Weight Management

In 2007. Danone's functional foods division reported revenues of approximately $6 billion.

With weight loss perpetually topping New Year's resolution lists each year, and more than 60% of Americans considered overweight, the pop­ularity of diet products is unlikely to wane.

In a continuing investigation, FDA (Rockville, MD) has determined that dozens of weight-loss supplements, most of them imported from China, contain hidden and potentially harmful drugs. The agency plans to issue a longer list of brands to avoid that are spiked with drugs in the coming weeks, an FDA spokeswoman said.

Sabinsa (Piscataway, NJ) will provide dishes including several of Sabinsa’s GRAS ingredients at Expo West in Anaheim, California on March 6.

Nutratech’s (West Caldwell, NJ) bitter orange extract, Advantra Z, will continue as the thermogenic component of the weight loss supplement, CortiSlim (Laguna Niguel, CA).

A federal judge has ordered infomercial marketer Kevin Trudeau to pay more than $37 million for violating a 2004 stipulated order by misrepresenting the content of his book, “The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About.”

A federal district court has ordered the marketers of three dietary supplements to pay more than $15 million for deceiving consumers about the products’ safety and effectiveness. The court imposed the final monetary judgment and permanent prohibitions against the marketers in December 2008, after granting the FTC's (Washington, DC) motion for summary judgment last June.

In response to the FDA’s expansion of a nationwide recall of 69 tainted weight loss products that contain undisclosed ingredients, Steve Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN; Washington, DC), issued the following statement on January 9:

OmniActive Health Technologies (Short Hills, NJ) announced the launch of a proprietary blend of Capsimax Plus, its capsicum, or hot red pepper, ingredient, on December 18.

One survey, an online sample taken last September of 694 adults who had eaten at least one type of bar within the past 30 days, found that compared with the general population, bar consumers tend to be better educated, younger, and female. Just under three-fourths of the sample ate a snack bar within the past 30 days. The consumers ate the snack bars primarily to curb hunger between meals.

Whey protein makes a nutritious addition to smoothies and other beverages.

Gencor Pacific (Hong Kong) received a Frost & Sullivan (Palo Alto, CA) award for its weight management supplement, Slimaluma, the company announced on November 21. Gencor received the Global Appetite Suppressant and Satiety Ingredients Product Innovation of the Year award. “Gencor Pacific Group’s Slimaluma is a unique ingredient that has been scientifically validated for its efficacy and safety in human consumption,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Natalie Watt.

lendesta won the award for “MostInnovative Slimming Ingredient\" at the Ingredientes Adelgazantes España 2008 conference held from October 2-3 in Spain.

Dow (Midland, MI) will introduce new weight care technology at the Health Ingredients Europe (HiE) show in Paris, the company said on November 4. SATISFIT Weight Care Technology promoted healthy fat metabolism and reduced weight gain in pre-clinical studies, the company said.

On October 23, Sabinsa Corp. (Piscataway, NJ) hosted a meeting at SupplySide West to discuss a citizen’s petition that seeks to classify weight-loss claims on dietary supplements as disease claims.

More than 80% of Americans are currently consuming or would consider consuming foods with added health and wellness benefits.

BENEO-Orafti (Morris Plains, NJ), a producer of inulin and oligofructose, will be exhibiting new findings on continuing research on consumer conscience in health and wellness at this year’s Health Ingredients Europe (HIE) show in France. Preliminary results will be announced from research conducted in the US and UK with other European findings being revealed at a later date.

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

High-impact seasonings can make people feel fuller, possibly leading to weight loss, according to a new study.

While the soy foods market continues to grow, the soy supplement market hasn't experienced the same success. In fact, according to Nutrition Business Journal, soy supplement sales declined for the past three years (2004–2006) from their reported high of $106 million in 2003. In contrast, Packaged Facts (Rockville, MD) estimates the soy food and beverage market at $2.1 billion in 2007, up 7% from the prior year. This same report forecasts continued growth through 2012, estimating the market at $3 billion.

Natraceutical Group (Edmonton, Alberta), a biotech multinational holding company based in Europe, has agreed to purchase the assets and operations of Cevena Bioproducts Inc. Natraceutical Canada will manufacture and distribute Viscofiber, Cevena’s high-viscosity and high-concentration oat beta-glucan soluble fiber.

Allévo, a ready-to-drink shake, contains DSM’s Fabuless satiety inducer.

Functional beverages continue to ride the wave of consumer popularity, and the swell doesn't look to end any time soon. By 2010, the U.S. market for the drinks is expected to be valued at $9.9 billion, an increase of 39.3% since 2005, according to Datamonitor (New York City).

 While it may be true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, eating berries, nuts, and other sweet foods won’t hurt either. Some of the latest nutrition research explores the idea that anti­oxidants in fruit may play a role in preventing health problems associated with metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes.

Lack of communication between doctors and patients poses a serious problem for the healthcare industry, especially when it comes to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM; Bethesda, MD), only about 12% of Americans who tried CAM between 1997 and 2004 consulted a licensed healthcare practitioner.

At an American Heart Association (AHA; Dallas) conference on trans fat last October, health experts worried about the law of unintended consequences. Although most food manufacturers are trying to eliminate trans fat from their products, some are simply replacing it with saturated fat, which is just as harmful. To encourage the use of healthier fats and oils, AHA embarked upon a new public relations campaign in April to urge food manufacturers, restaurants, and consumers to switch to healthier vegetable oils.

 Americans like sweets, but their love affair with sugar may be souring. Concerns about obesity are driving many consumers away from candy and soft drinks, and toward healthier fare made with alternative sweeteners. In fact, demand for low-calorie sugar substitutes could exceed $1.1 billion in the United States alone by 2010, according to a new report by The Freedonia Group Inc. (Cleveland).

 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.