The microbiota has major implications for cancer risk and provides a possible target for probiotics to play a role in treatment regimes, according to Medlab Clinical's medical research director and University of Sydney professor Luis Vitetta.
Australian supplement firm Blackmores has entered Singapore's increasingly competitive infant formula market, albeit with a more cautious approach in light of recently enforced government regulations.
Elevated pathogen / bacteria ratio in infants could be an early microbiota biomarker for allergies, according to researchers in Singapore, the UK and the Netherlands.
French ingredient supplier Roquette has set up new APAC headquarters and an innovation centre in Singapore to focus on Asian consumers' health concerns.
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.
Synbiotics — a combination of probiotics and prebiotics — are providing one of the most promising opportunities to modulate the gut health of infants born via C-section, thereby lowering their risk and incidence of developing allergies.
Japan's omega-3 firms are poised to benefit from rising consumer demand from South East Asia and China, if they can continue to invest in new product and technological developments.
Singapore supermarket chain FairPrice has launched a house-brand low-cost infant formula range in the wake of consumer and government complaints about the rising cost of branded milk products.
Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has seized over S$133,000 worth of illegal health products, in an international operation coordinated by INTERPOL.
French dairy ingredient supplier Epi Ingredients (the dry division of dairy cooperative Laïta) plans to expand in Asia, with infant nutrition growth among its top targets.
DuPont is targeting innovation at both ends of the age spectrum as it seeks to meet the vast needs of Asia's ageing societies, while also helping infant formula firms overcome considerable pricing and regulatory challenges.
UK firm OptiBiotix has signed a deal with Taiwan-based probiotic research company Bened Biomedical, marking the former’s foray into the gut-brain axis area of microbiome research.
After calling on soft drink firms to slash sugar content, and encouraging the development of more functional ingredients, the latest addition to Singapore’s so-called 'war on diabetes' is S$5 screening tests for people aged 18 to 39 who are...
Canadian supplement firm Jamieson Wellness is targeting expansion in Asia on the back of a successful IPO, with its CEO identifying Asia's rising affluence and ageing population as two reasons for optimism.
Blackmores' net profits fell by 42% to A$58m for the last financial year and sales slipped by 3% to A$693m, amid a significant decline in sales to Chinese consumers through Australian retailers.
Xeniji, a functional food comprising a variety of fermented ingredients, can boost antioxidant levels and immunity, according to a Malaysian mouse study.
A recent Indonesian study has found no significant association between vitamin D deficiency and latent tuberculosis (TB) in children aged one to five, despite previous assertions to the contrary.
The seventh edition of Vitafoods Asia, which will be held in Singapore for the first time, will see more than 250 exhibitors and 3,000 delegates at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands.
Dutch multinational firm Royal DSM has announced two new appointments to its APAC team: effective 1 September, Pieter Nuboer will be the Asia-Pacific VP of Animal Nutrition & Health, while André Rhoen will be the Asia-Pacific VP of Human Nutrition...
Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the two main causes of mortality in overweight and obese individuals aged 65 and above, according to a study led by the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Honey from a stingless bee species native to the Philippines is being touted as superior to mānuka honey, with a Singapore firm marketing products made from the former.
Maintaining optimal nutrition in children suffering from chronic liver disease (CLD) is imperative in halting its progress, according to an Indonesian study.
Academics are striving to increase the volume of quality data about the dietary patterns of young Singaporeans, in order to boost the nutritional health of future generations.
Singapore’s government enterprise body SPRING is joining forces with economic development agency Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) to collaborate on functional food innovation.
Edible insects from Sumatra can provide a strategic solution for hunger problems and subsequent undernourishment due to their high essential fatty contents, researchers have concluded.
A new e-commerce platform and artificial intelligence (AI) have been identified as two of the key factors behind Amway’s hopes of achieving 15% of its sales online in the Philippines this year.
The Singapore minister leading a government task force reviewing infant formula prices has told parents to give their children a spoon-and-a-half of salmon because it 'provides as much DHA as 30 bottles of milk'.
Functional foods for Asia’s ageing population have been identified as a core growth opportunity for firms in Singapore, with multinational outfit DSM, the government, market analysts and SMEs joining forces to share knowledge.
Morinaga has revealed plans to target the South East Asia market to boost sales of its functional ingredients such as its Bifidus BB536 probiotic strain.
Badan Pom (BPOM), The National Agency of Drug and Food Control of Indonesia, has revoked tough restrictions issued at the end of last year for omega-3 supplements.
Prenatal exposure to malnutrition can lead to diseases such as hypertension in adulthood, but the effects can be reduced or even reversed in postnatal life, according to a Chinese study.
Infant formula milk manufacturers claim stricter regulations planned by the Singapore government could lead to consumers having limited access to important nutritional information.
The annual economic cost of obesity in South East Asia could be as high as US$10bn, a number that could rocket to $45bn if people who are currently overweight go on to become obese.
Five academic projects have been awarded Newtrition Asia research grants by BASF for their work addressing some of the major consumer health concerns in APAC.
China-based Jiangsu Aoxin Biotechnology wants to make sure all its ingredients, such as D-Glucosamine, chitosan and marine chitosan, are halal certified to boost its chances of success in South East Asia.
The Singapore government has established a task force to counter the country’s increasing formula milk prices, with health and nutrition claims set to be severely restricted.
The cost of testing and not having enough experts in the field are holding back the growth of nutrigenomics-based personalised nutrition in Asia-Pacific.
Palm oil tocotrienol, touted as ‘super vitamin E’, could provide benefits for people with neurodegenerative and neuro-inflammatory diseases, a study has concluded.