Companies Unveil Research on Collagen Peptides, Vitamin K2, Botanicals & CBD

GELITA, NattoPharma, Unigen and Lexaria released results on the latest research backing ingredients for muscle health and strength, joint health and also enhanced absorption of cannabidiol (CBD).

Resistance training-specific collagen peptides developed by GELITA can significantly increase muscle mass and strength and decrease fat mass, according to a new clinical study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. The bioactive collagen peptides named BODYBALANCE^TM were developed to fight sarcopenia, or the steady loss of lean muscle mass along with fat mass increase. The new a double blind, placebo-controlled study included 60 sarcopenic men ages 65 years and older, who were divided into two groups. During the twelve weeks study time, both groups underwent the same guided resistance training program, with three sessions per week. One group was daily supplemented with placebo, the other with BODYBALANCE™ collagen peptides: 15 g given in powder form dissolved in 250 ml water. The participants drank the solution within one hour after the training. The collagen peptides further increased the benefits of the resistance training in elderly people with sarcopenia. Compared with placebo, participants in the collagen-supplemented group showed a significant increase in fat-free mass (+4,2 kg compared to +2,9 kg) and muscle strength (+16,5 Nm compared to +7,3 Nm), as well as a statistically significant reduction in fat mass (-5,4 kg compared to -3,5 kg).

The journal Nutrients also published a new study showing the protective effect inhibiting muscle damage from calcification of Vitamin K2 as MK-7 (menaquinone-7; MenaQ7® PURE provided by NattoPharma) supplementation on cardiovascular calcification. The study, “High-Dose Menaquinone-7 Supplementation Reduces Cardiovascular Calcification in a Murine Model of Extraosseous Calcification," is significant because it adds to the body of evidence demonstrating the cardiovascular benefits of vitamin K2 as MK-7, lending further understanding to the mechanism by which it  inhibits calcification damage to cardiovascular muscle. In the study, test animals were divided into four groups: two control groups with intact kidneys and on standard diet with respect to content of phosphate and calcium ± supplementation with 100µg MK-7/g; and two treatment groups where 5/6 of their kidneys were removed (mimicking kidney patients) receiving a diet with high content of both phosphate and calcium ± supplementation with 100µg MK-7/g. After 12 weeks, the animals were examined for calcification of the aorta, the myocardium, and in kidneys, as well as for certain other changes in the tissues. The researchers stated that MK-7 supplementation inhibited cardiovascular calcification and decreased aortic alkaline phosphate tissue concentrations. The effect of MK-7 was, at least in part, mediated via MGP and subsequent inhibition of ectopic calcification.

Unigen added to the body of research surrounding Univestin, the company’s botanical joint health ingredient, with new studies on the effects of the compound on reproduction in rats. Unigen performed three separate but related studies, labeled as part-I through III. Each part addressed a different aspect of fertility, reproduction and development. All three parts were recently published in the Birth Defects Research Journal, Part B. The completion and publication of these studies added to the robust safety package Unigen has been compiling on Univestin for more than 10 years. All three studies showed no adverse effects on reproduction up to 1,000mg/kg dosing.

In addition, Lexaria Corp. announced achievements in enhanced gastro-intestinal absorption of CBD utilizing the company’s patent pending technology. The recent third-party testing was conducted in two phases of in-vitro tests beginning in June and completed in August 2015. The independent laboratory results have delivered average CBD permeability of 499 percent of baseline permeability, compared to CBD permeability without Lexaria’s technology. The results exceed company expectations, and Lexaria believes its in-vitro findings provide compelling evidence of the intestinal absorption enhancing capabilities of its technology, based on which it is exploring opportunities to progress to more advanced bioavailability testing in animals.