Daily consumption of the HolisFiit branded ingredient from Fytexia in France was also associated with significant weight loss in overweight and slightly obese people, according to findings published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.
“The 16-week daily supplementation of overweight and slightly obese individuals was associated with a positive rebalancing of body composition, as demonstrated by a significant decrease in total body [fat mass] and, at the same time, the preservation of [lean mass],” wrote researchers from Fytexia and the Research Center of High Performance Sport at the University of Murcia in Spain.
“These physiological improvements were concomitantly associated with improvements in both physical and mental health, as well as sleep quality; the combined benefits leading to an enhancement of subjective general well-being.”
The study was funded by Fytexia.
HolisFiit
The ingredient, launched at SupplySide West last year, is a combination of extracts from grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macfad.), grape (Vitis vinifera L.), yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil.), green tea (Camellia sinensis L. Kuntze) and black carrot (Daucus carota L.).
The ingredient was one of four new sports nutrition ingredients launched by Fytexia at SupplySide West 2016. The other three were PerfLoad (a performance-enhancing system based on extracts of grape, pomegranate, and green tea), BurntoRun (a combination of citrus fruits, L-carnitine, and guarana seeds to boost endurance), and TensLess (a recovery accelerator composed of elderberry, mangosteen and pomegranate fruit extracts).
A spokesperson for the company told us that HolisFiit has been the breakthrough ingredient of the four new concepts targeting sports nutrition. “HoliFiit has been amazingly well received by our contact in the industry who are seeking new options to innovate, beyond the search for higher strength and performance,” said the spokesperson.
“Despite the fact that we received a first purchase order on HolisFiit a few days after the SSW2017 took place, which is unusually speedy for our business, no products have been launched so far. However, dozens of ongoing projects are scheduled for launch in the upcoming months,” added the spokesperson.
“Our new range is promoted across Europe and North America; it is no surprise that USA is driving most of the projects, both in number and value.”
Study details
The researchers recruited 33 people aged between 30 and 50 to participate in their double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either placebo or 1 gram of HolisFiit a day for four months.
Results showed that the polyphenol-rich ingredient led to a 43% improvement in scores on the Athens Insomnia Scale, with significant increases in overall sleep quality through easier falling asleep and a significant increase in total sleep duration.
Subjects also reported a 67% improvement in “well-being” in the HolisFiit group, while functioning capacity also increased by 80%, said the researchers.
In addition, the participants’ general physical health perception increased by 10% with HolisFiit, based on questions from the validated SF-36 health questionnaire.
Weight loss
The data revealed improvements of over 7% in the lean-to-fat mass ratio in the HolisFiit-supplemented group.
“It is noteworthy that a strong relationship exists between excessive body weight and reported general well-being,” noted the researchers. “In the past two decades, decrease in body fat in overweight or obese individuals has even been correlated with physical well-being, for which researchers have previously reported significant improvements of bodily pain, physical functioning and vitality. Thus, the beneficial effects of HolisFiitVR supplementation on body composition could positively affect, therefore and at least in part, the self-reported improvement of PCS [physical component summary] assessed with SF-36 questionnaire.”
Another potential mechanism of action to explain the results could be a link between polyphenols and improved blood flow via an effect on endothelial function and increased flow mediated dilation (FMD), they said.
“Regular practice of yoga shows similar effects on improvement of well-being, with concomitant improvement of sleep, physical functioning and mental health,” they wrote. “In this regard, supplementation with HolisFiit could potentiate the effectiveness of yoga workouts and be used as a complementary approach by practitioners, or individuals seeking an additional natural and holistic solution to improve both their mind and body well-being.”
Source: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1080/09637486.2017.1292221
“Regular consumption of HolisFiit, a polyphenol-rich extract-based food supplement, improves mind and body well-being of overweight and slightly obese volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, parallel trial”
Authors: C. Romain et al.