NutraIngredients NutraCast

Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a vital nutrient that plays a pivotal role in cell growth and development. The CDC recommends all women capable of becoming pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects in a baby’s developing brain and spine. But what is folate’s role outside of pregnancy?

As awareness of gut health grows, so do more specific areas of the microbiome, such as gut-brain axis, the gut-skin axis and the gut-hormone axis. For women, this hormonal link is the estrobolome, which encompasses the bidirectional communication system between the gut and the endocrine system.

BioLongevity Labs is a health optimization company that focuses on peptides, bioregulators and small molecules. While much of the biohacking community knows about these compounds, general awareness is low, with only 3% of Americans familiar with therapeutic peptides, according to BioLongevity Labs Cofounder Hunter Williams.

Although a large majority of pregnant women in the United States use prenatal vitamins, not all are created equal—and most have not been studied in their final, finished form. In fact, women of ‘childbearing potential’ were banned from U.S. clinical studies until 1993.

Trends are always a hot topic, but what about reasoning behind those trends? What motivations, social dynamics and experiences shape our decisions when we purchase products like creatine or ashwagandha, for example?

It’s no secret that direct sellers and multi-level marketers have suffered in recent years with the rise of social media. Last year Rodan + Fields announced plans to move away from its multi-level direct selling model and earlier this year many were shocked to hear that Modere would shut down after 23 years in business.

Xoted Biotechnology Labs is putting science and sustainability at the forefront by launching a new R&D facility in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

Ostia Sciences Inc. and EXPERT’Biome recently announced a new oral care probiotic through contract development and manufacturing organization Lallemand to launch clinical trials.

London-based Zest is offering a Precision Memory Assessment (PREMAZ) test, which aims to detect subtle cognitive changes that may occur decades before dementia symptoms arise.

Evvy, a vaginal microbiome testing and care company, launched in 2021 with a mission to close the gender health gap by leveraging overlooked female biomarkers. Through its platform, the company has built the world’s largest dataset on the vaginal microbiome and is using this novel data to drive better outcomes in women’s health.