Toyo introduces flower extract for weight loss
Puer flower extract as an ingredient for weight management in the
US.
The extract is derived from pueraria thomsonii, a lush vine that produces flowers said to have beneficial properties that both help in both weight management and in promoting liver health.
Toyo is bringing the extract to the US market after it has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine for centuries.
In China, the flower is associated with cleansing properties for overall health and circumstantial motives such as hangovers and overindulgence.
However, Toyo is proposing the ingredient for a more specific platform that has a vast potential market in the US.
"There are many possible applications for this safe and effective raw material, which is available as a granulated powder, liquid or tablet," said Toyo's chief marketing officer, Mario Kahn.
"It is a valuable addition to our portfolio and a cost effective ingredient that is proven effective in the weight loss category."
According to the company, its recent research has shown the pueraria extract can reduce visceral fat around body organs and other fats like cellulite.
The main active ingredients in the extract are isoflavones.
Isoflavones are phytoestrogens - active substances derived from plants that have a weak oestrogen-like action.
Toyo cites a human clinical trial conducted over a period of four-months, in which participants took 200mg of the extract per day and lost an average of 1.1 inches off their waist and lowered their body fat by 0.9 percent.
The average BMI for the subjects over the age of 24 years who were taking 300mg was 26.22 at the outset; 25.94 on week four; and 25.64 by week eight.
At 200mg per day, the numbers were 26.76 in the beginning, 26.69 in week four, and 26.62 in week 8.
While for the 100mg group, the initial BMI stood at 26.99; at week four it was 26.82; and by week eight it was 26.72.
The control group started at a BMI of 26.55, and it shifted only slightly to 26.42 and then 26.36 over the same time periods.
In laboratory studies on mice, the Toyo's research similarly revealed fat loss.
Mice that were fed a high-fat diet for 25 days while taking five-percent puer flower extract finished with one-half the visceral fat and one-third less body fat when compared to the control group.
The US weight management market is said to be the world's single largest one.
Euromonitor International estimates the US weight management supplements market to be worth $3.93bn, while the European market is valued at around $0.93bn.
The potential for new ingredients could still be huge if marketed the right way given that an estimated 66 percent of adults in the US are either overweight or obese, based on results from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Toyo's sources its puerariae thomsonii flower from China and Taiwan, and the ingredient is obtained by means of a hot water extraction process it says is chemical-free.
The company claims to sell more FOSHU products in Japan than any other company worldwide, as well as to be the producer of the country's largest volume-selling dietary supplement product - Young Barley Grass Juice.
