April 2018

A VRM Media Publication

www.niemagazine.com

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T here are 126 million adult womenin the U.S., and so, aside frombeing women, there are in factmany heterogeneous consumer

demographics, sub-segments andtrends in such a large group. Our panelof industry experts looks at some of themain drivers, innovations and develop-ment trends in the booming women’shealth mega market.

NIE: What do female consumers per-ceive to be their biggest health andwellness challenges?

Lifton: Women’s health really doescover a vast landscape of consumerhealth needs: from bone health, to hearthealth, to hormonal balance and symp-tom relief, to vaginal health and metab-olism—it really depends on age, activitylevels and individual health goals. Butthere is no monolithic or typical femaleconsumer, just as there is no universalmale consumer.

Quackenbush: When women areyounger—in their 20s and 30s—theirprimary concerns are reproductive andmenstrual health. When women entertheir mid-40s, they tend to become

more concerned about peri-menopauseand menopause, as well as bonestrength and integrity.

After menopause, the two top con-cerns for women become cardiovascularwellness and bone density. The connec-tion between these two factors isobtaining adequate levels of vitamin K2as MK-7.

And women of all ages are alwaysconcerned about being physically fit.When both the skeleton and the cardio-vascular systems are healthy and func-tioning optimally, women can maintainhigher levels of activity and fitness,which, also favorably impacts bone andheart health.

Bérubé: Female health encompassesmultiple health indications extendingmuch further than hormonal support orvitamins and minerals for expecting orlactating mothers. An important area ofinterest for women include healthyaging and skin health, with support ofskin hydration being a top priority con-cern for women across all age groups.

While women usually spend highamounts on cosmetic anti-aging or anti-wrinkle creams, few know that maintain-

54 Nutrition Industry Executive www.niemagazine.com ■ April 2018

By James J. Gormley

The Participants Are:• Jocelyn Bérubé,Executive Vice President,Scientific & RegulatoryAffairs, innoVactiv,Montreal, QC, Canada,www.innovactiv.com

• Michael Chernyak,President, CK Ingredients,Oakville, ON, Canada,www.ckingredients.com

• Dan Lifton, President,Maypro’s ProprietaryBranded IngredientsGroup, Purchase, NY,www.maypro.com

• Kate Quackenbush,Director ofCommunications,NattoPharma USA,Edison, NJ,www.nattopharma.com

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ing optimal skin hydration is the bestanti-aging there is. With advances innutrition research, new options now existto support optimal skin hydration at allsites of the body, including areas thatare less adequate for use of topicalcreams, such as [for the] scalp.

One of these options is the use of oralplant-derived ceramides, offering a clini-cally-validated support for skin hydrationon all sites of the body. Ceramides are anormal component of skin, playing anessential role in preventing water loss.Studies show that corn or rice-derivedceramides offer high efficacy at low dailydosage, because they are able to stimu-late the endogenous synthesis of newceramides at the epidermal level.

Chernyak: While women tend to havea higher life expectancy than men, theirgreatest challenge relates to enjoying ahealthier life. Women in peri-menopauseand menopause tend to face significanthealth challenges such as arthritis,depression, osteoporosis, breast cancerand cardiovascular disease.

NIE: Hormonal changes affect thebody's nutritional and metabolic needs.In women, while monthly variations cancall for specific support, peri-menopauseand menopause create a whole range ofdietary and nutritional support needs.Where is the research today on safelysupporting healthy hormonal responsesfor women?

Lifton: Many hormonal and metabolicactivities and needs overlap, whether weare referring to sleep, anxiety, mood orPMS.

Targeted nutrition comes into play.Enter: our Venetron ingredient. Derivedfrom a patented, purified extract ofApocynum venetum, Venetron doesn’timpact the CYP3A pathway, unlike St.John’s wort, and is also more effective ata lower dose (50 mg per day). Its posi-tive support combating stress and pro-moting a positive outlook and enhancedsleep quality stem from its mechanism ofaction in reducing secretion of chromo-granic A, a stress marker, and increasingserotonin levels, so boosting mood.

Vaginal health is of vital importance,too, and so that is one of the reasons weoffer ProDURA Bacillus coagulans, aunique strain of spore-forming bacteriawhich, according to published research,supports the health of the vaginal andgastrointestinal tracts, in addition tohelping to restore a good balance ofbacteria.

Chernyak: The research certainly indi-cates that good nutrition can help to

prevent or ease some of the conditionsthat result from peri-menopause andmenopause. Overall, a nutrient rich dietwith adequate calcium, iron, fiber andmoderate use of high fat foods andsugar is important in maintaining goodhealth. Increased water consumptionand limited alcohol and caffeine alsoplay a critical role.

NIE: We used to hear so much aboutchasteberry, dong quai, soy and redclover for women's health. Then con-cerns arose about phytoestrogeniceffects that were too powerful and whichcould mirror, albeit less so, some of thesame concerns about HRT. Where didthe science and supplements net out onphytoestrogen ingredients, ultimately?

Chernyak: While phytoestrogens havebeen found to be beneficial in the treat-ment of menopause, there are someside effects that evoke caution, such ashypothyroidism, decreased mineralabsorption and gastrointestinal prob-lems including bloating, gas, constipa-tion and nausea. There is also concernthat specific phytoestrogens can causean increase risk of breast cancer inwomen that are allergic to soy or sensi-tive to hormone replacement therapy.

NIE: What vitamins, such as vitamin Kand others, are most important forwomen's health, and why?

Quackenbush: Two of the major healthissues impacting women aging in ahealthy way are cardiovascular eventsand weakened bone health—two areas

MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7 is clinicallyvalidated to address.

Vitamin K2 added to bone health for-mulas featuring calcium and vitamin Dmakes the formula much more effectivein preserving bone mineralization anddensity, leading to increased bonestrength. The addition of K2 to calciumformulas also helps decrease the risk ofcardiovascular concerns from excessivecalcium supplementation. For this rea-son, vitamin K2 is becoming a core nutri-ent for heart health formulas because ithas been shown to not only inhibit age-related arterial stiffening, but actuallyimproved arterial stiffness (i.e., arteriesbecame more flexible).

The connection between the two iscalcium and how it is affected by vitaminK2-dependent proteins osteocalcin andMatrix Gla protein (MGP), respectively. Aplatform of research has shown that vita-min K2 can stave bone and cardiovascu-lar aging through its mechanism of acti-vating (carboxylation) of these proteins.Carboxylated MGP has been shown toinhibit dietary calcium from depositinginto cardiovascular arteries, while theactivated osteocalcin ensures calcium isbound to the bone mineral matrix.

MenaQ7 was the source material forthe ground-breaking research that hasconfirmed vitamin K2 as MK-7 is a bone-and cardiovascular-support nutrient.

NIE: Some say it's all about insulin, themaster metabolic hormone and what(and how) we supply it. Talk about safelysupporting healthy glucose levels andmetabolic health.

Bérubé: A big part of health mainte-nance involves maintaining optimalinsulin sensitivity. Several metabolic dis-orders have been associated with insulinresistance. For example, insulin resist-ance in the brain manifests asAlzheimer’s disease, while in the ovaries,it is called polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS). While treatments of these dis-eases are extending far beyond reach ofnutraceuticals, steps can be taken toavoid creating a favorable metabolicenvironment for insulin resistance.

Our current diet contains largeamounts of refined carbohydrates andsugars, often added as a substitute forfat in low fat foods. Since the 1970s,we’ve been told to avoid fat in our food,and hence food manufacturers offered aplethora of low fat food items laden withcarbs and sugar. The result is that nowour diabetes rates are skyrocketing andour population is not healthier thanbefore.

April 2018 ■ www.niemagazine.com Nutrition Industry Executive 55

“Women in

peri-menopause

and menopause tend

to face significant

health challenges such

as arthritis, depression,

osteoporosis, breast

cancer and cardio-

vascular disease.”

— Michael Chernyak,CK Ingredients

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Using inhibitors of carbohydratedigestion can help alleviate the glycemicstress associated with our current sugarintake, placing the body in a contextthat facilitates maintenance of insulinsensitivity rather than insulin resistance.Because we eat carbs under the form ofstarch or more simply as sugar, it isimportant to choose an inhibitor that willtarget both amylase and glucosidaseenzymes, as they will offer the mostcomplete coverage of dietary carbs.

Chernyak: Estrogen decreases aswomen start to approach menopause.Estrogen helps to move excess sugarout of the bloodstream. With less estro-gen, more sugar stays in the blood,causing the accumulation of fat in theabdomen, which elevates risk for dia-betes and heart disease. Staying healthyis key—eliminating soda, packagedfoods with added sugars, and eatingplenty of vegetables, fruits and legumes.

Lifton: As women and men both wantto use effective anti-aging ingredients,Maypro’s Sirtmax—derived from the rhi-zome of black turmeric—is believed toenhance the activity of the anti-agingSIRT1 gene, also called the “longevitygene,” which in turn recharges mito-chondria, the power plant of cells.Studies have shown decreases in bodyweight, in addition to healthy bloodsugar levels, improved arterial flexibilityand more.

NIE: Bone health: It's about calcium, anda whole lot more. Talk about where weare today in mineral health ingredients.

Lifton: Bone metabolism is anotherkey area, and our MBP milk proteiningredient encourages healthy boneremodeling by increasing the number ofosteoblasts and decreasing the activityof osteoclasts. Without collagen, calciumhas nowhere to attach to bone—MBPpromotes collagen formation and, in thisway, helps calcium adhere to bone.Another proprietary branded ingredientthat we offer, sucrosomial magnesium,encourages strong bones, too, but in aform that is highly bioavailable—20 per-cent more bioavailable than magnesiumcitrate and absorbed faster.

NIE: Talk about innovation in women's

health ingredients and complexes forfoods and beverages.

Chernyak: Women experiencingmenopausal symptoms are looking foreffective, science-backed solutions theycan trust. Changes in hormones canresult in an uncomfortable array ofsymptoms. This is even more complicat-ed for women in the transitional years ofperi-menopause and post-menopause,where traditional treatments are usedmore conservatively. In these stages,botanical therapies can prove to beadvantageous.

Botanicals have been used for cen-turies in the East to ease the unpleasantsymptoms of menopause. There arethree herbs in particular that haverepeatedly been shown to be efficaciousin supporting the health of menopausalwomen: Cynanchum wilfordii, Phlomisumbrosa and Angelica gigas.

These ingredients have been exten-sively studied, both for safety and effica-cy. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety(MFDS) in Korea has registered theseherbs as non-toxic food materials basedon the fact that they have been used assafe ingredients for herbal remedies forseveral hundred years in both Korea andChina.

Now available in Canada, and theUnited States, this combination ofbotanical ingredients is available asEstroG-100, and science continues tovalidate the safety, synergy, and longhistory of the branded blend of naturalextracts for effective support of thesymptoms of menopause.

Quackenbush: Via NattoPharma’stechnological breakthrough, MenaQ7Full Spectrum K2 provides MK-6, 7, 8

and 9. It is naturally fermented usingchickpea protein, offering an all-transvitamin K2 that is free from gluten, soyand allergens. MenaQ7 Full Spectrumprovides optimal and maximal deliveryof vitamin K2 for superior absorption,half-life and biological activity.

NIE: Tell us about some of the newest,and most, novel nutritional solutions forwomen.

Bérubé: InnoVactiv offers two ingredi-ents that can support the health ofwomen.

InSea2 is a brown seaweed extractable to inhibit amylase and glucosidaseenzymes, for an optimal blood glucoseand insulin metabolism after meal.Research shows InSea2 also supportsinsulin sensitivity in both genders whileshowing no gastrointestinal side effects.InSea2 is GRAS (generally recognized assafe)-affirmed, organic certified and non-GMO (genetically modified organism),so any health-conscious woman shouldbe able to use it with confidence.

Myoceram is a range of plantceramide ingredients derived from cornor rice. Myoceram can effectively sup-port optimal skin hydration levels at allsites of the body by reducing trans-epi-dermal water loss (the amount of waterthat escapes through the skin). Clinicalstudies show that the ingredient is effec-tive at very low daily dose, possiblyexplained by stimulation of ceramide-synthase enzymes in the epidermis.Myoceram is non-wheat derived, glutenfree and thus requires absolutely noallergen declaration on the label.

NIE: What other considerations shouldfinished product manufacturers and for-mulators keep in mind when developingnew product introductions for women?

Chernyak: Scientific support is criticalin development of new products forwomen. Given the nature of the symp-toms related to peri-menopause andmenopause, it is particularly importantfor supplement manufacturers to providesolutions that have been validated forsafety and efficacy. The science support-ing EstroG-100 continues to validate thisbranded blend of natural extracts foreffective support of the symptoms ofmenopause. NIE

56 Nutrition Industry Executive www.niemagazine.com ■ April 2018

Extra! Extra!Visit www.niemagazine.com

to read about young women’s attitudes toward health,fitness and well-being.

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