Women Ease off of Supplements

From Nutri USA

Women appear to be leaving the US dietary supplement category in significant numbers, according to survey results released last week.

Market research and consultancy firm TABS Group said that 66 percent of US women today report using vitamins and supplements, which represents a 13 percent drop since 2005.

The firm, which based its findings on an online survey conducted earlier this month, said that the drop in usage was isolated to women aged 30-59.

"The survey did not address specifically why so many left the market for Nutritional Supplements, however, we do find that they corroborate trends we have been tracking in the marketplace," said TABS Group founder and president, Kurt Jetta.

"Most notably, we've seen sluggish category trends, sharp declines in sales of Women's Supplements like soy and black cohosh, and declines in calcium sales, which skew heavily towards women concerned about osteoporosis."

A new high-intensity sweetener is being set for distribution worldwide in 2008, according to Food Monitor. This sweetener is set to rival sucralose in its dominance. The material was not available to this point because of challenges in processing its base raw material.

New Natural Hi-Intensity Sweetener

Sorry for the long hiatus, but I am back with a ton of posts ready. First though, I join Elvis in loving peanut butter, even his butter-fried PB and banana…with or without honey, depending on what you believe about Elvis’s preferences. I am die-hard loyal to Jif, but this recent recall of Peter Pan has me flabbergasted. There has only been one other documented outbreak of salmonella in PB, and that was in Australia. Salmonella is usually found in meat, poultry and eggs. The terrible aspect of this outbreak, 288 cases so far, is that kids, with their underdeveloped immune systems are both the most likely to eat PB and the most likely to die from salmonella. While I am proud to live in a country with the safest food supply in the world, my heart breaks for the sufferers of deadly foodborne illnesses.

According to the IFT weekly newsletter: "Hunt your game and eat it too -- without worry of damaging your teeth on buckshot! Season Shot is ammunition that injects seasoning into a bird upon impact. Pellets are made of tightly packed seasoning bound by a biodegradable food product. When the bird is cooked the seasoning pellets melt into the meat, spreading the flavor to the entire bird." ATF, eat your heart out.



Buckshot made with seasoning

In the worst case of techno-speak I have ever encountered, a study revealed that 30% of people eructated in response to fish oil capsules. Had me racing to Webster’s…only to find out that “eructate” is Latin for “burp”. So, fish burps cause most people to stop taking fish oil supplements. That piece of trivia has not helped me once with the NY Times crossword puzzle, but it did make me take a look at the alternative, flax.

Omega three fatty acids from flax and other plant sources have shorter chain lengths and are called ALA (Alpha linoeic acid). ALA is used in the body to manufacture EPA (Eicosapentaeoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), the final form of the omega 3’s used in the body and the kind found in fish oil. There is less science on ALA and its health benefits, but 30% of people have “fish burps” when they take fish oil capsules, and stop taking them. Having the building blocks to make your own longer-chain omega 3’s is still better than having no dietary source of any omega 3’s.

In the case of beta carotene, the building block of Vitamin A, you are better having the building blocks, because too much straight Vitamin A retinol (the cheapest, most powerful form of Vitamin A commonly used in vitamin supplements) has been shown to increase bone fractures. With beta carotene, you body just stores it until it needs the more powerful form. Centrum has switched to only supply 70% of the RDA of Vitamin A in their vitamins, and 30% comes from beta carotene. To me, that is a nice blend of economic reality and health benefits.

Rats. I marvel at the "Lose Weight with No Effort" ads, and wait daily for one of them to be true. Not to be, this year. The marketers of some popular diet products received some stunning fines from the FTC for false advertising on their claims. However, the companies are still allowed to market their products. My unscientific belief is that they must be raking in gobs of money to pay these kinds of fines, re-package the product, and keep selling. According to last Friday’s USA Today’s Business section, TrimSpa will pay $1.5 million. Anna Nicole Smith’s inane ads should be illegal because of their irritation factor, let alone “claims not supported by science”. Xenadrine EFX will pay $8-13 million, CortiSlim and CortiStress will surrender $12 million in assets. BASF will pay $3.2 million for One A Day WeightSmart. BASF’s claim is that they didn’t market it for weight loss, only as a multivitamin, but they will settle rather than fight due to legal costs. Yep, BASF called it WeightSmart, and heavily advertised their addition of guarana because it wasn’t targeted for the weight loss crowd. TrimSpa, baby!


In other false claim news, P&G agreed to stop calling Capri Sun “all natural”. The product has loads of HFCS, a product not found in nature. Their statement “We will now label it as “No Preservatives” reminded me of Kraft and their "Our customers know that our Guacamole contains no avocados". Yes, more TrimSpa, baby!

90% of the cells in the human body are our intestinal bugs, leading lots of people to wonder if we are merely a transport system for e.coli, acidophilus, bifidus, etc. We have over 140 different kinds of bugs in our GI tract, and only 20 types have been investigated. Incidently, the good bugs eat fiber, which is why they don't compete with us for our food and still aid digestion. Every person's "Sim City" of bugs has a completely different makeup, as different as fingerprints or faces. To some degree, bugs grow according to their food source.

New research indicates that the intestinal bacteria in obese humans and mice differ from those in lean individuals. Researchers Matej Bajzer and Randy Seeley, writing in Nature, found obese people have more digestive microbes that are especially efficient at extracting calories from food. Also, when the researchers transplanted the efficient bacteria from obese mice into lean mice, the thin mice start getting fat.


In news reports, the researchers cautioned against trying to manipulate "gut flora" with antibiotics or probiotic pills. However, if the findings are confirmed, the group said that the research may provide insights into one of the nation's biggest health problems.

Knowing the Ingredients makes Beer taste better


The following is an excerpt from the above link:
“The Influence of Expectation, Consumption and Revelation on Preferences for Beer,” appears in the December issue of Psychological Sciences, one of the field’s leading research journals.

In the study, Dr. Lee and two M.I.T. researchers, Shane Fredrick and Dan Ariely, found that they could change beer drinkers’ taste preferences by telling them about a secret ingredient in a beer before they drank it.

In previous studies, psychologists had found that putting brand labels on containers of beer, soft drinks and other products tended to enhance people’s subjective ratings of quality. But the new experiment demonstrates that this preference involves more than simple brand loyalty. It changes the experience of taste itself.

In a series of experiments, Dr. Lee approached bar patrons and asked them whether they wanted to participate in a beer taste test, with free beer. Few refused; 388 young men and women tasted two beers each, one a regular draft of Budweiser or Samuel Adams, and the other the same beer with a few drops of balsamic vinegar added.

Most beer drinkers say vinegar would worsen the drinks, previous work had found.

But Mr. Lee found that about 60 percent of the patrons in the blind taste test — they did not know which beer contained the vinegar — actually preferred the balsamic “M.I.T. Beer.”

Another group of tasters learned which beer was which after they had tasted the beers but before making their choices, and they, too, preferred the M.I.T. Beer by about the same margin as the blind-test group.

But knowing which beer had the vinegar before swigging soured the experience. About a third of the patrons who were told the identities of the beers beforehand chose the M.I.T. brew.

Givaudan, another leading flavor company has this flavor forecast from their press release:
FlavorVision(TM) 2007 flavor predictions

**Wonderlands**

Wonderlands is marked by consumer exploration and the desire for new experiences. From 360-degree stimulation through the ethnic and exotic, Wonderlands tests the limits and challenges the norms with the unconventional and unexpected.

Flavor Direction: Ethnic; Exotic; Experiential flavors ... tingle, cool, pucker, heat; and flavors with intense look, aroma, and taste.

Flavor Examples: Guava, Mangosteen, Pink Peppercorn, Smoked Paprika, Acai Berry, Blue Ginger/Galangal, Amazonian Herbs, Rooibos/Red Tea, and Rhubarb

**Pleasure Principals**

Indulgence spanning from simple to luxurious feeds the emotional experience and defines personal pleasure.

Flavor Direction: Sophisticated, adult tastes; Sweet, creamy, frothy textural flavors; flavors with provenance; and rich, sticky sweet browns.

Flavors: Caramel; Coffee; Custard; Tapioca; Pandan; Toffee; Vintage Spirits (Wine, Champagne); Buttercream; Bitter Chocolate and Artisanal Honey.

**Body & Soul**

Physical and emotional health and wellness. Consumers are looking for a total sense of wellness -- mind, body, appearance, and vitality -- through their environment, lifestyle, and the products they consume.

Flavor Direction: Active hydration flavors from foods with high water content; antioxidant berries and fruits; light, fragrant herbs; energizing foods and flavors; warm, calming spices and florals; natural healthy flavors from nutrition dense foods

Flavors: Miso, Watermelon, Pomegranate, Lavender, Green & White Tea, Almond, Pear, Bergamot, Cardamom, and Olive.

Along my continuing rant that there is no free will, Big Food determines what you will eat, here is a preview. Seasoning company McCormick has released its Flavor Forecast 2007. An annual look at the tastes that will define the year, this year’s report looks at special pairings of flavors. Teamed together, these combinations will be influencing the foods we eat in restaurants and at home.

The top 10 flavor pairings of 2007 are:

Clove and Green Apple
Thyme and Tangerine
Tellicherry Black Pepper and Berry
Sea Salt and Smoked Tea
Lavender and Honey
Crystallized Ginger and Salted Pistachio
Cumin and Apricot
Toasted Mustard and Fennel Seeds
Wasabi and Maple
Caramelized Garlic and Riesling Vinegar


Tomorrow will be another major flavor companies forecast....
flavor forecast, mccormick

You heard it here first. Anheuser-Busch has joined the gluten-free trend with its new sorghum beer, aimed at adults who experience wheat allergies or who choose a wheat-free or gluten-free diet. The new beer, called Redbridge, will be sold in stores carrying organic products and restaurants. Cannot wait to try it.

From the Institute of Food Technologists Daily News:

"Redbridge is a full-bodied lager brewed using imported Hallertau and domestic Cascade hops. It is brewed with sorghum and has a well-balanced, moderately hopped taste. “We set out to create a fine, hand-crafted specialty beer made without wheat or barley,” said Angie Minges, product manager, Anheuser-Busch. “We’ve made Redbridge nationally available to make sure adults who experience wheat allergies or who choose a gluten-free or wheat-free diet can enjoy the kind of beer that fits their lifestyle.”

Redbridge contains 4.8% alcohol per 12-ounce serving. It will be available in 12-ounce, six-pack bottles. Redbridge is brewed at the Anheuser-Busch Merrimack, N.H., brewery.


First Menopause Beer from Czech scientists, see earlier post of November 8. Now Sorghum Beer from Busch. And there was the MIT beer with the “special ingredient”, vinegar, mentioned as insanely popular in a NY Times article of December 12….Anheuser Busch launches gluten free beer

Last year, I taught diet classes in both high iaand low income areas. The high-income women told me that their bodies wanted to be thin, they just had to listen to their bodies and nirvana-weight would follow. Booshwah on that hippie stuff! My body tells me to eat what tastes good, and more of it. The low-income women informed me that junk food, especially the Hostess Ho-Ho, had been developed by The Man, to keep them overweight, depressed, unhealthy and easily manipulated. Who was I to disagree? I am still not sure how many shooters were on the grassy knoll, so a good conspiracy theory about my weight certainly works for me.

One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight and adopt a healthier life style. Since I am one of those masses, I thought I better get some ammunition for success. After intense searching on the Internet, I cannot find the origin of the oft-quoted statistic that 95% of people regain the weight they have lost. I just refuse to believe it. If weight is such a public health issue, why isn’t there more data on weight loss plans and long term success rate? I am developing the “Better Bad Choices” Diet for long term health management, and will keep you posted as I discover the choices. I have two laws so far:

The first law of the Better Bad Choices Diet is that the major food companies and restaurants will not dictate my portion size. It is okay to throw away food, and doing so does not make you an uncaring person about starving children elsewhere in the world. Nor is it an insult to those who survived the Great Depression.

The second law is to get some sort of exercise everyday. You cannot exercise your way to thinness without controlling your food intake; exercise doesn’t burn enough calories to overcome an eating binge. However, exercise does increase muscle and thus increase metabolic rate. It also gets the endorphin thing going, which may give a person just enough attitude and willpower to “just say no” to the Twinkie, The Man, and any other conspiracy rattling around.

The second supplement that had the most favor among the researchers was omega 3 fatty acids, either fish oil or flax seed. My understanding is that the body cannot manufacture this material, and it is present in every cell as the cell membrane. Every researcher was taking some form omega 3’s, and making sure that the EPA and DHA levels were spelled out in the nutrition label. Consensus was that there will be a recommended daily amount, just like vitamins, in the future.

The third supplement was CoQ 10, which should have been called vitamin H. It is critical in storing and releasing energy in the cell, and we produce less of it as we age. It is used in therapeutic amounts by Mount Sinai heart specialists, for people who have had heart attacks. During a heart attack, the heart cells release all of their energy, and CoQ10 supplementation has shown to help replenish those energy stores significantly. While it’s safety is well established, supplementation among healthy adults has not been studied much, and has not been proven to be beneficial. I'd say about half of the researchers were taking CoQ10.

I have had the opportunity to ask some elite scientists, who work for some of the most respected names in nutritional supplements and pharmaceuticals, for their opinions on supplements beyond multivitamins. In other words, I asked them to sort out the murky hype and name the most compelling science…what supplements do they take? The overwhelming consensus was fiber. In spite of the “ewwww, gross, elimination issues!” attitude of the American culture, the fact is that it is extraordinarily difficult to get the recommended amount of fiber in the average diet. The average American gets 11 grams of fiber per day; the recommended amount is 25 grams. Cholesterol control is one obvious benefit. So is the elimination of toxins achieved in everyday living, which results in the decrease in colorectal cancer. The benefit that came as a surprise to me is the increase in immune function. Fiber feeds the healthy bacteria in the GI system, which in turn fights off bad bacteria, and the result is a healthier human. The other surprise to me is that the chewable and the clear fibers, “Benefiber” don’t scavenge cholesterol. The texture that makes Metamucil quite the acquired taste is also the gunk that carries cholesterol out of your blood stream. Who knew?