The 7th Biogredia Health and Nutrition Summit

The 7th Biogredia Health and Nutrition Summit took place last week in Gstaad, Switzerland and Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U was invited to present findings from its published research about the health benefits of supplementing with their patented saffron extract, affron®. Attendees included scientists, raw material producers, providers of premium functional ingredients, manufacturers of finished nutritional supplements, and industry experts. Nick Morgan, Director of Sports Integrated Ltd and a leading voice in the sports and active nutrition space, moderated the conference and shared an important observation from his years of in-depth market research. What the consumer wants, what we all want, is a healthy body and a healthy mind – and we cannot have one without the other.

 

Life after Covid-19: Maximizing Consumer Health.

The title of this year’s conference was “Life after Covid-19: Maximizing Consumer Health”. Now more than ever, we crave powerful, effective nutritional support, as the ever-increasing anxieties, uncertainties and stress of modern life exert a continuous metabolic toll on our bodies. These stressors may manifest as depressed mood, anxiety, disrupted sleep, or a decline in performance, and if not addressed, over time could lead to the development of a serious medical illness or emotional disorder. Supporting our bodies with the highest quality, nutritional supplements meeting the most rigorous sourcing and manufacturing guidelines ensures better protection.

One of the conference’s overarching themes was the importance of nutrition and nutritional supplementation in improving performance in general and specifically in sports. There is a strong link between performance, recovery and sleep. Athletes continue to seek an advantage to improve their performance; two of the most popular interventions are nutrition and sleep. Interestingly, athletes suffer from highly disrupted sleep, also referred to as the fourth stage of performance – prepare, perform, recover, and sleep. The conference presented results from studies showing that affron® significantly improves sleep quality. Illustrative of this is a three-arm, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (N=120) that shows that affron® intake one hour before sleep resulted in a 22% reduction in insomnia. Moreover, during this four-week study, melatonin concentration levels increased significantly compared to placebo.

Ingredients backed by science.

Eight human clinical studies, conducted with the highest scientific rigour and published in peer-reviewed journals, support the role of affron® in maintaining a healthy mood, improving the quality and quantity of sleep, and relieving symptoms of menopause, while also supporting the brain’s vital neurotransmitter network. The formulation of affron® guarantees a standardized level of Lepticrosalides® a measure of bioactive compounds including crocin, safranal, crocetin, and picrocrocin that act synergistically to support the health of body and mind in both adolescents and adults.

The best ingredients will, of course, only be of benefit if consumed appropriately, with both consumer adherence and compliance influencing their effect on the body. Conference presenters agreed that the importance of providing a selection of different application forms would continue to grow. Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U understands the importance of new product innovation. affron® can be formulated as capsules and tablets but is also ideally suited for formulation in products that are ready to mix (sachets, powders) and ready to drink (liquids, “health shots”) and can be included in a wide variety of foods, thereby further empowering consumers by offering them accessible choices with which to better manage their health.

Dr. Natalie Vladi, MRPharmS.

Scientific Advisor Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U
Managing Director Fountain House GmbH, home to the premium food supplements brand Foondiert®

 

References:

Lopresti AL., et al. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2019.

Lopresti AL., et al. J Affect. Disord. 2018 May; 232:349-357

Lopresti AL., et al. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020 Feb 14:10.5664/jcsm.8376.

Lopresti AL, et al. Sleep Medicine 86 (2021) 7-18.

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Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L. is a privately-owned Spanish company that develops, and manufactures differentiated natural ingredients supported by scientific evidence. Pharmactive makes these innovative ingredients available to other companies in the Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Industries for marketing/distribution.

2 Comments

  1. It was an honor and pleasure to host this Conference together with the Pharmactive Team and our other supplier partners. Thank you so much Dr. Natalie Vladi for providing an update on the science behind Affron. Such a wonderful ingredient! Looking forward seeing you all in January 2023! – Bengt

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