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Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat also referred to as healthy fats praised for their potential protective roles in several chronic diseases, such as heart disease and dementia.

They are one of the key building blocks for cell membranes and remain a subject of interest in the scientific community.

The family of omega-3 fatty acids includes:

DHA and EPA are the primary polyunsaturated fats in brain cell membranes and have been popularized and successfully marketed as dietary supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential, meaning the human body is incapable of creating them on its own the fatty acids or their precursors must be obtained from the diet.

For instance, ALA from plant seeds can be converted in the body to all the other types of omega-3 fats: EPA, SDA, DHA, DPA.

However, this conversion is quite inefficient, with rates of less than 3% of ALA being converted to DHA or EPA in males and less than 10% in females warranting adequate dietary intakes of DHA and EPA themselves.

DHA, EPA, and DPA omega-3 fatty acids are synthesized by marine organisms such as algae and phytoplankton.

When consumed by fish, aquatic mammals, and crustaceans, the fatty acids enter the food chain and are stored in body fat, liver, and blubber. They are then later consumed by humans.

Food sources of DHA, EPA, and DPA include:

ALA, on the other hand, is concentrated in plant sources and is the most frequent omega-3 fatty acid used by the body to create all other types of omega-3 fatty acids.

Sources of ALA include nuts and seeds, such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts as well as oils, such as echium seed oil, canola, and soybean oils.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), most adults in the United States consume the recommended amount of omega-3 1.1 grams (g) for adult females and 1.6 g for adult males in the form of ALA.

However, given that the conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA is poor, dietary intake of a combination of foods rich in ALA, EPA, and DHA is recommended.

Furthermore, a myriad of DHA and EPA omega-3 supplements are available and contribute significantly to daily omega-3 intake. Fish oil is the most common omega-3 supplement used by adults and children.

Decades of research on the health impacts of omega-3 fatty acids have provided controversial findings. Here are some evidence-backed benefits of consuming omega-3 fatty acids.

Chronic inflammation also called low-grade inflammation is linked to the development of obesity, heart disease, and cancers.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in the human body and may aid in lowering markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.

In fact, omega-3 fatty acids are regarded as one of the most potent lipids capable of reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. It also potentially guards against the development of chronic diseases.

In a 6-week study, daily supplementation with at least 1.2 g of DHA significantly reduced triglyceride levels and increased good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein.

In addition, omega-3 fatty acids lowered the bad cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), when dietary saturated fats were replaced with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids found in plants foods such as nuts and avocados.

Elevated triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are linked to an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

However, a recent evidence-based practice summary has shown no impact on a range of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes from the use of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in patients with established CVD or raised risk factors for CVD.

On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve vascular health the health of the blood vessels by increasing the bioavailability of nitric oxide.

In a phase 2 scientific study, nitric oxide induced dilation (relaxation) of the blood vessels and led to a significant reduction in blood pressure.

By reducing markers associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease high triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood pressure omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a review analyzing existing studies.

The same review concluded that high-dose daily supplementation with 4 g of purified EPA in people with elevated triglycerides levels led to a 25% reduction in cardiovascular events.

In their 2018 review, Prof. Fereidoon Shahidi, professor of biochemistry at Memorial University, Canada, and Prof. Priyatharini Ambigaipalan, currently at the School of Science and Engineering Technology at Durham College, also in Canada, identified evidence of health benefits from omega-3 in noncardiovascular health conditions.

Omega-3 fatty acids may improve the efficacy and tolerance of chemotherapy and is a potential supportive treatment to people undergoing cancer treatment.

More specifically, daily supplementation with EPA and DHA helped patients with head and neck cancers and breast cancer to maintain body weight and reduce cancer-related muscle loss.

A 2019 review study of over 2,000 participants showed a beneficial impact of EPA omega-3 fatty acids on depression, with DHA showing little benefits.

This finding is supported by other studies included in Prof. Shahidis and Prof. Ambigaipalans review, indicating that fish oil supplementation helps protect against major depressive disorder in people between the ages of 15 and 25 years.

Furthermore, moderate intakes of fatty fish and seafood were associated with fewer occurrences of depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been successfully marketed as heart-friendly and reported to reduce the risk of adverse heart disease-related outcomes.

However, its role and health benefits for some conditions have been challenged and discredited. This Cochrane report review found no evidence of the benefit of omega-3 supplements on heart disease, stroke, or death.

Here are some conditions that omega-3 fatty acids may not prevent or improve, based on the latest scientific evidence.

Prof. Shahidi and Prof. Ambigaipalan also found that the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids does not reduce the risk of adverse heart disease-related outcomes, such as sudden cardiac death, heart attack, or stroke, even in individuals without a history of disease.

Although omega-3 fats lower the risk of developing heart disease by lowering triglyceride, the bad cholesterol LDL, and blood pressure, a meta-analysis of over 80,000 individuals found that their supplementation neither prevented death from all causes nor heart disease.

Anti-clotting effects of omega-3 fatty acids have been proposed by reducing platelet aggregation. However, this finding has been controversial, and the evidence in this regard is weak typical doses of omega-3 fats from foods and supplements have a mild effect.

Evidence suggests that increasing omega-3 intake does not prevent or treat diabetes.

It does not affect fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance, or glycosylated hemoglobin in those with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been reported to reduce the complications of some cancer patients, and early findings look promising. However, there is no evidence of any action of omega-3s preventing the development of cancers.

In a meta-analysis of over one million people, a particularly high intake of omega-3 fats 515 g per day did not significantly reduce lung cancer risk, and in some cases, increased the risk of developing lung cancer.

Therefore, too low or too high omega-3 intake may be harmful.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential compounds that are key building blocks for cell membranes, particularly in the brain.

For decades, they have been the subject of scientific interest, but findings have been controversial and inconsistent.

The evidence shows that omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and may lower cholesterol, blood pressure, depressive episodes, weight loss during cancer treatment, and the risk for heart disease.

However, omega-3 intake does not reduce the risk of adverse and severe heart disease-related outcomes, including sudden death and stroke. Additionally, it cannot prevent or treat diabetes or prevent blood clots.

This is an emerging area of evidence, and further results will continue to inform health recommendations.

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Omega-3: Facts and myths about its health benefits - Medical News Today

When children suffer malnutrition, their gut microbiomes suffer as well. Although malnourished children gain some weight and grow better when fed a nutrient-rich supplement, they fail to catch up to their well-fed counterparts. Their gut microbiomes also fail to recover.

This conundrum weighed on microbiologist Jeffrey Gordon, who for more than a decade has tracked how a poor diet affects childrens health in Bangladesh, Malawi, and other parts of the world. So Gordon and his team at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, began to gauge the precise role that the microbiome might play in the connections between diet and health.

Ensuring that malnourished children and their microbiomes recover requires more than just dietary supplements. Image credit: Shutterstock/Dana Ward.

Over time, the team started to home in on food as the link between the microbiome and human health. In April, they reported that a unique mix of foods such as peanuts, bananas, and more that supported the growth of age-appropriate microbes helped restore the health of malnourished toddlersand was more effective at improving their health than standard supplements used to treat malnutrition (1). Their food blend worked not just by feeding the kids but by feeding their microbes too.

The teams work is helping to find better ways to define a healthy microbiome, Gordon says, potentially using diet to help the malnourished microbiomes recover. Its not the only approach aiming to treat ailments by targeting microbiotaother studies are looking to treat diabetes and other metabolic conditions.

Changes in the gut microbiome have been correlated with allergies in babies, Alzheimers disease, cancers, and several other diseases, making our bacteria an appealing target to treat a variety of conditions. But attempts to apply these data to fix the microbiome have had limited success. Thats in part attributable to a long struggle to define exactly what a healthy microbiome looks like, says Justin Sonnenburg, a microbiologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Researchers have consistently found that individuals have a core microbiome, the activities of which remain consistent over long periods of time, but the composition of this core community differs based on a persons lifestyle, habits, or health.

Gut microbes associated with a Western-style diet have been linked to inflammatory disorders, diabetes, and other diseases. But the microbiomes of healthy people in developed countries are also starkly different from those of people in huntergatherer communities. And within an individual, diet, exercise, sleep, and many other factors can shift the proportions and activity of various species greatly from one day to the next, or even over the course of a single day. Theres just such a huge array of species, Sonnenburg says. To promote overall health, its not quite clear what facets of the microbiome we would be trying to maintain or change.

Discerning this answer was part of Gordons aim. Through a series of studies, his team mapped out how the microbial community develops in a healthy child and how that process is disrupted in malnutrition.

In 2014, the researchers sampled gut bacteria from children up to age 2 with and without malnutrition and found consistent differences in the proportions and species of bacteria present (2). Microbial communities in children with malnutrition appeared more similar to those from well-fed children who were younger. Even after children in the former group were fed standard supplements, their microbiomes failed to recover from malnutrition.

The researchers transplanted microbial samples from under-nourished infants and their healthy counterparts into germ-free mice to test whether these differences could account for differences in the childrens health. The mice responded much like the children: Despite eating the same foods, those mice with under-developed microbiomes failed to gain weight and thrive as well as those with age-appropriate microbes. Transplanting bacteria from healthy animals into malnourished ones improved their microbiome and helped the animals thrive.

Diet has a big impact on microbiome function, potentially pointing to ways to improve long-term health. Image credit: Reprinted from ref. 3, with permission from Elsevier.

For children in resource-poor regions, though, such transplants wouldnt be a practical solution. These microbes only grow in the absence of oxygen, making them expensive to culture, store, and turn into probiotic pills, which are the most common way to deliver beneficial bacteria to the gut. The question was, what could we do to repair the microbiota of these kids that was both culturally acceptable and scalable? says Gordon.

In recent years, efforts to repair the gut microbiome have focused on two approaches: probiotic supplements that aim to deliver beneficial gut bacteria, and fecal microbial transplants (FMT), which aim to supplant a disease-linked microbiome with a healthy one. Neither one offers a clear path forward for treating malnutrition. Probiotic pills could prove not only expensive to manufacture and distribute on a large scale, but also less than effective. There's still scant evidence of long-term benefit from adding what are presumed to be beneficial bacteria. FMT has not been tested in the context of malnutrition and would pose cultural and logistical challenges in resource-poor regions where malnutrition is common. And the procedure has only proven effective in very limited conditions, such as gut infections caused by Clostridium difficile. FMT is like restarting a computer to fix a problem, says gastroenterologist Purna Kashyap of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt.

Difficulties with modifying the microbiome arise, in part, because an established gut community is simultaneously in constant fluxchanging with food, sleep, or jet lagand resistant to long-term change. If you change diet, you see this very short-term perturbation where the community changes in response to the chemicals in food, Sonnenburg says. But over time, it will rebound back to something similar to its starting state.

That starting state likely reflects an individuals core microbiome. But Sonnenburg and others have begun to find hints of how to use microbiome-directed foods to drive long-term changes in both the gut community and human health. He and his colleagues tested two dietary changes thought to benefit gut bacteria: plant-based diets high in fiber, and diets high in fermented foods such as kombucha and kefir (3). The researchers monitored changes in the participants microbiomes as well as their health after several weeks of the diets.

Those who consumed high-fiber plant-based meals rich in fruits, vegetables, and legumes showed an increase in certain carbohydrate-digesting enzymes produced by gut microbes but no changes in the proportion of different species. Fermented foods, however, were kind of the food equivalent of probiotics, Sonnenburg says. Those who ate more of these foods showed an increase in their gut microbial diversity and a decrease in inflammatory immune markers, perhaps because these foods are rich in so-called prebiotic chemicals that feed beneficial gut bacteria (see ref. 4). Still, neither group showed long-term effects on weight loss, fatigue, stress, or other general markers of well-being.

To understand those links, epidemiologist Tim Spector and nutrition researcher Sarah Berry, both at Kings College in London, UK, and their team, homed in on a long-overlooked aspect of human metabolism: our response to meals. Most research on glucose or fat metabolism has focused on the levels of these chemicals after a long period of not eating. Typically, doctors will request a fasting blood test to gauge a persons metabolic health. But most people eat two or three meals a day interspersed with snacksand every bite contributes to short, sharp rises in circulating sugars and fats. If we were to map blood levels of these metabolites into a typical eating pattern, you actually see that we spend most of our time not fasting, Berry says. The long-term effects of diets, certain foods, or nutrients arise because of their short-term impacts on circulating metabolites, according to Berry.

The researchers also found that peoples genetics showed only a weak correlation to their metabolic responses to food; rather, the microbiome composition was much more strongly associated with how certain metabolites changed after meals. In follow-up studies, the team identified specific groups of microbes associated with metabolic responses to different foods. Then the team developed a machine-learning model to predict how a person might respond to food, based on several factors including their microbiomes (5). Nearly 1,100 study participants had their microbial composition, blood glucose levels, and lipid levels assessed after eating a specific set of foods (6). They then received a set of personalized diet recommendations aimed at health outcomes such as weight loss or improving blood sugar levels in participants with diabetes.

The researchers are still studying whether the recommended dietary changes alter gut microbes as well. But the data so far suggest that different foods promote a change in the microbiome composition, Berry says. The more data that emerge, the more well start to see this symbiotic relationship: Its not enough to just consume beneficial bacteria, but we also need to ensure were giving them the appropriate food.

Gordon and his team wanted to find the appropriate foods for children with severe malnutrition. They designed dietary supplements using different proportions of bananas, peanuts, chickpeas, and other common foods that in laboratory tests in mice appeared to support a healthy microbiome. In mice carrying microbiomes of malnourished children, one specific cocktail helped transform these microbiomes to resemble those found in healthy children. When the researchers fed malnourished toddlers in Dhaka this particular supplement twice a day for three months, their health improved: The children gained height and weight in patterns similar to healthy peersan effect not seen with the standard treatments used for malnutrition. Blood tests also showed that, compared with current remedies, children who received the microbiome-targeting supplement had higher levels of circulating proteins linked to bone growth and brain development (1). Its a nutrient substrate that benefits both the microbes and the host, Gordon says. We have to think of their development together.

In future studies, the group plans to test how long the benefits last and the mechanisms linking host and bacterial metabolism. They emphasize that the work does not try to define a single normal microbiome. Instead, their goal is to identify a community that most benefits a persons health in the context of their individual circumstances.

The results could also help parents seeking ways to optimize childrens nutrition as they shift from infant diets of milk or formula to solid foods. If were able to connect the dots between food and the development of microbiota that drive human growth, we could have a microbiome-informed sequence of foods [to improve childrens health], Gordon says.

Their approach could also extend to other disorders where the microbiome has been implicated, he and others on the team add. What were trying to emphasize with our studies is that we have to change the way we think about food in many ways, says Robert Chen, Gordons doctoral student at Washington University who co-authored the new study. The supplement, Chen adds, is a food designed with a specific purpose and specific targets. And in that way, he says, it is more like a bridge between food and medicine.

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Inner Workings: Can feeding the gut microbiome treat malnutrition? - pnas.org

Annual editors' choice awards program recognizes top industry leaders, suppliers, service providers and retail brands in the natural products industry.

CRANBURY, N.J., Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nutritional Outlook, the industry's leading multimedia resource for manufacturers of dietary supplements, healthy foods and beverages, is proud to announce the winners of its 2021 Best of the Industry Awards, which recognizes individuals, groups and companies whose initiatives in 2021 set a new standard for excellence and positively influence the natural product, dietary supplement, and food and beverage industries.

Nutritional Outlook logo.

"Congratulations to all the 2021 Best of the Industry Award winners," said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, the parent company of Nutritional Outlook. "Thanks to their trailblazing achievements in 2021, this year's winners will help shape for the better the state of the natural product, dietary supplement, and food and beverage industries for years to come."

Best of the Industry Award winners are selected by Nutritional Outlook's esteemed editors based on their survey of market achievements. This year, the editors recognized companies across four different categories for their contributions in promoting the state of the natural products industry.

The 2021 winners are:

Industry leader: NOW, whose testing of dietary supplement products sold on Amazon.com showed how a supplement company can raise awareness about the presence of low-quality products and also share that information freely with the entire industry, regulators, and Amazon itself in an effort to clean up the market.

Retail brand/product: Good Catch, for its leadership in mainstreaming the plant-based seafood category through its retail and food service partnerships.

Ingredient supplier: Seraphina Therapeutics, for the company's groundbreaking work in odd-chain fatty acids, specifically pentadecanoic acid, and in launching its FA15 ingredient in the form of the Fatty15 supplement brand, bringing awareness and ultimately good health to consumers.

Service provider: Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program, now celebrating its 10th anniversary and whose critical information has warned the botanicals industry about ongoing adulteration, improving the quality and safety of botanical products on the market.

Read exclusive stories about each of our award winners here.

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To hear from our winners, listen to the latest episode of "The Nutritional Outlook Podcast" here.

About Nutritional OutlookAn award-winning media-content provider in the dietary supplement and natural products market, Nutritional Outlook, an MJH Life Sciences brand, provides insights and industry updates critical to manufacturers of dietary supplements, healthy foods, nutritious beverages, and natural products. Nutritional Outlook keeps industry abreast of current market trends, research updates, news, and regulatory developments. Nutritional Outlook goes beyond the 24-hour news cycle and provides in-depth analysis to help industry players navigate the challenges and changes in the near- and long-term. Nutritional Outlook is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Media ContactAlyssa Scarpaci609-716-7777ascarpaci@mjhlifesciences.com

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Nutritional Outlook Reveals Its 2021 Best of the Industry Award Winners - Yahoo Finance

The researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine have found that probiotics significantly improve the symptoms of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

The study has been published in the 'Nutrients Journal'.

Nausea and vomiting affect about 85 per cent of pregnancies and can significantly impact the quality of life, particularly during early pregnancy.

"The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown to this date. Various theories have been proposed, but none of them is conclusive," said Albert T. Liu, lead author for the study and a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology.

SEE PICS: Foods to eat during high-risk pregnancy

"Nausea, vomiting and constipation during pregnancy can significantly diminish the quality of patients' lives. Once nausea and vomiting during pregnancy progress, they can become difficult to control, and sometimes the patient even needs to be hospitalized," Liu said.

Probiotics are referred to as "beneficial bacteria." They can be found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and tempeh. Probiotics are also available as food supplements. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, other than vitamins, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most commonly used dietary supplement for adults.

Probiotics are thought to support the community of different microbes, often referred to as the "gut microbiome," found in the gastrointestinal tract.

During pregnancy, hormones like estrogen and progesterone increase, bringing about many physical changes. These increases can also change the gut microbiome, which likely affects the digestive system functions and cause unwanted symptoms like nausea, vomiting and constipation.

The researchers set out to determine whether supplementing with a probiotic could be beneficial for gastrointestinal function during pregnancy.

The study lasted for 16 days. A total of 32 participants took a probiotic capsule twice a day for six days and then took two days off. They then repeated the cycle.

The probiotics were available over-the-counter and mainly contained Lactobacillus, a type of good bacteria. Each capsule contained approximately 10 billion live cultures at the time of manufacture.

Participants kept 17 daily observations of their symptoms during the duration of the study, for a total of 535 observations for the researchers to statistically assess.

What the researchers found was that taking the probiotic significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. Nausea hours (the number of hours participants felt nauseous) were reduced by 16 per cent, and the number of times they vomited was reduced by 33 per cent. Probiotic intake also significantly improved symptoms related to the quality of life, such as fatigue, poor appetite and difficulty maintaining normal social activities, as scored by questionnaires.

Probiotics were also found to reduce constipation significantly.

"Over the years, I've observed that probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting and ease constipation. It's very encouraging that the study proved this to be true," said Liu.

"Probiotics have also benefited many of my other patients who weren't in the study," Liu added.

Participants also contributed faecal specimens before and during the study. The samples were analyzed to identify the type and number of microbes and the different byproducts of digestion.

This allowed the researchers to examine whether biomarkers in the faecal specimens corresponded with more severe nausea and assess how the probiotics affected participants who began the study with different baseline biomarkers.

One finding was that a low amount of bacteria that carried an enzyme named bile salt hydrolase, which generated bile acid to absorb nutrients, was associated with more pregnancy-related vomiting. Probiotics increase bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria, which may explain why the supplements decreased levels of nausea and vomiting.

Another finding was that high levels of the gut microbes Akkermansia and A. muciniphila at the beginning of the study were associated with more vomiting. The probiotic significantly reduced the amount of those particular microbes and also reduced vomiting. This suggested Akkermansia and A. muciniphila may be reliable biomarkers that can predict vomiting in pregnancy.

Another finding was that vitamin E levels increased after taking probiotics. Higher levels of vitamin E were associated with low vomiting scores.

"This research provides key insights about the impact of gut microbes on gastrointestinal function during pregnancy. Our gut microbiota explains why we are what we eat, and why bacteria-generated metabolites and products have a huge impact on our health," said Wan.

"They affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as skin health and neurological function," Wan added.

Although the findings are intriguing, the researchers cautioned that due to the small sample size, further studies will be needed to confirm the effects of the probiotics.

"Our previous work showed the benefits of probiotics in preventing liver inflammation. The current study might be one of the first to show the benefits of probiotics in pregnancy," said Wan.

"It would be interesting and important to further test whether probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients," Wan concluded.

Additional authors on this study include Shuai Chen from the Department of Public Health Sciences, and Prasant Kumar Jena, Lili Sheng and Ying Hu from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

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Having this food can help reduce nausea and vomiting during pregnancy - Hindustan Times

There are many reasons to take vitamin supplements. One of the primary reasons is to make up for a deficiency in your diet. However, overdoing particular supplements carries health risks, including an increased risk of cancer.

Overdoing folic acid supplementation has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, although the risk is small.

Folic acid is the man-made version of the vitamin folate (also known as vitamin B9). Folate helps the body make healthy red blood cells and is found in certain foods.

The finding is particularly surprising because "strong evidence that getting enough folic acid can help lower your chances of getting certain cancers", notes the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UBA) Department of Nutrition Sciences.

The health body continues: "Folic acid plays a role in the growth and repair of cells. Some studies show that folic acid blocks cancer in its early stages."

READ MORE:The popular 'nutritional' supplement that increases your risk of lung and stomach cancer

The risk is therefore tiny. It is also important to note that most adults and children can take folic acid, notes the NHS.

However, it's not suitable for everyone.

To make sure it's safe for you, the NHS says to tell your doctor before starting folic acid if you:

According to Bupa, you should be able to get most of the vitamins and minerals you need by eating a healthy, balanced diet.

For each day, this includes:

In fact, following a healthy, balanced diet may reduce your risk of developing cancer.

It is estimated that healthier diets could prevent around one in 20 cancers. Cancer Research UK attributes this effect in part to helping you maintain a healthy weight.

"For most of us, diet has a big impact on our weight. Keeping a healthy weight is important because obesity is a cause of 13 different types of cancer," notes the charity.

It is fiendishly difficult to draw conclusions "because our diets are made up of lots of different types of food and drink", says Cancer Research UK.

"But there is good evidence that having an overall healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer."

According to the charity, there are some foods that are directly linked to cancer, but our overall diet is more important than these individually.

It recommends a diet high in:

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Supplements warning: The vitamin supplement that may make cancer cells grow 'more easily' - Daily Express

Dublin, Dec. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Hemp Derivative Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Type (Hemp CBD Oil, Seed Oil, Hemp Fiber, and Others) and Application" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global hemp derivative market was valued at US$ 5,953.86 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 20,977.94 million by 2028; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.7% from 2021 to 2028.

Based on application, the hemp derivative market is segmented into food and beverages, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical, personal care, textile, and others. In 2021, the textiles segment dominated the market. Industrial hemp fiber, which is primarily bast fiber, is being widely used for manufacturing textiles, such as consumer fabrics and technical textiles. The fabric made from hemp is strong and is naturally resistant to UV light, mold, and mildew, which represents an added advantage over other fabrics.

In 2021, Asia Pacific held the largest revenue share of the market. The increase in awareness about the medical benefits of hemp derivates has led to an increase in the utilization of hemp derivatives in the region. Along with this, hemp derivatives find several applications in the textile industry. This dominance can be attributed to the extensive production and consumption of hemp fibers in the textile and paper industry.

Furthermore, the booming market for cosmetics and personal care products in Asia Pacific and legalization of industrial hemp in food supplements is estimated to drive the hemp derivatives market in the region. In recent years, there has been an increase in consciousness regarding personal appearance among individuals in Asia Pacific, which has led to an increase in demand for cosmetic products, resulting in the growth of the cosmetic market in the region. The desire for a presentable personal image among Asian consumers has led to an increased awareness of personal hygiene habits.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had a relatively positive impact on the hemp derivatives market. The pandemic helped to develop awareness and interest in the medical sector of hemp. The crisis has been a disagreeable and stressful time for most of the population across the world.

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Therefore, people worldwide have started consuming hemp derivative products to treat their anxiety and stress. Several significant users have increased their consumption. Consumption to be used for a sleep disorder and depression is conjointly hyperbolic. Due to an increased focus on health and wellness during the pandemic, there has been an increased search on Google about the health benefits provided by hemp derivatives, which is increasing the awareness about these derivatives.

Along with this, a lot of countries have been hit with tax shortfalls amid the pandemic. The governments of countries are looking for sources of tax income. The potential source can be the legalization of hemp and its derivatives, which could become progressively engaging. An increase in the sale of hemp and its derivatives by legal sellers can provide a potential tax income gain.

Various research activities have also been carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic that focused on the use of hemp and its derivatives for the treatment of COVID-19. Researchers in Canada carried out a study to ensure whether Cannabis sativa extracts can help in reducing the levels of the host cell receptor that the SARS-CoV-2 virus clings on to gain entry and spread.

Along with this, STERO Biotech, a company headquartered in Israel, provides insight into the use of cannabis and CBD as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Thus, various research activities on hemp and its derivates to find out their use in the COVID-19 treatment are having a positive impact on the hemp derivatives market.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. Key Takeaways

3. Research Methodology3.1 Scope of the Study3.2 Research Methodology

4. Global Hemp Derivatives Market Landscape4.1 Market Overview4.2 Porter's Analysis4.3 Value Chain Analysis4.4 Expert Opinion

5. Hemp Derivatives Market - Key Market Dynamics5.1 Market Drivers5.1.1 Rising Applications of Hemp Derivatives in Various Industries5.1.2 Increasing Cultivation of Hemp5.2 Market Restraints5.2.1 Complex Regulatory Structure5.3 Market Opportunities5.3.1 Innovations in Hemp Derivatives Market5.4 Future Trend5.4.1 Application of Hemp in the Cosmetic Industry5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints

6. Hemp Derivatives Agents - Global Market Analysis6.1 Hemp Derivatives Market Overview6.2 Hemp Derivatives Market -Revenue and Forecast To 2028 (USD Million)6.3 Competitive Positioning - Key Market Players

7. Global Hemp Derivatives Market Analysis - By Type7.1 Overview7.2 Global Hemp Derivatives Market Breakdown, by Type, 2021 & 20287.3 Hemp CBD Oil7.4 Hemp Seed Oil7.5 Hemp Fiber

8. Global Hemp Derivatives Market Analysis - By Application8.1 Overview8.2 Global Hemp Derivatives Market Breakdown, by Application, 2021 & 20288.3 Food and Beverages8.4 Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical8.5 Personal Care8.6 Textile

9. Global Hemp Derivatives Market - Geographic Analysis

10. Overview - Impact of COVID-19

11. Industry Landscape11.1 Mergers & acquisition11.2 Expansion

12. Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7mac3h

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Global Hemp Derivative (Hemp CBD Oil, Seed Oil, Hemp Fiber) Market Report 2021-2028: Innovations in Hemp Derivatives Market & Application of Hemp...

The law - which is beingchallenged in court by some groupswho believe it doesnt go far enough -defines bioengineered foods fairly narrowly as those that containdetectable genetic material that has been modified through certain lab[in vitro rDNA]techniquesand cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature.

In practice, this means that many highly-refined ingredients (starches, oils, sweeteners, emulsifiers) from widely bioengineered crops such as corn and soy will likely not require labeling, because the modified material is not detectable through testing.

However, the onus is on packaged food manufacturers to go throughUSDA'spublished list of bioengineered foods, identify any ingredients they use that may be derived from these crops, and then contact suppliers to determine whether they need to be labeled.

And this close to the deadline, many suppliers are still not up to speed with the legislation, said Nate Ensrud, general manager, technical services, at FoodChain ID, which notes that the 13 foods dubbed by USDA to be at high riskto be bioengineered can be translated into thousands of ingredients and products sourced from numerous global suppliers.

Ensrud told FoodNavigator-USA: We were expecting suppliers to be improving their responsiveness and support of their customers BE [bioengineered]compliance efforts and we havent really seen a change at all. There is still a lot of unresponsiveness or vague statements.

Companies think that they have documentation that gives them clear insight into the BErisk of their ingredients, but a lot of what weve reviewed doesnt meet the standards we would expect to support compliance.

"So, we have clients asking suppliers the question about BE in a number of different ways and what they are getting back are these really generic statements like, We've done an assessment and this isn't BE,' and we follow up and say, 'OK, but what's behind that statement?' And Id say the vast majority of the time, we get just about nothing.

Are there test results behind it? No. Do you know the source of the inputs to the ingredient? No. There's a pretty large swath of the industry that hasn't really done anything about this."

But how is this possible given the deadline for compliance is just around the corner?

There's just so much inertia to overcome," said Ensrud.

"Most companies are running pretty lean, its been a really hard couple of years, and it's not like they have people sitting around waiting to go bother suppliers and it's not like the suppliers have this documentation to hand.

Its also possible that"a lot of companies are standing on the sidelines waiting to see what enforcement might look like, he speculated, while others are simply not aware that the law even applies to them, especially in categories such as dietary supplements.

Now that weve seen a group of advocates suing the government because the law doesnt have the teeth they want, theres a possibility that advocacy groups will be placing their focus on products that arent properly disclosing, too.

Meanwhile, CPG firms compliance problems have been compounded by recent supply chain disruptions, said Melissa Grzybowski, president at Food Consulting Company, which recently held a Q&A session with an USDA official for CPG companies about the NBFDS.

Quoting one industry contact, who observed, The supply chain is a mess and I can no longer guarantee that the cornstarch that Im using doesnt contain BE material, Grzybowski said she expected firms may have to over-declare in the first instance if they cant get the documentation they need, as blanket may contain statements are not permitted under the regulation.

I think some companies are not ready and a reason is because of supply chain issues that they are experiencing. They may have felt comfortable with ingredient sources that didn't require the disclosure and packaging wasn't revised to include it, and now they're finding they need to move to different suppliers who may not have the documentation they need.

But there is also lingering confusion regarding suppliers whose products do not require the disclosure, she added. An example would be a USDA regulated meat product. Some FSIS-regulated suppliers of these ingredients may be unaware that while their products are not subject to the law, when used as an ingredient in another finished product, BE disclosure may be required.

These FSIS-regulated companies are not exempt from the law and do need to provide customers with BE information to assist with the disclosure assessment.

USDA has also stressed that Non-GMO project verified status or compliance with EU non-GMO does not necessarily mean that you are not required to include the Disclosure, she added.

Jesse Zuehlke, PhD, general manager at Prime Label Consultants, added: Everyone is still contending withthe original timeline of the rule and a lack of clarity around application of some of the provisions.

"However, being right up against the deadline, one considerationfor manufacturers is the provision that over-declaration is usually a compliant approach with this rule - so if a manufacturer knows an ingredient comes from a food on the list by AMS [USDA's agricultural marketing service],it may be labeled as bioengineered.

In practice there are definitely complications with this approach, but it falls within the regulation and seems to be gaining some traction given the timeline.

Meanwhile, the disruption being experienced right across the supply chain right now is only adding to the challenges facing firms trying to get their ducks in a row ahead of the deadline,added Betsy Booren,SVPregulatory affairs at trade association The Consumer Brands Association.

"The vastmajority of them[CBA members]will be as close as they can be to be in 100% compliance[by the Jan 1, 2022 deadline]," she said."Butwhatweveshared with the administration, the White House, all the way down to the secretary[of agriculture] and hisstaff, is that the supply chain is causing unusual stress to the system, and depending on the day, depending on the issue, we may have a problem.

It may be, for example, thatyouvegot the information you need from suppliers, but youcantget your labels printed in time, she said, as supply chain disruption isalsoimpactingpackaging materials. And its acommon misconception to say digital will make it easier[for example using QR codes that direct shoppers to a website with the requisite information]because you still need to print that QR code.

As for enforcement, the key to compliance is the maintenance of records, with manufacturers required to maintain records for at least two years beyond the date the food is sold or distributed for retail sale.

USDAs enforcement authority over failure to disclose bioengineered foods is quite limited, so it cant recall or seize products, or issue fines, but it can conduct investigations if, as is most likely, competitors or consumer groups make complaints, and make public the summary of the results of audits and investigations.

Grzybowski, paraphrasing the USDA official, added that the industry should expect both enforcement activity and educational outreach. USDA is ready to enforce on Jan 1 but it depends on how many complaints they get. They are staffed with two branches (compliance/enforcement and research/rulemaking/outreach) and staff capacity to do both enforcement and educational outreach at the same time.

Enforcement will only be complaint driven, no in-store retail reviews or supplier trace-back audits until they receive a complaint from someone. An internal vetting process will take place to determine if the complaint has merit, then would move to requesting documents from the manufacturer.

While the NBFDS lacks a private right of action, so individual consumers cant sue over a violation of the NBFDS, it doesnt stop states from adopting identical requirements that impose remedies for violations such as injunctive relief or monetary damages, although no states have so far chosen to do this.

As forUSDA'spublished list of bioengineered foods, firms must identify any ingredients they use that may be derived from these crops, and then contact suppliers to determine whether they need to be labeled.

But this core list is just the starting point for manufacturers, as manufacturers record-keeping requirements may also apply to bioengineered foods not specifically mentioned on the main USDA list such as genetically engineered microbes now used to produce everything from vitamins and flavors to collagen, probiotics and whey protein.

While in most cases, the final ingredients may not contain any trace of the engineered microbes (yeast, bacteria, fungi etc) used to produce them, firms should consider maintainingrecords to show why a disclosure isnot required if they have actual knowledge that the microbes were bioengineered or that, say, GM corn was used as a feedstock for a microbe, say attorneys.

The USDA'sbioengineered foods listincludes: Alfalfa, Arctic apples,canola, corn, cotton, BARI Bt Beguneggplant varieties, ringspot virus-resistant varieties ofpapaya, pink fleshed pineapple varieties, potato, AquAdvantage salmon,soybeans, summer squash, and sugar beet.

However, "even if a food is not included on the list, regulated entities whose records show that a food they are selling is bioengineered must make appropriate disclosure of that food," notes the USDA, which will review the list annually and, if necessary, make updates through the federal rulemaking process.

The NBFDS identifies three ways firms candeterminethat modified genetic material isnot detectable:

1 - By using records to verify a food is sourced from a non-bioengineered crop (such records may include organic certification; country of origin records that show the food is imported from a country that does not produce bioengineered crops; or affidavits from suppliers stating the food is sourced from non-bioengineered crops).

2 - By using records to verify a food has been subjected to arefinement processthat has been validated to render modified genetic material undetectable.

3 - By maintaining certificates of analysis (CoA) or othertesting records that confirm the absence of detectable modified genetic material (eg. CoAs showing that each batch or lot of a food or ingredient was testedand does not contain detectable modified genetic material). Given that testing is getting more sophisticated, there is the possibility that modified material that is undetectable using current testing techniques may be detectible in future using more sophisticated tests, presenting challenges, say attorneys.

Once a refining process has been validated to render modified genetical material in a food undetectable, additional testing is not necessary to confirm the absence of detectable modified genetic material.

However, USDA will not be maintaining a list of validated refining processes, given the proprietary nature of food production, so its up to food manufacturers to work with suppliers to determine whether the processes they use make modified genetic material undetectable.

So what do you do if you are using refined ingredients derived from bioengineered crops or microbes but youre struggling to secure all the relevant documentation to determine if a disclosure is required?

Blanket may contains statements are not permitted under the NBFDS. However, you can make a straight bioengineered food disclosure on your products (Bioengineered food' or 'Contains a bioengineered food ingredient')if you cant get your ducks in a row before January 2022, even if youre not 100% sure they meet the definition.

Voluntary disclosures which feature slightly different wording such as corn derived from a bioengineered source cant just be slapped onto every product in lieu of proper record-keeping, meanwhile, as these are only permitted if you have actually done the testing to show modified material is not detectable, but still want to make a disclosure in the interests of transparency.

There are four disclosure options:

On-pack text: 'Bioengineered food' or 'Contains a bioengineered food ingredient'

USDA approvedsymbol (pictured right)

Electronic or digital link: 'Scan here for more food information' or 'Call xxxx for more food information'

Text message disclosure: 'Text [command word] to [number] for bioengineered food information.'

Voluntary disclosures: Foods that do not meet the definition of bioengineered but are derived from bioengineered food may be disclosed voluntarily using a'derived from bioengineering' symbol or a phrase such as'corn derived from a bioengineered source.'

The two most popular choices are a straight writtenBioengineered food/Contains a bioengineered food ingredient' disclosure, or the Scan here for more food information' / 'Call xxxx for more food information'option, which many firms like because it doesnt actually contain the word bioengineered.

A digital disclosure also has the advantage that if you're not sure yet if your ingredients count as bioengineered under the law,firms can update your packaging right now, and then update the landing page you send people to in a few months time.

A lot of large companies are sending people to SmartLabel pages, while smaller ones are creating webpages.

Read the original here:

Supply chain woes add to compliance challenge with bioengineered food disclosure standard - FoodNavigator-USA.com

VitaminD is essential for absorbing calcium and has a direct link to boneand immunehealth. Yet individuals living in the UK, especially those with darker skin types, are at risk of vitamin D deficiency, especially during the winter months when it is not possible to source vitamin D from the sun.

In a paper published in 'Nutrients',researchersfrom the University of Surreyconducted a review ofblood levels ofvitamin D, as well as vitamin Dintake, inmembers of theUKblack community.

TheSurreystudy aimedtomeasurelevels of vitamin Ddeficiencyin the UKAfrican-Caribbean population throughanalysingdatafromthe UKBiobankdata set,whichcontains data on the healthandwell-beingofmorethan502,000individuals.

Dr Andrea Darling,senior author of the workfrom the University of Surrey,said:Our study found thatof the 4,046 African Caribbean individuals from the UK Biobank,over 1out of3 (37%)were vitamin D deficient andin addition to this,over 40%had insufficientlevels for of vitamin D.

This is very concerningbecause wealsofoundthatmore than95% of theblack communitypopulation has an insufficient intake of vitamin D.The high levels of deficiency and insufficiencyrevealed by the studyaretroublingbecause of the association between poorvitamin D intake and poor boneand immunehealth.

The Surreyresearchersfoundthat notconsuming oily fish,such as salmonand tunaand not taking vitamin D supplements were associated withanincreased likelihood of having vitamin D deficiency.

RebeccaVearing, PhD research student from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Surrey, said:Our findings suggest that there is a need for further public health messaging, especially for ethnic minority groups, to promote vitamin D supplementation and intake of food naturally rich in vitamin Dsuch asoily fishandeggs, orfoods such as breakfast cereals which arefortified with vitamin D.

Source:Nutrients

Vearing, R.M.; Hart, K.H.; Charlton, K.; Probst, Y.; Blackbourn, D.J.; Ahmadi, K.R.; Lanham-New, S.A.; Darling, A.L. Vitamin D

"Vitamin D Status of the British African-Caribbean Residents: Analysis of the UK Biobank Cohort"

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13114104

Original post:

Better messaging needed to improve vitamin D intake in ethnic minorities, says study - NutraIngredients.com

Related Practices & Jurisdictions

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

While we enter a new season this week, the same cannot be said for the FDA which, on November 16,reiterated that its approach to regulating the cannabidiol (CBD) industry will be the same as it ever wasa regulatory minefield.Grail Sipes, acting Deputy Center Director for Regulatory Policy at the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, emphasized the agencys position that it needs additional CBD research and safety data before the agency will consider CBD for uses beyond prescription drugs, including usage as a food additive or dietary supplement. This, she said, is because clear answers to many important questions are still lacking, such as what adverse reactions may be associated with CBD from hemp-derived products and what risks are associated with the long term use of these products.

So why should industry stakeholders care about the FDAs opinion anyway? Wasnt hemp-derived CBD legalized at the federal level by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as theFarm Bill?

Yes, but as we discussed in aprevious blog post, the FDA and FTC have overlapping enforcement authority over CBD marketing, with the FDA having primary authority over labeling. The FDA has previously issued guidance stating that CBD can be used as an ingredient in cosmetics so long as it does not cause the product to be adulterated or misbranded. However, a product containing CBD cannot be marketed as a drug absent FDA approvala lengthy andcostlyprocess. Companies marketing CBD products must therefore ensure compliance with the FDAs labeling requirements and guidance regarding CBD products.

The FDA has not been shy to issue warning letters to CBD companies that fail to heed the agencys labeling requirements and guidance. Starting inApril 2019, the FDA (together with the FTC) began issuing warning letters to companies marketing CBD products as treatments and cures for a variety of diseases and illnesses. Those agencies continued to issue warning letters for marketing and labeling violations throughout 2019, largely for improper health-based claims about CBD products (those letters are described in more detailhereandhere). The most recent iteration came in 2021 when the agencies issuedtwo warning lettersto companies selling over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for pain relief that contained CBD. Sipes made clear the FDA will continue to monitor the CBD marketplace and issue warning letters to companies making improper health claims in her November 16 comments.

Given these comments, we can expect the cat-and-mouse game between federal regulators and CBD companies that push the marketing envelope to continue. To mitigate the risk of falling within the FDAs crosshairs, CBD companies must ensure compliance with the various state and federal regulations governing the labeling and advertising of their products. We provided several marketing dos and donts in aprevious blog post. But given the FDAs unchanging position, the biggest takeaway remains the same: dont make claims that a CBD product can prevent, treat, or cure or a disease.

2021 Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLPNational Law Review, Volume XI, Number 335

See more here:

FDA Keeps Stance That CBD Cannot Be Included in Food or Supplements - The National Law Review

(SACRAMENTO)

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine found that probiotics significantly improve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, vomiting and constipation. The findings were published in the journal Nutrients.

Nausea and vomiting affect about 85% of pregnancies and can significantly impact quality of life, particularly during early pregnancy.

The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown to this date. Various theories have been proposed, but none of them is conclusive, said Albert T. Liu, lead author for the study and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology.

Nausea, vomiting and constipation during pregnancy can significantly diminish the quality of patients lives. Once nausea and vomiting during pregnancy progress, they can become difficult to control, and sometimes the patient even needs to be hospitalized, Liu said.

Probiotics are referred to as beneficial bacteria. They can be found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and tempeh. Probiotics are also available as food supplements. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, other than vitamins, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most commonly used dietary supplement for adults.

Probiotics are thought to support the community of different microbes, often referred to as the gut microbiome, found in the gastrointestinal tract.

During pregnancy, hormones like estrogen and progesterone increase, bringing about many physical changes. These increases can also change the gut microbiome, which likely affects the digestive system functions and causes unwanted symptoms like nausea, vomiting and constipation.

The researchers set out to determine whether supplementing with a probiotic could be beneficial for gastrointestinal function during pregnancy.

The study lasted for 16 days. A total of 32 participants took a probiotic capsule twice a day for six days and then took two days off. They then repeated the cycle.

The probiotics were available over-the-counter and mainly contained Lactobacillus, a type of good bacteria. Each capsule contained approximately 10 billion live cultures at the time of manufacture.

Participants kept 17 daily observations of their symptoms during the duration of the study, for a total of 535 observations for the researchers to statistically assess.

What the researchers found was that taking the probiotic significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. Nausea hours (the number of hours participants felt nauseous) were reduced by 16%, and the number of times they vomited was reduced by 33%. Probiotic intake also significantly improved symptoms related to quality of life, such as fatigue, poor appetite and difficulty maintaining normal social activities, as scored by questionnaires.

Probiotics were also found to reduce constipation significantly.

Over the years, Ive observed that probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting and ease constipation. Its very encouraging that the study proved this to be true, said Liu. Probiotics have also benefited many of my other patients who werent in the study, said Liu.

Participants also contributed fecal specimens before and during the study. The samples were analyzed to identify the type and number of microbes and the different byproducts of digestion.

This allowed the researchers to examine whether biomarkers in the fecal specimens corresponded with more severe nausea and assess how the probiotics affected participants who began the study with different baseline biomarkers.

One finding was that a low amount of bacteria that carry an enzyme named bile salt hydrolase, which generates bile acid to absorb nutrients, was associated with more pregnancy-related vomiting. Probiotics increase bile salt hydrolase-producing bacteria, which may explain why the supplements decreased levels of nausea and vomiting.

Another finding was that high levels of the gut microbes Akkermansia and A. muciniphila at the beginning of the study were associated with more vomiting. The probiotic significantly reduced the amount of those particular microbes and also reduced vomiting. This suggests Akkermansia and A. muciniphila may be reliable biomarkers that can predict vomiting in pregnancy.

Another finding was that vitamin E levels increased after taking probiotics. Higher levels of vitamin E were associated with low vomiting scores.

This research provides key insights about the impact of gut microbes on gastrointestinal function during pregnancy. Our gut microbiota explains why we are what we eat, and why bacteria-generated metabolites and products have a huge impact on our health, said Wan. They affect the gastrointestinal tract as well as skin health and neurological function.

Although the findings are intriguing, the researchers caution that due to the small sample size, further studies will be needed to confirm the effects of the probiotics.

Our previous work showed the benefits of probiotics in preventing liver inflammation. The current study might be one of the first to show the benefits of probiotics in pregnancy, said Wan. It would be interesting and important to further test whether probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients.

Additional authors on this study include Shuai Chen from the Department of Public Health Sciences, and Prasant Kumar Jena, Lili Sheng and Ying Hu from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis.

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Probiotics improve nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, according to new study - UC Davis Health