South Hackensack, NJ—Naturex recently shared fresh data about two newly launched ingredients during a media tour of its New Jersey extraction and production plant.

In November, Naturex launched a blood sugar-support ingredient (Glucevia) derived from the fruits and seeds of Fraxinus excelsior (common ash or European ash). What makes the ingredient unique is that Naturex found and isolated two new components from Fraxinus to make it, and they are patented for blood sugar control.

A seven-week crossover study about the ingredient was presented at the 20^th International Congress of Nutrition held in Spain in September 2013. Seventeen healthy adults (ages 50–80) took 1,000 mg of the extract for three weeks and then a placebo for three weeks (or vice versa) after a one-week washout period. During an oral glucose tolerance test, the extract caused much less of a rise in blood glucose than the placebo. The long-term results after taking the extract caused a 28% reduction in blood glucose.

Next, Naturex launched a cranberry-based ingredient (Flowens) intended for supporting prostate health. The ingredient is made from specific parts of the whole cranberry (including skin, flesh, juice and seeds) and is re-engineered using a patent-pending process.

Researchers gave the cranberry-based ingredient to men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that weren’t using any other therapy to address their symptoms. Forty men either took 250 mg of the extract, 40 others took 500 mg of the extract and another 40 men took a placebo for six months. Various markers of BPH were studied such as maximum and average urinary flow rate (Q_max, Q_ave), urine volume remaining in the bladder after urination (PRV) and the amount of urine collected during urination (Vol).

Overall, taking 250 mg of Flowens resulted in a 25% improvement over both baseline and placebo, according to a standard questionnaire about prostate symptoms. Men taking the 500-mg dose had a 44% improvement over baseline and a 38% improvement over placebo. Q_max in this group also improved 11% over baseline, Q_ave was 10% better, Vol improved 16%, and PRV was 45% better. In response to a questionnaire, 96% of the 500-mg group said they would recommend the product to a friend.

These data are pending publication.

Naturex told attendees during the site tour its 2012 sales totaled 300 million euros (~412.8 million USD). Naturex has 1,400 employees, 15 factories and 20 sales offices worldwide, with its global headquarters in Avignon, France.

Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter, leads journalists through Naturex's South Hackensack facility. For video comments from Kilham, click here. Photos from Naturex Media Tour (December 2013), courtesy of Naturex.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, February 2014 (online 12/18/13)