Nutritional Outlook Staff

Vitamins and minerals have nuanced effects that may vary depending on the study population.

MEDICAL RESEARCH OFTEN OVERLOOKS the needs of women, who tend to be underrepresented in some types of clinical trials. An exception may be the field of dietary supplement research. Several companies that supply raw materials shared new data about the effects of natural products on women's health at this year's Vitafoods conference, held May 5–7 in Geneva.

Chris Reed, CEO of Reed's Inc.

Functional foods and supplements that address specific health conditions are finally poised for strong growth and could lead the packaged goods category to greater heights in 2007, according to several market research sources. The trend reflects consumer movement away from general wellness products in favor of items that claim to help prevent more serious ailments such as heart disease or arthritis.

  Two-piece hard-shell capsules are versatile. They can hold liquids. They can hold pastes. They can even hold powders. But within that versatility lies a potential complication: They are prone to leak.

 Weight-loss supplements have taken a drubbing in recent years from government officials, consumer groups, and the media. A key issue behind the controversy is the level of scientific substantiation for product claims. While researchers haven’t reached a consensus about the effectiveness and safety of most weight-loss products, many popular natural ingredients do have some supportive data, and the number of research studies generating useful information is growing.

As more Americans are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to address their health concerns, many practitioners have been struggling to remain knowledgeable about the latest research concerning natural products. More than a third of all American adults used some form of CAM from 1997 to 2004, according to a report by researchers from Harvard Medical School (Boston). And while the number of people using CAM has remained relatively steady since the 1990s, the types of CAM therapies they are using have been changing. Herbal medicine-the category that made the largest gains-grew by more than 50% from 1997 to 2004.

A new federal law that regulates the sales of cold and allergy products could help bring immunity supplements in from the cold. On April 8, 2006, the Combat Meth Act went into effect. The act, which places nonprescription drugs that contain ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine behind the counter, also sets limits on how much consumers can purchase during any 30-day period. A flurry of state laws under consideration could impose further restrictions. The changes might help boost demand for dietary supplements that activate the immune system.

Jonathan Emord knows a thing or two about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD). He has defeated the agency in federal court a record six times and served as plaintiff’s lead counsel in the 1999 Pearson v. Shalala, 2001 Pearson v. Shalala, 2001 Pearson v. Thompson, and 2002 Whitaker v. Thompson cases.

At one time, brand recognition was built with advertising, direct mail, trade shows, telemarketing, and personal sales calls. A sizable portion of these tools have been replaced with banner ads, Webinars, e-mail, and blogs. What are the advantages to building brand strength electronically? What are the dangers?

Eight years ago, Nutritional Outlook honored industry achievements by bestowing the magazine’s first award: Manufacturer of the Year. While it was relatively easy to select 1998’s award winner, Twinlab, it has become more difficult since then to choose just one industry leader.