Ingredient recently highlighted at conference gets GRAS status
Velositol is a patented ingredient that combines amylopectin and chromium. The company recently presented pre-clinical data at the meeting of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in Phoenix, AZ that showed that the ingredient can boost the effectiveness of both branched chain amino acids (BCAA, a common constituent of pre- and post-workout formulations) and pea protein.
Boosting the effect of protein
Muscle protein synthesis (MPS) was increased by 25% when the amylopectin and chromium combination was used with BCAA, compared to BCAA alone, while adding Velositol to pea protein enhanced MPS by 43% over pea protein alone.
The data builds on earlier human data, published in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (Ziegenfuss et al. 2017, 14:6), which found that the amylopectin and chromium combination ingredient doubled the MPS rate by 48% from baseline values when combined with six grams of whey protein, compared to a 24% increase for whey protein alone.
The new studies also investigated if higher doses of whey protein could potentially raise the “ceiling effect” seen in MPS with increasing doses of protein. The data from this study indicated that Velositol could indeed enhance exercise-induced MPS over whey protein alone at higher doses of whey protein.
“We believe using Velositol is a more efficient way to build muscle and will really unlock the power of protein,” said Joe Weiss, president of Nutrition 21. “Velositol was formulated to enhance the insulinogenic response, which increases amino acid uptake in muscles, and is protected under a number of patents and pending patent applications.”
Transparency about process
Many critics of the dietary supplement industry have observed that self-affirmed GRAS status, in which the company assembles its own panel to vet the safety information (or hires a third party to do so), is only as good as the process itself. Many announcements of self-affirmed GRAS status contain little detail of how the process was performed, but in an apparent attempt to address such concerns, Nutrition 21 chose to be transparent about the filing. According to the company, the safety dossier was prepared by Intertek Health Sciences, Inc. Intertek determined that Velositol was generally recognized as safe at the recommended serving of 2 grams per day in protein drinks (including ready-to-drink and powder), meal replacement bars, energy and protein bars; with the consideration that these products can be taken up to three times a day.
In addition to Velositol, Nutrition 21 markets other branded ingredients such as Chromax chromium picolinate, which it says is clinically substantiated benefits for glucose metabolism, weight management, and brain health and Nitrosigine, a bonded arginine silicate that the company says has been shown to significantly boost nitric oxide levels supporting mental acuity/focus and sports nutrition.
