Daily news on nutraceuticals, functional foods, health food and ingredients in Asia and Oceania.

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Watson's Joy Chong said there needs to be better education on probiotics in APAC.

Strains, claims and optimal levels: Pharmacists in Asia need more probiotics information to advise patients

The industry needs to better equip Asia’s community pharmacists with knowledge about probiotics so they can advise their consumers more effectively, according to Joy Chong, principal clinical pharmacist at Watson's.

Multi-strain versus single strain probiotics: More doesn’t necessarily mean better outcomes

More research is needed to assess the efficacy of multi-strain probiotic treatments, because current data shows that adding more strains doesn’t always lead to better outcomes for all illnesses.

Prenatal vitamin D supplementation may be unable to fight gestational diabetes

Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy may not be able to prevent gestational diabetes, say researchers in Iran.

Danone Q3 2017 results accelerated by specialized nutrition segment in China

Danone’s third quarter sales in 2017 grew by 4.7% to roughly $7.5bn, driven by its booming specialized nutrition business in China, which increased 17.8% in reported sales compared to the previous quarter.

Booze with benefits? The challenges scientists overcame to create a probiotic beer

The National University of Singapore academic behind what is believed to be the world's first probiotic beer has revealed the considerable challenges that had to be overcome for good bacteria to survive in booze.

Turmeric extract eases osteoarthritis pain in mouse study: Natural Remedies trial

A turmeric extract containing bioactive polysaccharides termed ‘turmerosaccharides’, and only a negligible amount of curcuminoids, has been found to ease osteoarthritis pain in a mouse study.

Grasping the nettle: Iranian plants have anti-diabetes potential, say researchers

Several species of medicinal plants can be used in developing anti-diabetes drugs with limited side effects, according to Iranian researchers.

Taxes, ad bans, label warnings? Beverage firms which fail to meet Singapore’s sugar reduction targets in government's sights

The Singapore government is weighing up a range of measures, including taxes, more stringent advertising bans and warning labels on products, for soft drink manufacturers that fail to meet its sugar reduction objectives.