China focus: Research findings, co-enzyme q10 supplements, regulatory roadblock, expansion into China and more
Co-enzyme Q10 hot in demand in China amid sharp jump in COVID-19 cases
Chinese media Yicai reported on January 13 that some brands were sold out of co-enzyme supplements and more investors of supplement firms were enquiring about co-enzyme.
It was also reported that online search for co-enzyme q10 supplements has increased on e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and Taobao, with the latter seeing more than 2,500% increase in search volume.
A reason for the surge in demand is due to the belief that co-enzyme Q10 could prevent myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
‘Not so dire?’ China NMN supplier hopeful of US opportunities despite regulatory roadblock
A form of vitamin B3 and commonly marketed as an anti-ageing ingredient, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) was previously approved as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) by the US FDA. However, the regulator changed its position last November.
Effepharm, a Shanghai-based NMN ingredient supplier, submitted an NDI notification to the US FDA on 5 December last year and was told to furnish more documentation. Other companies that received NDI approval for their NMN ingredients or products also had their approvals retracted.
As the US FDA has yet to make an official announcement on its final stance on NMN, Effepharm believes that there is “still hope” for NMN’s use in dietary supplements.
Black tea may have preventive effect on ovarian cancer – new Chinese meta-analysis
Black tea may lower the risk of ovarian cancer, according to Chinese researchers, although no significant correlation with endometrial cancer and cervical cancer was found.
Findings from a meta-analysis based on 19 cohort studies showed that non-herbal tea had significant preventive impact on ovarian cancer (pooled relative risk of 0.67), especially for black tea (pooled relative risk of 0.64).
E-commerce expansion: South Korean supplement firm Yuhan Care sets sights on China, South East Asia
South Korean health supplement firm Yuhan Care, a pioneer in the domestic women’s health sector, is on a mission to expand its presence in China and South East Asia.
Yuhan Care is a part of Yuhan Corp – a firm with roots in the pharmaceutical industry. More recently, it has branched into consumer health with presence in the supplements, food, and cosmetics space.
One of the firm’s specialities is in women’s health, where it owns patented probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 that claim to benefit the reproductive system.
Selenium supplementation may be effective in reducing insulin resistance in those with cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis by researchers in China.
The analysis looked at 10 RCTs involving 526 participants, with insulin levels, insulin resistance, fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) as the primary outcome markers, while lipid markers are the secondary outcome markers.
In a sub-group analysis, the review found that selenium supplementation actually increased HDL cholesterol levels more significantly in cardiovascular disease patients, followed by diabetes patients.
