One top ingredient: carotenoids. Karin Hermoni, Ph.D., Head of Product at Lycored, gave the presentation “Skin Immunity,” in which she explained: “Carotenoids are natural plant components. They build up, like a reservoir of goodness, to be there when we need it. They help us with our stress response, or help us cultivate our calm response. Carotenoids help us cultivate calmness on a cellular level.” She delved into the science behind carotenoids, and how they help support the skin barrier, not to mention the immune importance of doing so: “When our skin is dry and scaly, it is less efficient as a barrier, and it is less able to protect us from bacteria.” Plus, she added, we have skin immune cells, which keep our skin healthy—and keep us healthy.
Ruud Albers, Founder and CSO, NutriLeads BV, presented on BeniCaros, an immune health ingredient from carrot pomace. Besides the science, he also gave a crash course on the art of pivoting: Originally, BeniCaros was supposed to come from ginseng, which was shown in human trials to prime immune function and reduce respiratory infections—but there were regulatory barriers, not to mention sustainability and supply chain struggles. Albers and his team identified the active component in ginseng, went hunting for an equivalent, and found it in carrots. Albers continued on to explain that BeniCaros has a dual mode of action: It prepares the immune system to become more responsive, and it increases metabolite production through beneficial gut microorganisms. Plus, he walked attendees through the studies backing the ingredient.
Sue Hewlings, Ph.D., was one of three presenters in the “3 Major Lessons from COVID” session, during which she focused on an immunity standout: vitamin D. Some stats she shared:
- 41% of U.S. adults have vitamin D insufficiency
- 60% of U.S. nursing home residents have vitamin D deficiency
- 50% of people globally have vitamin D insufficiency
Danielle Citrolo, Pharm.D., VP of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Kyowa Hakko USA, took a look at the emerging category of postbiotics and discussed IMMUSE in the session “Postbiotic Immune Activation with IMMUSE LC-Plasma: An Innovative Approach to Immune Health.” She gave a useful overview of pro-, pre-, and postbiotics, for those looking to learn or refresh their memories as to the boundaries between those categories, and then pointed to the fact that 70-80% of immune cells are in the intestine—and then she went deeper. She discussed plasmacytoid dendritic cells, the “right” immune cells to activate for broad-range immune support; the discovery process behind IMMUSE; studies finding reduced incidence and symptoms of cold and flu in people who took IMMUSE; and more.
Related: #NaturallyInformed: Say Goodbye to Immune Boosting, and Hello to Immune Fitness #NaturallyInformed Event Looks at Immune Health from All Angles Naturally Informed: Communicating in store and online—where are we now?
And, of course, this is only a small portion of the event—and a small blurb for each of these sessions. To get all the details—including Q&A sessions with the presenters—head towww.NaturallyInformed.netand register to view the entire event for free for education on everything from ingredients to market trends to claims to climate change. And if you enjoy what you see, mark your calendars—from May 17-19, Naturally Informed will be holding the eventMicrobiome: Mastering the Market.Go ahead and register even if you can’t make it—just like all Naturally Informed events, it’ll be available for free on-demand afterwards, and registering will make sure you get an email with the access code as soon as the on-demand is available. Don’t miss out!
