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Nutraceuticals Now – Fat loss

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Alimentarius an unsurpassed reputation for translating the very latest scientific findings into commercial applications in functional foods. This expertise was recognized by Nutraceuticals Now and we were approached to provide a range articles relating to functional foods and supplements, including:-

‘Low carbohydrate diets for fat loss and health: fact fiction, fad or future?’

‘Application of whey protein as a functional food for appetite control: contemporary perspectives’

‘ Nutrition to optimize recovery from endurance exercise’

 

 

Westminster Diet and Health Forum – Expert opinion on diet

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The Westminster Diet and Health Forum provides an environment to discuss critical issues of public policy relating to diet and health. Alimentarius were invited to provide expert opinion on diet and behaviour; contributing to the government debate with written evidence. There was widespread recognition that long chain omega-3 fatty acids could contribute to brain development and function. In our written contribution we focused on other bioactives in seafood that contribute to brain function, the benefits of which had been overlooked. Our written comments together with supporting scientific data were published in FHF The Westminster Diet and Heath Forum Symposium Series. Westminster Forum Projects Ltd. London

Westminster Diet and Health Forum – Expert opinion on sport nutrition

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The Westminster Diet and Health Forum provides an environment to discuss critical issues of public policy relating to diet and health. A conference was held prior to the Olympics and Alimentarius were invited to contribute to the debate by providing expert opinion on sport nutrition. We addressed three fundamental issues that were not adequately covered by the speakers. These were i) How do sports foods and sports nutrition products differ from ‘normal’ foods? ii) Is there any evidence that sports foods are more beneficial to exercising populations than consuming ‘normal’ foods’? and iii) Why do athletes choose to use sports nutrition products? Our written comments together with supporting scientific data were published in Sports Nutrition, The Westminster diet and health forum symposium series. ISBN I-905029-03-09

Summary of ESSNA position statement on creatine safety

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Scientific justification for creatine maintenance and creatine loading doses proposed by European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA).

This document reviews the current state of scientific understanding regarding creatine safety. In response to creatine loading at 20g per day and long term creatine use, supplementing in excess of 5g per day for over 5 years produced no adverse health effects. A scientifically based rationale to support the use of 5g of creatine daily as a maintenance dose and evidence for creatine loading at 20g per day over 5 days is provided. These popular and safe practices are efficacious at improving both physical and mental performance and also provide some health benefits.

Maximuscle – Position statement on amino acid fortification

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Amino acids have a fundamental role in nutrition and numerous research studies support their role in general health as well as enhancing both mental and physical performance. There is a wealth of peer reviewed scientific data on healthy humans demonstrating the benefits of amino acid supplementation. Despite this, a report from the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) concluded the addition of amino acids to foods was not necessary except to improve protein quality. The SCF report titled on ‘Composition and specification of food intended to meet the expenditure of intense muscular effort, especially for sportsmen’ was submitted to the European Commission and as a consequence they released directive (SANCO D4/HL/mm/D440182). This stated :-

‘The addition of amino acids is permitted solely for the purpose of improving the nutritional value of the proteins and only in the proportions necessary for that purpose’

If written into EU law this would have been potentially catastrophic for the functional food industry and consumers, as it would have removed amino acid supplements from the European market. It would also have meant that many products with added amino acids would need to be reformulated to remove them and their associated health claims. Such products include mainstream fat loss supplements, ready to drink energy products, recovery drinks, energy bars, energy gels and protein bars.

As experts in amino acid metabolism and regulatory issues relating to dietary supplements, Maximuscle approached Alimentarius to write their position statement on the amino acid fortification of foods. We prepared this document using peer reviewed scientific data and highlighted numerous cases where amino acid fortification of foods was required for reasons other than improving the nutritional value of proteins. The position statement provided by Alimentarius was subsequently adopted by the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) to overturn EU directive (SANCO D4/HL/mm/D440182). This has allowed health, energy, sports performance, recovery and muscle building products to remain on the market without reformulation. It has also ensured that foods and supplements can continue to be fortified with amino acids. A full copy of the position  position statement on amino acid fortification can be obtained here.

ESSNA – Position statement on creatine safety and toxicity

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Creatine is one of the most important nutrients for the sports nutrition market and is a key ingredient in sports performance, muscle building and recovery products. It is typically supplemented in 5g daily doses, but to quickly attain maximal tissue creatine levels it can also be ‘loaded’ by supplementing 20g of creatine per day for 5 days.

In 2001 the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) provided the European Commission with a report on ‘Composition and specification of food intended to meet the expenditure of intense muscular effort, especially for sportsmen’. This report claimed that data were lacking regarding the safety of creatine and that ingestion of more than 2-3g of creatine daily for prolonged periods may not be safe. In 2004 a report complied by the French food safety agency (Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments, or AFSSA) questioned the safety of creatine loading and long-term creatine supplementation. As a consequence the European Commission released directive (SANCO D4/HL/mm/D440182) limiting the recommended conditions of use for creatine in supplements to 3g per day. This would have been potentially catastrophic for the sports nutrition industry and consumers. Although this low dose supplementation can produce some health benefits, higher doses are needed to produce the performance effects claimed on most products. Therefore, limiting creatine supplementation to 3 g would make most products too deficient in creatine to produce the claimed effects, indirectly removing legitimate creatine ‘health claims’ from the European market.

As experts in both creatine metabolism and regulatory issues relating to dietary supplements, Maximuscle Ltd. approached Alimentarius to write their position statement on creatine safety and toxicity. We prepared this document using peer reviewed scientific data and addressed all the safety concerns expressed by the SCF and AFSSA. Our report demonstrated that creatine monohydrate supplementation at 5 g per day is safe for periods of 5 to10 years. The position statement also showed that in contrast to the unsubstantiated claims in the 2004 AFSSA report, creatine loading was both justified and safe.

This creatine opinion was subsequently adopted by the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) and was used to overturn the EU directive. This has allowed sports and muscle building products to provide conditions of use that are appropriate to produce the claimed performance effects. The ESSNA position statement is still the most comprehensive document on creatine safety and toxicity available. As such it is widely referenced to support the safety of creatine products by companies such as Lucozade. It  also formed part of the evidence reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) when providing their positive article 13.1 opinions on creatine and performance. A summary of the ESSNA position statement on creatine safety and toxicity can be obtained here and a full copy of the report here.

Science writing- e-shot marketing of supplements

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A client, a supplement retailer had more than 3,500 units of stock with less than 4 weeks to the expiry date. They felt it would be impossible to sell all the products before the expiry period and planned to destroy the stock. Alimentarius are experienced in e-shot marketing of supplements and were confident that we could sell the stock. We prepared copy that included a range of health claims and highlighted the product benefits. The e-shot was sent to our clients consumer database and in less than 12 hours all the stock had been sold. This saved our clients the costs of product disposal, generated considerable profits, resulted in no product returns and also led to a large number of repeat purchases.

Supplement formulation

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A client approached Alimentarius to market and formulate a product with regulatory compliance in the EU, US and Australasia. In addition to factors such as costs and efficacy Alimentarius also considered trade and cultural barriers. We formulated a product that met all the criteria specified by our client, but also avoided using several ingredients which consumers considered ‘unhealthy’. Coupled with appropriate marketing this greatly increased the finished products’ appeal without adversely affecting production costs, taste, efficacy, or shelf life. The benefits provided by the advanced formulation we provided to our clients quickly translated to rapid penetration into well-established markets and significant sales growth.

Clearcast – Fast track health claims

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An EU based functional food company wanted to extend the promotion of its’ product range to include commercial TV. The products carried several marketing claims which required final approval by Clearcast, the organization that ensures compliance with UK Code for Broadcast Advertising (BCAP code). Alimentarius were asked to provide Clearcast with a scientific dossier to supported each products marketing claims. The dossiers were submitted to Clearcast and all the claims were approved without removal, modification, or the need to supply additional data. The time and cost saving for our client was significant, allowing the whole process from the initial approach to Alimentarius to Clearcast approval to be completed in less than a month. This allowed the TV advertising to optimally compliment pre-planned in-store product launches and drive sales success.

Clearcast 2009 – Fat loss claims

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A major European functional food company wanted to support the launch of its’ new women’s weight management range with a TV marketing campaign. The proposed advertisements made a number of health claims relating to and including fat loss, which provided an important point of difference from existing products in this sector. Our clients claims were evaluated by Clearcast, the organization that ensures compliance with UK Code for Broadcast Advertising (BCAP code). Clearcast asked our clients to provide supporting evidence for all the claims they wished to use for marketing the products, who in turn asked Alimentarius to provide substantiation. We prepared a scientific dossiers for Clearcast to demonstrate that our clients products could provide the claimed health benefits; which included claims for ‘weight management’, ‘toning’ and ‘fat loss’. The dossier was evaluated by their experts and Clearcast approved fat loss claims, toning claims and weight management claims. These were successfully used to market our clients range of weight management products on TV and the internet.

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