USA
Harvard/ Fitbiomics study supports potential athletic performance boosts from probiotic
A strain of Veillonella atypica isolated from marathon runners may boost endurance and running performance in mice, said a new study.
Data published in Nature Medicine indicated that running time benefits were linked to the strain’s ability to convert exercise-induced lactate into the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) propionate.
“FitBiomics is focused on elite athletes as a model for understanding optimal physiology, and analyzing their biological data to develop nutritional interventions. In particular, we’re focused on the microbiome of elite athletes – looking to identify and isolate novel probiotics to disrupt consumer health and wellness,” said Jonathan Scheiman, PhD, lead author of the paper and founder of Fitbiomics.
“We're mining this data to identify, purify and functionally validate next-generation probiotic candidates that promote endurance, strength, mental toughness, and recovery for everyday athletes and wellness customers.”
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Europe
Microbiome testing firm DayTwo gets $31 million investment
Israel’s DayTwo announced it had secured an extra $31m as part of a series B round of fundraising from existing investors Seventure Partners and Johnson & Johnson, bringing the company’s total funding to date to $48 million.
The firm’s main offering is a mobile-based personalized nutrition recommendation service linked to a person’s gut microbiome data.
The investment will fund ongoing product and service development that target the gut microbiome for metabolic and gastrointestinal conditions, said the company.
Lihi Segal, CEO and founder of DayTwo, said: “DayTwo is the only evidence-based, actionable, microbiome platform in the market today. This deep and broad foundation, coupled with this financing, enables DayTwo to address the large and pressing clinical need to bring food-as-medicine to market for people with type 2 diabetes in the United States.”
For more on this, please click HERE.
Asia
Herbalife India's three-pronged strategy for growth
Herbalife India is aiming to implement a three-pronged business approach: Supplements for daily nutrition requirements, macronutrients for millennials, and nutrition for professional athletes.
Herbalife India VP and GM Ajay Khanna told NutraIngredients-Asia: “We are always innovating the way we can remain connected with them so our relationship and the value we deliver is authentic, heartfelt and personalized.”
The company also announced that it has introduced two products to the Indian market from its Herbalife24 sports nutrition range : H24 Rebuild Strength and H24 Hydrate.
The recent announcements were part of the company’s recognition of its 20th anniversary in India.