Japan Consumer Affairs Agency (CCA) is warning general food and health food manufacturers against labelling their products as being effective in preventing or treating COVID-19, to avoid consumer misunderstanding and harming public health.
Feeding infants with synbiotic formula could create a gut environment that is close to that of exclusively breastfed infants, according to a RCT conducted and funded by Danone.
China vitamin and dietary supplement (VDS) firm BY-HEALTH says the country’s health foods market is increasingly diverging between either foods/snacks with ‘light’ functionalities or supplements with ‘strong’ functionalities, as it unveiled 15% revenue...
Probiotics that address inflammation, diabetes, and muscle health received the largest percentage growth in terms of the number of consumer reviews globally last year, showing growing interest amongst consumers in these types of products.
A clinical trial has found that supplementation with a women’s health nutraceutical from Max Biocare for 12 weeks could improve menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, and sweating, while improving sleep quality and mood.
Singapore start-up AMiLi (short for Asian Microbiome Library) has launched Bio+ME, its flagship gut microbiome test that comes with personalised nutrition recommendations – claiming it is a first such test in South East Asia (SEA).
Gencor is venturing into the hair care oral supplement and topical application category, with an RCT studying the benefits of ageratum conyzoides oral supplementation and topical application to take place this year.
BASF has received approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia to supply a human milk oligosaccharide ingredient, 2’Fucosyllactose (2’-FL), for use as a prebiotic in dietary supplements in Australia.
Entries open today for the NutraIngredients-Asia Awards 2021, held to honour the best supplements and functional foods products, ingredients, research and companies operating across Asia Pacific.
Singapore-based nutraceutical firm Lifestream Group has expanded its cardiovascular supplement range VesseCLEAR with a vegan product that is also touted to offer a broader range of support for healthy ageing.
OptiBiotix Health will start distributing its blood pressure and cholesterol lowering probiotic in Asia Pacific this year, with heart health concerns rising on the back of changing dietary and lifestyle patterns in the region.
Researchers are proposing to fortify food categories such as bread, biscuits, noodles, fat spreads, sauces and palm oil with plant sterols, as a measure to reduce risk factors associated with heart diseases among the Indonesian population.
More than half of children in the Philippines are deficient (10.3%) and insufficient (50.3%) in vitamin D, according to an analysis of serum vitamin D data collected from six to 12 year old children.
See February's 10 most-read stories, including Malaysia's dietary supplement association plans in tackling unauthorised sales on third-party e-commerce sites, China's regulations on health foods filing, Blackmores financial performance...
Australian freeze-dried supplement company Vmores is gearing up to expand its offline reach in its home market as well as its online presence in China, after shifting 500,000 units in 2020.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) supplementation has no significant effect in lean mass preservation and insulin sensitivity in obese adults undergoing weight loss, said researchers from Singapore.
In this month’s Nutrition Asia, we hear from Ajinomoto and AstaReal – two companies which have been researching and developing nutrition products for improving muscle health among older adults.
High dose of vitamin D supplementation did not prevent the worsening of lung problems, including asthma and COPD, except withing patients already suffering from severe deficiency, according to a RCT conducted in New Zealand.
Austrian energy drink brand Dark Dog has established its Asia headquarters in Singapore as it looks to expand regional distribution of its organic product range.
India’s Ayurveda nutraceuticals and medicines industry players have welcomed efforts by ministers and the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote the safe and effective use of traditional medicines, but has also urged for clearer regulatory guidelines.
New Zealand researchers are planning to conduct clinical trials on a kawakawa beverage with immune and metabolic health benefits, before refining the formulation and sell it in the export markets.
Malaysian tocotrienol supplier Excelvite is working with supplement brands to promote the use of tocotrienol-rich vitamin E to pharmacists and doctors treating patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD), on the back of new clinical findings.
The timing of market entry, familiarity with regulations, and detailed consumer understanding are crucial for firms considering opportunities within Korea’s new General Foods with Function Claims policy, according to a regulatory expert in the country.
Singapore-based skin care brand Recherché has launched its first range of edible skin care and plans to expand the line further to tap into the growing consumer interest in ingestible beauty products.
Four nutraceutical companies, including FIT-BioCeuticals and Integria Healthcare, have had their artemisia-containing products recalled by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), as they contain artemisia species associated with “unacceptable...
Medlab has embarked on clinical trials at varying stages for a number of its probiotics, including those targeted at alleviating depression, mucositis caused by cancer treatment, as well as addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Fortified snack firm Frontier Nutrition has detailed how it will expand its product range, increase distribution and build production facilities in the country as it strives to help tackle malnutrition in Bangladesh.
In this round-up, we look at new developments concerning health foods registration regulations and the NPD efforts companies are making in the area of beauty-from-within and probiotics.
Wolfberry, also known as Goji Berry or Fructus lycii, is being touted as a credible dietary supplement for maintaining eye health, particularly in preventing or delaying common retinal diseases among the ageing population.
South Korea’s import of health functional foods was up 23.4 per cent last year, higher than the three-year annual average of 21.4 per cent, with the US taking the top spot in product volumes.
The supplementation of melatonin, vitamin D, and amino acids such as L-theanine, have shown to significantly improve sleep, said researchers from Hong Kong who conducted a meta-analysis on 15 RCTs.
Consumption of fermented mare’s milk was found to increase 10 microbiome-derived metabolites such as linoleic acid, stearic acid, sphingosine associated with a lipid-lowering effect in people with hyperlipidaemia.
Kirin Beverage will focus on no-to-low sugar, low-calorie and products with health benefits across its non-alcohol range after seeing soft drink sales slip by 9% in 2020.
The ingredient arm of Thai Union Group is exploring further new product development (NPD) opportunities from tuna as it seeks to expand its functional protein offering by emulating the success of the dairy industry in moving into high-value ingredients.
A meta-analysis of 28 RCTs shows that vitamin C supplementation could improve blood glucose and blood pressure in people with diabetes, but long-term, high quality trials involving a larger study population are needed to validate its role in clinical...
The South Korean regulator has said it will be issuing “Inspection Orders” on imported probiotics that have failed conformity tests three or more times in the past three years.
South Korea will start the third phase of its mandatory traceability programme for special purpose foods, while international brands selling co-enzyme Q10, fish oil and melatonin into China for the first time will still need to enter the market via the...
New Zealand-based Vitality Wellness has seen domestic sales of its eye health supplement increase by around 30% in the last year, attributing this demand to the ageing population.
Supplement manufacturer Nano Japan is planning to distribute its first eye health supplement, Nano Optivue, to more South East Asian nations, following on from its domestic, Singapore and Malaysia launch in November.
Researchers have consolidated the glycaemic index (GI) of 940 common Asian and Middle Eastern food items such as nasi lemak, chapati, dim sum, dates and habba hamra in a review article published in the Nutrition and Diabetes journal.
India’s nutraceutical industry’s hopes of a reduced GST rate on supplements was squashed again when there was no mentioned of special grant for the sector during the recent budget announcement.
Researchers are recommending a multi-micronutrient supplementation beyond iron and folate for women of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating, according to an Asian study funded by Bayer South East Asia.
Children’s nutritional drink brand Healthy Height is building its e-commerce presence in China via influencer marketing, as part of its plan in growing both its online and offline retail.
India’s nutraceutical and functional foods firm for women &me has outlined plans to focus on three key areas this year, namely mental, menstrual, and sexual health needs.