The Minneapolis-based ingredient supplier said this patent adds to the more than 25 it has already granted for varying uses of 7-Keto, including weight loss.
Such patents add clout to an ingredient as well as validate the research and develop it has gone through. This is all the more worthwhile for weight loss products which represent an increasingly sizeable market in the US.
The US accounts for 63 percent of the world slimming products market, according to Euromonitor International, with retail sales amounting to $4.34bn. Demand in the category does not look ready to slow down given that an estimated 65 percent of US adults overweight or obese .
7-Keto is a naturally occuring metabolite of the human hormone DHEA that is produced by the body in the adrenal glands. It works naturally with the body to enhance the activity of three key fat burning thermogenic enzymes, according to Humanetics, but declines with age.
The up-regulation of these key enzymes results in a higher metabolic rate and the company said clinical studies have shown administration of 7-Keto increases metabolism by 5.4 percent, promotes weight loss without stimulants and produces three times more weight loss than diet and exercise alone.
Humanetics also markets proprietary MicroLactin for inflammation and joint health and Inzitol for glucose transport and creatine uptake by muscle cells.