Science central to AHD International at SupplyExpo
During the show, which takes place from 5 to 8 March at the Anaheim Convention Center, California, the company will discuss findings from more than 60 trials it claims support the potential benefits of its LuraLean dietary formula.
The announcement comes at a time where the importance of scientific studies for supplements marketed as offering satiety benefits has been a key issue of late.
Just last month, the Natural Products Association (NPA) said that recent amendments to European health claim regulation in particular had highlighted the need for strong science to prevent confusion and set backs to the weight management segment.
The NPA’s science and regulatory director, Daniel Fabricant, PhD, suggested that amidst current economic uncertainty, a strong body of clinical research behind specific weight management products could be a major boost in pushing sales on the global market.
Discussion
In pushing its own scientific research, AHD said it was also taking part in Nutracon's ‘Slim Slam’ panel discussion at SupplyExpo, which will be chaired by the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA).
AHD International president John Alkire will use the event to provide a brief 15 minute overview of the science behind LuraLean, before fielding questions from the audience related to the production safe weight loss ingredients, said the company.
The announcement comes at a time when the global dietary supplement market is being put under considerable pressure.
Development decline
In findings from the market analyst Mintel compiled over the last two years, the overall number of supplements marketed as dietary products in Europe appears to have fallen drastically.
The group said that in 2008, the number of new supplement products launched in the bloc claiming to have some impact on weight control fell by 50 per cent to 56 new products, according to its Global New Product Database (GNPD).
In the US, the weight management market is estimated to be worth about $4.65bn. However, difficulties have emerged here too for suppliers of weight loss dietary supplements products.
Last year, drug giant GlaxoSmithKline petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent the supplements industry from making claims about satiety.
A response from the regulator regarding the petition is still being awaited by industry.
