

08-Nov-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Several species of medicinal plants can be used in developing anti-diabetes drugs with limited side effects, according to Iranian researchers.

Diabetes from dairy? Cow's milk ingredient may trigger type 1 condition: Review

07-Nov-2017 By Cheryl Tay

An ingredient in cow's milk has been identified as a potential type 1 diabetes trigger in those with genetic risk factors, but researchers say they have been frustrated in efforts to make the findings available to the wider public.

Roquette’s APAC expansion driven by obesity, diabetes, and ‘burgeoning middle class’

27-Oct-2017 By Cheryl Tay

French ingredient supplier Roquette has set up new APAC headquarters and an innovation centre in Singapore to focus on Asian consumers' health concerns.

Traditional herbal extract may be able to combat type 2 diabetes: Thai study

05-Oct-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Aqueous extract from Mathurameha, a traditional Thai herbal formula, has been found to have hypoglycaemic properties, according to Thai researchers.

Asia's diabetes epidemic provides 'huge opportunities' for New Zealand firms

04-Oct-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Asia's soaring diabetes rates are providing new opportunities for New Zealand’s food and nutrition firms, with leading scientists joining forces to assess the functional potential of a host of ingredients for export.

Diabetes in Japan: Number of patients hits record 10m

27-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

The number of diabetics in Japan is thought to have reached a record 10 million in 2016, according to new health ministry estimates.

AI, chat bots and e-commerce taking APAC's nutrition industry to the next level

27-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Technological advances are having a big impact on the APAC supplement and functional food industry, with the most innovative firms enjoying "a major boon” as more consumers go online for advice and to make purchases.

TCM herbal extract mixture helps lower diabetes risk: Chinese mouse study

20-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

A combination of refined herbal extracts can help to lower the risk of diabetes, according to a Chinese study.

FI Asia 2017

Black gold? Rhizome extract said to have anti-ageing and anti-diabetic effects

15-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Black ginger extract could have important implications for healthy ageing and diabetes, as well as athletic performance.

Vitafoods Asia 2017

WATCH: Singapore supplement CEO on the three biggest APAC growth sectors

13-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Beauty from within, sports nutrition and healthy ageing are driving the supplements business in APAC, according to the CEO of Singapore firm Avida Health.

Vitafoods Asia 2017

Chinese supplier aiming to bring monk fruit-based sweetener to Japan and Europe

12-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Chinese supplier Guilin Layn Natural Ingredients plans to capitalise on the growing prevalence of health-conscious consumers to bring its monk fruit-based sweetener to Japan and Europe.

Vitafoods Asia 2017

APAC's fastest growing functional and fortified food markets revealed

07-Sep-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia are tipped to be among the fastest growing functional food and fortified product markets in APAC to 2021, while Japan is witnessing a wave of product innovation on the back of its new Food with Function...

Resveratrol boosts heart health of type 2 diabetes patients: Japanese RCT

29-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Resveratrol supplementation could provide heart benefits for people with type 2 diabetes by alleviating arterial stiffness and lowering oxidative stress, a Japanese study has found.

Glucoraphanin shows preventive effects against obesity and type 2 diabetes

25-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Supplementation with glucoraphanin — an antioxidant found in broccoli, cauliflower, and mustard — could help prevent type 2 diabetes and obesity, as well as obesity-related metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a study by Kanazawa...

Australian study affirms vitamin D’s ability to lower type 2 diabetes risk

17-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Vitamin D could be useful in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes, an Australian population-based study has found.

Short-term fish oil consumption helps prevents type 2 diabetes in people with existing metabolic disorders: Meta-analysis

15-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Fish oil supplementation can increase insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of diabetes among metabolic disorder sufferers, according to a new meta-analysis by Chongqing Medical University.

Singapore PM declares ‘war on diabetes’ in National Day message

10-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong has said the city state needs to "go all out" to fight the soaring number of diabetes cases.

Insufficient toenail magnesium linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes

09-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Insufficient toenail magnesium might be linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes among Chinese adults, according to a study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

Botanicals and diabetes: Which products show the most promise to help ease Asia's epidemic?

08-Aug-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Fenugreek, ivy gourd, Russian tarragon, psyllium and ginger have been identified as some of the most promising botanicals meriting further investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Chitosan combined with resistant starch slashes obesity and may prevent diabetes

26-Jun-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Supplementation with a combination of resistant starch and chitosan may help prevent obesity and diabetes.

Stevia toxicity: New tests support high dose functional food and supplement use beyond sweetness

20-Jun-2017 By Gary Scattergood

The ethanolic extract from stevia rebaudiana bertoni has been claimed to be safe for human consumption at 300 times the recommended daily dose, opening up considerable functional food and nutraceutical opportunities beyond its traditional sweetening role,...

Supplements' 'smart role' underlined as report reveals sorry state of Australia's preventive health spending

15-Jun-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Trade body Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) has backed a new report into preventive health, which details how the country is lagging behind fellow OECD nations Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Switching from sucrose to fructose lowers insulin and blood glucose in the obese and diabetics

09-Jun-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Swapping table sugar for fruit-derived sugar helps reduce blood glucose, especially in people who are overweight or have diabetes, a new review has reported.

BASF awards Newtrition grants for omega-3 and plant sterol research in Beijing

31-May-2017 By Cheryl Tay

Five academic projects have been awarded Newtrition Asia research grants by BASF for their work addressing some of the major consumer health concerns in APAC.

Possible link between vitamin D deficiency and diabetic retinopathy: Meta-analysis

24-May-2017 By Cheryl Tay

There is a statistically significant link between diabetic retinopathy and vitamin D deficiency, according to a new review.

Green tea consumption can lower rice-induced diabetes risk in women: Japanese study

17-May-2017 By Cheryl Tay

New research from Japan has shown that drinking green tea can reduce the risk of diabetes caused by rice consumption among women.

Cinnamic acid and diabetes: Clinical studies needed to assess bioavailability concerns

02-May-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Cinnamic acid’s potential for diabetes management has been highlighted in a new review, but concerns over bioavailability are still hindering its use in nutraceuticals.  

Sweet potato and weight loss: Food firms urged to exploit 'new business opportunities'

16-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Sweet potato supplementation significantly reduced obesity caused by a high-fat diet and also had beneficial effects on liver and kidney functions, a new China study showed.

Asia’s deadly diabetes epidemic: Disease linked to 26% rise in risk of cancer deaths

07-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with a 26% increase in the risk of death from cancer in Asians, with people in the region also at greater risk of death from certain site-specific cancers than those in the West.

VIDEO: Talking trends – Chr. Hansen on the probiotics and healthy dairy boom driving growth across Asia Pacific

27-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Probiotics, functional dairy and natural colours – combined with Asia’s rapidly changing lifestyle and health needs – are among the top factors driving industry growth in the region.

White mulberry extracts “clearly relieve’ diabetes symptoms in rat model: Study

27-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Two fractions of polysaccharides extracted from white mulberry (Morus alba L) have been found to relieve symptoms of diabetes in a study on rats.

Nutraceutical benefits of Chinese artichoke underlined for people with diabetes and CVD

26-Feb-2017 By Millette Burgos

The nutraceutical and health benefits of Chinese artichoke have been emphasised by new research, which for the first time highlighted nine compounds with important biological activities.

One-in-five Indonesian homes experiences malnutrition double-burden: Jakarta the hotspot

21-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

More than 20% of Indonesian homes are thought to experience the double burden of malnutrition – both undernutrition and overweight/obesity – with households of a higher socioeconomic status most at risk.

Six Japan food, nutrition and consumer trends set to shape 2017

21-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

We pinpoint six of the must-know food, nutrition and consumer trends taking shape in Japan, from superfoods to sports nutrition, ahead of one of the country's biggest trade shows, FoodEx Japan, which takes place next month.

Plant sterol fortified soy milk shows inflammation benefits: Singapore study

10-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Soy milk fortified with combination of plant sterols can alleviate lipid peroxidation and inflammation, a Singapore clinical trial has concluded.

Ethnicity not found to affect GI beverage response in Asia

09-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

The glycaemic response (GR) to beverages does not vary depending on Asian ethnicity, with Chinese, Indian and Malay displaying similar responses, a first of its kind study has established.

Waste not want not: Why more needs to be done to maximise the functional food potential of by-products

27-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood and Millette Burgos

The functional food and nutraceutical opportunities offered by agricultural waste products in developing countries are not being fully exploited, meaning vital nutrients that could be of immense health and economic benefit are going to waste.

India manufacturer launches MyFy prebiotic supplement to bridge country’s fibre gap

26-Jan-2017 By Millette Burgos

Prebiotic soluble fibre dietary supplement MyFy is the first product to be launched by Galaxy Scientific Nutrition in India to address the country’s significant shortfall of fibre intake.

Five-flavoured omija berry boasts obesity-fighting potential

24-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Omija fruit ethanol extract may be helpful to fight obesity and related metabolic disorders such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dyslipidaemia, and insulin resistance, according to the results of a new study on mice fed a high-fat diet.

Nutrition Asia video series

VIDEO: Functional foods in South East Asia - trending ingredients, pressing consumer needs and 'preposterous' health claims

23-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

In the first of our Nutrition Asia video series we take a deep dive into South East Asia's functional foods industry to gauge the state of the market and assess how it can meet the health needs of consumers across the region.