Across the Nutra-verse: Nestlé Health Science acquires Persona, bacterial strain reduces athletic fatigue, and more – NutraIngredients-Latam

USA​

Nestlé Health Science acquires personalized nutrition start-up​

Personalized vitamin business Persona has been acquired by Nestlé Health Science and added to the Atrium Professional Brands business.

Persona was founded in 2017 by Jason Brown (CEO), Tamara Bernadot (CNO), and Prem Thudia (CTO) as Vitamin Packs, and changed its name in 2018. The company offers personalized vitamin subscriptions based on lifestyle choice.

“Persona’s expertise in personalized nutrition brings a new dimension to the growing Nestlé Health Science portfolio,”​ said Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science.

“There’s increasing interest in personalization among consumers and with this acquisition, we will bring together the technology of Persona and the trusted Atrium Professional Brands’ vitamins and supplements.”​

Persona’s services are currently only available to consumers in the US, but Nestlé said it plans to expand availability around the globe in the future.

For more on this story, please click HERE​​.

Europe​

Vitamin D requirements among UK children ​

A new survey by scientists at Leeds Beckett University shows that there’s a lot of confusion around vitamin D in the UK, with parents unaware of its importance for health, and intake recommendations not being me.

According to an article by NutraIngredients-Europe​, a national campaign is needed to change current practices around vitamin D.

Data from the survey found that about 50% of parents reported receiving no information about vitamin D during pregnancy and breastfeeding or for their child. Furthermore, vitamin D recommendations were not being followed by pregnant or breastfeeding women or parents, as evidenced by low levels of vitamin D supplementation.

“The willingness of parents to purchase products fortified with vitamin D suggests a potential role for these products to contribute to increasing the intake of vitamin D in children,” ​the study report stated.

Asia​

Asahi heat-inactivated bacterium may reduce fatigue and stress in athletes ​

Daily supplementation with Lactobacillus gasseri​ CP2305 may alleviate fatigue and stress-related symptoms in long-distance male runners, according to a Japanese study published in the Journal of Functional Foods​.

Consumption of Asahi’s heat-inactivated, enteric-colonizing strain was found to reduce post-exercise anxiety levels, and decrease fatigue scores, compared to the placebo group.

“[T]he present clinical trial demonstrates that daily CP2305 intake was effective in recovering from fatigue and in relieving anxiety and depressive mood during the vigorous training period,” ​wrote the researchers.

“Furthermore, administration of CP2305 improved the richness and evenness of the gut microbial ecosystem and prevented the stress-induced changes in gene expression of peripheral blood leucocytes. Despite these beneficial effects, however, we could not detect any significant difference in physical performance between the CP2305 and placebo group.”​

For more on this, please click HERE​​.