Scientific research helps the application of functional raw materials continue to expand

Relevant surveys show that with the continuous improvement of people's health awareness, the consumption of nutritional health food continues to penetrate in all age groups, and at the same time, products containing natural ingredients, compound functions, patented technology and clinical verification have become a new trend
in the market demand for nutritional health foods.
Recently, the second nutrition science and technology innovation conference was held
in Beijing.
The conference was divided into 4 topics, and 28 speakers focused on probiotics, functional raw materials and components, nutritional and healthy foods, and nutrition-related standard consensus, providing new ideas
for technology and product innovation.

NMN has yet to be approved in China

A large number of studies have confirmed that NMN/NR supplementation to increase NAD+ levels in the body can delay the occurrence and development of cellular aging, slow down or reverse the pathological process of various metabolic diseases such as diabetes and fatty liver, improve mitochondrial function, nerve cell death and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease model animals, slow down apoptosis in Parkinson's patients and promote their energy metabolism
.

According to Professor Zhang Lishi, chairman of the West China School of Public Health of Sichuan University and the Nutritional Toxicology Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society, NMN is an important active nucleotide β-nicotinamide mononucleotide abbreviation and abbreviation in the human body, and is one of the
two important precursors of coenzymes NAD+ (coenzyme I) and NADP+ (coenzyme II) in the human body.

NMN is an intermediate of the NAD+ salvage synthesis pathway, which reacts with ATP to generate NAD+ catalyzed by nicotinamide mononucleotide adenosyltransferase, which is further phosphorylated to generate NADP+
.
Extracellular NMN needs to be converted to nicotinamide nucleoside (NR) by dephosphorization reaction to enter the cell, and then rephosphorylated under the catalysis of nicotinamide nucleoside kinase 1 (NRK1) to generate NMN
.

NAD+ and NADP+ have reversible hydrogenation and dehydrogenation properties and play a role
in hydrogen transfer during redox processes.
As two very important coenzymes, they participate in hundreds of different types of reactions in the human body and play a key role
in biological oxidation and energy metabolism processes such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), gluconeogenesis (pentose phosphate pathway), fat β oxidation, ketone body production, and amino acid metabolism.

"At present, most of the relevant research at home and abroad is still in vitro tests and animal experiments, and there are still many 'uncertainties'
in extrapolating the results to humans.
" At the meeting, Zhang Lishi pointed out that more comprehensive and in-depth research should be carried out on the absorption of NMN/NR after oral administration, its utilization and physiological effects in the human body, health care function and safety, etc.
, so as to lay a foundation
for safe and effective use of NMN/NR for all kinds of people.

According to Zhang Lishi, NMN has passed the filing of cosmetic raw materials in China, but has not yet obtained new food raw materials, food additives, health food and drug licenses
.

It is understood that NMN has some related health foods on the market in Japan and the United States, and in May 2022, the United States approved a company's declaration of β-NMN for use in dietary supplements
.
NRC (nicotinamide nucleoside chloride), as one of the precursors of NAD+, has been recognized as a GRAS substance and a new dietary ingredient by the US FDA, and has completed a number of human trials
.

Zhang Lishi suggested that on the basis of in-depth research on domestic and foreign NMN/NR research literature and foreign regulatory standards and other in-depth investigations, the national regulatory authorities should introduce and improve relevant regulations and standards as soon as possible to promote the healthy development of
NMN/NR related research, industry and market in China.

New features of dietary supplements

Continuous and in-depth research in the scientific community is promoting the role
of traditional Chinese dietary supplements in new areas.
At the meeting, Wang Peili, vice president of Shanxi Hospital of Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, introduced the lipid-lowering efficacy and clinical application
of traditional Chinese dietary supplements by taking red yeast as an example of traditional Chinese medicine preparation.

Vascular disease generally refers to progressive ischemic or bleeding diseases of the heart and systemic tissues caused by hyperlipidemia, blood viscosity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, etc.
, and has long been in the forefront
of death among Chinese residents.
Among them, cardiovascular diseases with hyperlipidemia can easily lead to adverse consequences
such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and blood clots.
Therefore, controlling blood lipids, especially low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), has also become a key point in the prevention of
cardiovascular disease.

As a traditional Chinese dietary supplement, red yeast rice is fermented from indica, japonica rice, glutinous rice and other rice, fermented by Monascus rubyce, containing natural compound statins, isoflavones, sterols, 20 kinds of amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, a variety of trace elements and polysaccharide substances, etc.
, with the effect
of strengthening the spleen and eliminating food, activating blood circulation and removing stasis.
According to Wang Peili, a large number of clinical studies have shown that red yeast rice also has the same lipid-lowering effect as lovastatin, which can become an alternative therapy for hyperlipidemia and is suitable for long-term use by patients
.

In order to systematically evaluate the lipid-lowering efficacy of red yeast rice, Wang Peili led the research team to analyze 15 red yeast-related research literature, and the results showed that red yeast rice and its preparations reduced total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, apolipoprotein B (apoB), and elevated apolipoprotein A (apoA) in people at cardiovascular risk were better than other lipid-lowering drugs and placebo
.

"Although statins have been shown to have beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, red yeast rice has a better alternative value
due to side effects such as allergies, liver damage, and muscle lysis, which limit their wide application.
" According to Wang Peili, in 2019, the guidelines for blood lipid management of the European Society of Cardiology recommended that patients with statin intolerance or elderly hyperlipidemia take red yeast to replace statins and reduce the recurrence rate
of cardiovascular disease.
Older patients (≥ 75 years of age) with high plasma cholesterol concentrations who are not eligible for statin therapy or who are intolerant to statins may be treated with diet.

At the same time, experimental data from Wang Peili's research team show that red yeast rice is well tolerated, has significant comprehensive efficacy, high safety and few
side effects.
In the medical cases of young people and the elderly, it has been found that red yeast preparations are indeed effective
as an adjuvant treatment for lowering lipids.

According to Wang Peili, in addition to red yeast, lycopene, plant sterols and other traditional Chinese medicine preparations also have lipid-lowering effects
.
Among them, plant sterols are suitable for combination with statins (including red yeast), berberine and other food supplements to reduce serum TC and LDL-C, thereby reducing the risk of
cardiovascular disease.

According to Yan Jie, chief physician of the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital, the liver plays an important physiological role in the human body, and there are many substances in and out of the liver, which may lead to various liver diseases
.
According to statistics, from 2009 to 2017, the hospitalization rate related to liver disease in China increased significantly, among which non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis, and chronic viral hepatitis were the main causes of
admission.

Silybum is an herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family Silybum family, and at present, the pharmaceutical community has extracted 4 active ingredients from milk thistle, collectively known as silymarin, which has been widely used
in liver disease.
Clinical studies have found that silymarin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-liver fibrosis and hypolipidemic effects
.

Yan Jie said that after silymarin is absorbed through the digestive tract, only 20% is excreted through urine, and the remaining 80% enters the liver, where it is excreted into the digestive tract through bile, forming enterohepatic circulation, ensuring that silymarin has a long
time in the liver.
The content of silymarin in bile is the same after a single dose and after multiple doses, indicating that it will not accumulate in the human body and its safety is guaranteed
.
Clinical studies have shown that prophylactic application of milk thistle preparations reduces the incidence of
drug-induced liver damage from anti-tuberculosis drugs.

In addition to silymarin, the safety of functional raw materials such as licorice, artichoke and turmeric for liver protection has also been verified
.
"In addition to avoiding factors that damage the liver in daily life, proper supplementation of verified liver-protecting nutritional foods can help protect the liver without increasing the burden on the
liver.
" Yan Jie suggested
.

The ingredients are new trends in market demand

Relevant surveys show that with the continuous improvement of people's health awareness, the consumption of nutritional health food continues to penetrate in all age groups, and at the same time, products containing natural ingredients, compound functions, patented technology and clinical verification have become a new trend
in the market demand for nutritional health foods.

According to Liu Wei, Director of Scientific Communication of H&H Group, in the first half of 2022, the sales of the nutrition and health products industry showed a good positive growth trend as a whole, and the increase in penetration rate and per capita purchase volume was the main growth driver
of the market.
Among them, the market demand for products containing protein, calcium and probiotics ranks among the top three, and probiotics, multivitamins, B vitamins and other categories are growing rapidly
.

From the perspective of age level, the main factors affecting the consumption of post-95s are the fashion sense and price of products, and the brand power of products is the main factor
driving post-90s consumption.
For the post-80s generation, who are more concerned about healthy quality of life, the efficacy and experience of nutritional health food products are the primary factors
they consider.
From the perspective of gender, compared with men, women have a richer awareness of nutritional health foods, have earlier cognition time, and have more diversified demand for products
.

In the purchase of nutraceutical health foods, the considerations that consumers attach importance to can be divided into three levels, namely: brand, product, and cost performance
.
"Among them, brand awareness and professionalism are the most important aspects for consumers to pay attention to when making decisions, and word-of-mouth for product efficacy is the most likely to cause grass planting and driving weeding
.
" Liu Wei pointed out that according to the survey, modern consumers, especially elites, are becoming verticalized and high-end in demand for products
.

"Consumers are increasingly looking for ingredients and efficacy in their product choices, as well as brand endorsements and professional
certifications.
" Liu Wei believes that taking consumers as the core, launching health solutions that are more in line with consumer needs, allowing consumers to take action after recognizing healthy lifestyles, and ultimately realizing the feedback of scientific research and promoting R&D innovation is an indispensable part of
the future industry upgrading.

(Compiled by Yang Xiaojing)

China Food News(2023.
01.
09.
06)

(Responsible editor: Yang Xiaojing)