Beyond The Headlines: Partnership to boost Belgian sustainable farming, Probi touts healthy aging benefits

28 Jun 2024 --- This week in nutrition news, Beneo, Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and Puratos partnered with Belgium farmers to create the Climate Farming Project and Probi revealed the results of its latest study on the healthy aging benefits of its proprietary HEAL9 probiotic strain.

Meanwhile, Ocean Spray Cranberries and Brightseed partnered to discover novel health benefits in cranberries and TurtleTree expanded its partnership with Strive to include its plant-based lactoferrin ingredient in more products.

Additionally, Gateway Health Alliances unveiled its latest B2B dietary supplement ingredient for sleep support, dubbed Somnoril and iHerb introduced three new offerings to support individuals using semaglutide.

At the same time, the findings of a recent study show that the US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) improves pregnancy outcomes, while a team of US-based researchers conducted a scientific literature review to dispel some of the myths surrounding intermittent fasting.

Nutrition News
Beneo, Raffinerie Tirlemontoise and Puratos collaborated with Belgian farmers to launch the Climate Farming Project — an initiative to help promote sustainable farming practices and strengthen soil health across 15 pilot farms in Belgium. The initiative covers crops such as sugar beet, wheat and chicory and its strategies include reductions in mineral nitrogen fertilization, pesticide use and inhibiting soil erosion through organic methods and by boosting natural biodiversity. The project says it will prioritize regenerative agriculture principles and foster knowledge exchange between farmers and industry experts using diagnostic assessments. One of these assessments, the Greencard tool, guides the implementation of sustainable practices with insights intended to expand to other partnered farms.Probi’s HEAL9 probiotic was shown to have significant anti-inflammatory effects, which could boost cardiovascular health.

Probi revealed that its latest healthy aging study explored how chronic inflammation, known as inflammaging, impacts older adults and focused on the company’s proprietary strain, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9. The strain has already been shown to have significant benefits across the gut-brain axis, but this study examined its anti-inflammatory effects in adults over 70 to see if the strain might mitigate conditions like Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. The results show that HEAL9, alone or with berries, dramatically reduced inflammation markers compared to a placebo. Fewer participants showed elevated calprotectin levels post-study, with notable improvements in cognitive function observed using the Trail Making Test. The study marks Probi’s fourth clinical study reinforcing HEAL9’s ability to improve gut-brain health, with previous research highlighting its benefits in younger adults who demonstrated enhancements in cognitive performance, memory, mood and sleep.

Business news
A collaboration between Ocean Spray Cranberries and Brightseed has made significant strides in uncovering novel bioactive compounds within cranberries using Brightseed’s Forager AI platform. These findings were presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s Nutrition 2024 conference by Ocean Spray, who stated that Forager’s analysis identified previously unstudied bioactives, including terpenes, in cranberries, highlighting the berry’s potential health benefits in areas such as cognition and immunity. Moreover, the researchers said that Forager AI enabled the prediction of a substantial increase in phytonutrients related to new areas of human health, which could guide future pre-clinical and clinical investigations.

TurtleTree expanded its partnership with Strive to include more innovative, sustainable nutrition solutions in its product line. Strive, known for its Freemilk and its commitment to sustainability, integrated TurtleTree’s animal-free lactoferrin, LF+, into new offerings aimed at adult nutrition. These include an immunity support beverage and a ready-to-mix protein powder that will leverage LF+’s benefits for gut health, iron regulation and immune support to meet the growing consumer demand for functional beverages that promote mental and physical well-being.Gateway Health Alliances unveiled its B2B Somnoril, for formulations looking to boost sleep quality.

Product launches
Gateway Health Alliances unveiled Somnoril, a B2B dietary supplement ingredient that has been shown to enhance restorative sleep, promote sustainable weight loss and improve metabolic wellness. A newly published study in Medical Research Archives highlighted Somnoril’s ability to significantly improve sleep quality and increase daytime energy. The ingredient is derived from Dichrostachys glomerata, traditionally used in West Africa and has been the subject of extensive research, including four previous clinical trials involving over 550 participants, which demonstrated its efficacy in weight loss and metabolic balance. The study revealed substantial improvements in overall sleep, reduced insomnia symptoms, increased deep sleep and improved sleep efficiency compared to the placebo. According to the company, the findings underscore the potential of Somnoril to support healthy aging and improve quality of life through enhanced sleep and metabolic benefits.

iHerb introduced three new supplements tailored to support individuals using semaglutide (GLP-1 agonists). The offerings address common side effects like digestive issues, muscle loss, skin elasticity changes and fluctuating blood sugar levels. The new product line, under California Gold Nutrition, includes CollagenUP Plus, Berberine Advanced and Digestion Pro. The company said the new products were developed with insights from health experts to help counter nutrient deficiencies that may arise from reduced appetite due to GLP-1 therapy. Each supplement contains premium ingredients for potency and safety and supports overall wellness alongside GLP-1 therapy.

Scientific Studies
A recent scientific review article from the University of Illinois Chicago, US, dispelled some of “myths” surrounding intermittent fasting.A recent study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine revealed that WIC plays a crucial role in improving pregnancy outcomes for eligible participants. Published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study spotlighted that pregnant individuals enrolled in WIC experienced fewer instances of gestational diabetes, preterm birth, blood transfusion and ICU admissions for both parent and child. Additionally, the researchers emphasized the significance of WIC in mitigating food insecurity issues and enhancing pregnancy health outcomes. The study analyzed over 1.9 million first-time pregnant individuals across 3,120 US counties from 2016 to 2019 and observed a significant decline in WIC enrollment over the years. Counties with increased WIC enrollment saw substantial reductions in adverse pregnancy outcomes, underscoring the effectiveness of WIC in supporting maternal and child health.

A review article published by the University of Illinois Chicago, researchers dispelled four common myths surrounding intermittent fasting, emphasizing its safety based on extensive clinical research. The study highlighted that misconceptions about fasting contributing to poor diets, causing eating disorders, leading to excessive loss of lean muscle mass and affecting sex hormones are unfounded. Published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the review refutes these myths with evidence from clinical studies. The findings further show that intermittent fasting does not alter the intake of nutrients like sugar, fat or protein, nor does it induce eating disorders among participants without prior histories. The review also demonstrated that lean muscle mass is preserved similarly across different weight loss methods, with the loss being manageable through resistance training and adequate protein intake. The researchers concluded that both alternate-day eating and time-restricted eating patterns are safe and do not substantiate the concerns propagated in popular discourse.

By William Bradford Nichols

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