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(Actuele) publicaties 2003 Ginseng
| 07-07-2003: | "Ginseng offers hope for diabetes patients" |
| 01-09-2003: | "Ginseng quality looking better" |
| 25-09-2003: | "Ginseng warning for pregnant women" |
| 29-09-2003: | "MHRA reviews Ginseng study" |
| 05-11-2003: | "Hooch is axed, but alcopops live on" |
| 17-11-2003: | "Yagua unveils cosmeceutical beverage" |
Ginseng offers hope for diabetes patients
07/07/2003 - Red ginseng may help regulate blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, according to two small studies presented at the American Diabetes Association's recent Scientific Sessions.
In the first study on people with type 2 diabetes, the herb produced a significant reduction in blood sugar levels after a period of four weeks, reported Alexandra Jenkins, a research associate at the University of Toronto.
The 30 participants received either capsules containing ground, North American-grown ginseng and a highly viscous Konjac mannan fiber, or placebo capsules, three times a day for 12 weeks. After a four-week break, they swapped over to placebo or ginseng capsules.
Blood samples taken before and after each 12-week period showed that hemoglobin A1C - a measure of blood sugar levels - dropped into the normal range when participants were taking the ginseng capsules, but not when they were taking placebo, reported the researchers at the sessions that took place June 13-17, in New Orleans.
In the second study, the researchers tested a different type of the herb, Korean red ginseng, on insulin sensitivity. Again, 19 type 2 diabetic subjects received 6g of the Korean ginseng or placebo daily for 12 weeks in a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, while on their conventional diabetes treatment.
The ginseng improved several features of metabolic control, said the researchers. The Korean ginseng improved long-term postprandial glycemia and insulin sensitivity safely beyond conventional treatment in type 2 diabetes. The herb may prove to be a safe and efficacious adjunct to conventional treatment, they added.
The studies show a need for further research into ginseng's properties. It is currently added to beverages to boost energy levels, but has also been linked to improved memory.
FROM: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=25368
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Ginseng quality looking better
01/09/2003 - The quality of ginseng supplements has improved in the last two years, although some products on the market still present considerable risks to consumers, according to a new review by ConsumerLab.com
The tests found problems with two of the 12 American and Asian ginseng supplements reviewed. One product labeled to contain to Korean ginseng had a high amount of the pesticide hexachlorobenzene - a probable human carcinogen banned from most crop use throughout the world.
Another product that failed the testing was a liquid labeled to contain Chinese ginseng and sold in single-dose bottles. Despite being labeled 'EXTRA STRENGTH', this product contained less than 10 per cent of the expected ginsenosides - biologically active constituents of ginseng - according to ConsumerLab.com
The agency did however note that results are better than those found in 2000 when nearly 60 per cent of products failed testing. In 2000, more than 30 per cent of ginseng products tested low in ginsenosides.
The current review found no products to be contaminated with heavy metals and none contained undeclared caffeine, sometimes added to help market ginseng's energy-boosting effect. In addition, all tablet and caplet products were able to properly disintegrate.
ginseng is used for many purposes, although most commonly to improve overall energy during times of stress. While there is not much clinical evidence to support an energy boosting effect, there are studies showing its potential value in normalizing blood glucose levels in diabetics, helping to stimulate immunity and treat male impotence, and, when used with ginkgo biloba, improving memory and symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Dr Tod Cooperman, ConsumerLab.com's president, said:
"The problems that we identified with ginseng in 2000 were an eye-opener for consumers and the industry. We would like to think that this has contributed to the apparent improvement in quality - although consumers clearly must remain cautious."
The Review can be found at ConsumerLab.com and includes results for 18 supplements, including twelve tested in the Review and six others that recently passed the same evaluation through ConsumerLab.com's Voluntary Certification Program.
FROM: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=25648
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Ginseng warning for pregnant women
25/09/2003 - Women should be cautious about using the herbal remedy ginseng in the early stages of pregnancy, say researchers who have found the botanical to cause abnormalities in rat embryos.
One of the active chemicals in ginseng - ginsenoside Rb1 - is associated with significant development defects in animal embryos, report Hong Kong researchers in today's issue of the European journal Human Reproduction.
Dr Louis Chan and colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, tested ginsenoside Rb1 in various concentrations on nine-day old rat embryos.
They found that embryos exposed to more than 30 micrograms per millilitre of ginsenoside Rb1 had significantly lower morphological scores, a test for development of the embryo's key organs.
At 30 micrograms the total morphological scores were significantly lower than the scores of the control group, which had not been exposed to gensinoside - 35 as opposed to 45 - and they had lower scores for heart, limbs, eye development and flexion. (The higher the score, the more normal is the development of the embryo.)
At the highest dose of 50 micrograms of ginsenoside Rb1 the total score fell to 28 and the embryos were also significantly shorter in body length and had fewer somites (muscle precursor cells).
"Our study has demonstrated that ginsenoside exerts a direct teratogenic effect on rat embryos: that is to say it is capable of causing malformations in rat embryos,"
said Dr Chan.
ginseng is taken to enhance stamina and reduce feelings of fatigue and physical stress. It is also believed to have an anti-cancer function and has recently been found to normalise blood glucose levels, improving insulin sensitivity and reducing risk of obesity. However much less is known about the potential toxicity of the herbal and there are no data about its potential effect on the developing human fetus, said Dr Chan.
He cited a survey published in 2001 showing that over 9 per cent of pregnant women report using herbal supplements. In Asia up to 10 per cent have taken ginseng during pregnancy, he said.
The study showed that the reduction in morphological score was dependent on the dose, reported the researchers. It was therefore possible that lower concentrations of ginsenoside Rb1 might have caused less severe abnormalities that escaped detection by their research assessments, which were designed to study only gross abnormalities, they added.
Ginsenoside Rb1 is only one of the ginsenosides in commercially available ginseng. More than 20 have been identified and previous studies have shown that different ginsenosides might have different actions.
Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential teratogenic effects of other ginsenosides, said Dr Chan.
"Although results from animal teratogenicity studies may not reflect the circumstances in humans, our findings suggest that further investigations and monitoring of embryonic effects of ginsenoside on human pregnancy are warranted,"
he said.
"Before more information in humans becomes available, women should be cautious about using ginseng in the first three months of pregnancy and it is always advisable for pregnant women to consult their doctor before taking any herbal supplement,"
continued the researcher.
A recent survey by Chan found that 55 per cent of women in Hong Kong took traditional Chinese herbal medicine in pregnancy. ginseng is currently one of the fastest growing herbs in the global nutraceutical market.
FROM: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?id=25810
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MHRA reviews ginseng study
29/09/2003 - The UK's medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (MHRA) says it is reviewing recent evidence on ginseng and is advising women to avoid taking the herbal during pregnancy or lactation.
The advice follows a new study published in Human Reproduction last week which suggests that ginsenosides (the substances believed to be the major active ingredient of ginseng) may have effects on normal embryonic development in rats.
The MHRA said it is currently reviewing the study but has issued the advice prior to its findings. The advice does not apply to Siberian ginseng or Eleutheroccus senticosus, which is unrelated to Panax ginseng and contains different chemical constituents.
FROM: http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=38705-mhra-reviews-ginseng
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Hooch is axed, but alcopops live on
05/11/2003 - Hooch, the brand which almost single-handedly created the market for flavoured alcoholic beverages (FABs) in the UK, has been axed after eight years, a victim of its own success.
Along with Two Dogs, Hooch's alcoholic lemonade was one of the first alcopop brands launched in the UK, paving the way for the billion pound market which is now dominated by the likes of Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD and Red Square.
But now Coors Brewers, the British arm of the US brewer which acquired the brand as part of its takeover of Carling a few years ago, has decided to stop production of Hooch in order to concentrate on its other - more successful - alcopop brand, Reef
Commentators have long been predicting a shake up in the UK FAB market, which is now peppered with both household names and a raft of me-too brands. But the market is still very much alive and kicking, despite the proliferation of brands.
According to market analysts Mintel, British consumers drank 278 million litres of FABs in 2002, compared with just 97 million litres in 1998, three years after the phenomenon was created by Hooch
The UK market was worth £1.25 billion last year, almost three times as much as five years ago.
But Hooch's performance has not matched that of the market as a whole. According to Mintel, the brand's volume market share has dropped from 23 per cent in 2000 (when it was number two after Bacardi Breezer) to just 3 per cent in 2002. In value terms, the decline was similar, falling from 14 per cent in 2000 to just 2 per cent last year.
Contrast this with the top three brands by volume and value - Bacardi Breezer, Smirnoff Ice and WKD - which showed volume increases of 80 per cent, 264 per cent and 200 per cent respectively between 2000 and 2002, according to Mintel.
"The market for FABs is constantly evolving, with new flavours and new products being launched all the time. While this has helped stimulate interest in the market and has spurred dramatic sales growth, it has resulted in some brands being sidelined for newer, trendier products. The trick will be for manufacturers continually to innovate in terms of flavours, colours and ingredients,"
said James McCoy, senior market analyst at Mintel.
That the potential is there to make money from FABs - provided the product has the right appeal - is clear from Mintel's research. One in four adults in the UK drinks FABs, with the figure rising to nearer one in three amongst women, with young people (18-24) being the main consumers (three in five).
And while any number of products fall by the wayside each month, most are swiftly replaced. According to Mintel's Global New Products Database, 70 new FABs have been launched over the past year in the UK alone.
But producers are also learning the lessons of the past, it seems, and are not simply trying to mimic the market leaders. The most successful new products in the future are likely to be those with herbal ingredients, particularly those with added functionality such as ginseng or guarana, while low calorie versions of the often sugar-laden drinks are also expected to do well.
But buoyant as it remains, the market clearly cannot sustain the high rates of growth it has experienced up to now. Mintel suggested that growth would slow over the next four years or so, with volumes expected to reach 400 million litres in 2007, valuing the market at some £1.7 billion, with factors such as increased taxation on FABs playing some part in slowing the rate of growth, offset partially by the launch of new products such as wine-based, rather than spirit-based, FABs.
FROM: http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/news/ng.asp?id=18379
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Yagua unveils cosmeceutical beverage
17/11/2003 - Dutch company Yagua had added a new variant to its functional drinks range, which fits into the growing new category of 'cosmeceutical' products.
The product, called Beauty Juicer, contains a blend of grapefruit, ginger and white cocoa and is enriched with collagen and aloe vera. The formulation is claimed to make the body younger from within, contributing to the revitalisation of skin, hair and nails.
It also helps support the growth of new body cells and is a food for 'the mind and mood', according to the firm.
Cosmeceuticals now represent up to 50 per cent of supplement sales in some countries, according to research firm Market Intelligence. The category is estimated to be worth €3.5 billion globally and one of the biggest areas of innovation in the wider nutraceuticals sector.
Yagua already markets a line of drinks with targeted functional properties. Yagua Green Machine has added aloe vera, calcium, magnesium, cholorphyll and vitamin B and is promoted as a recovery drink while Yagua Free Move contains collagen hydrolysate and glucosamine. It targets joint flexibility and more specifically Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
The company also has an energy-boosting drink, called Yagua Bio Active, a red juice with added guarana, green tea, ginseng and vitamins C and E.
FROM: http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/news/ng.asp?id=18445
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