Supplements & functional ingredients Lessons from Covid-19 Benefits of K2 vitamins


Vitamins and minerals are all essential nutrients that the body needs to function properly and stay healthy. While most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need through a balanced diet, this is not always possible. According to WHO, nutrition is a critical part of health and development and can help lower the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease. With malnutrition a present threat to human health, WHO supports global efforts to improve food systems to encourage a healthy diet. Of these beneficial nutrients, vitamin K is important for helping the body heal wounds and blood clotting, as well as direct calcium to bones and improving heart health. Vitamin K has two main types, consisting of K1 and K2. While K1 is more well known, there have been several studies that have reported more benefits of vitamin K2, as it contributes to skin health and bone metabolism, while promoting brain function and preventing heart-related diseases. K2 is also important for the body’s use of calcium to help build bones and inhibit blood vessel calcification. It is an essential for assisting the body in utilising calcium, which is essential for healthy, strong bones and has been shown to lower calcium-associated health risk on the heart by inhibiting calcification and lowering vascular damage. Found in animal and preserved foods, such as green leafy vegetables, cereals, fatty meat, eggs and fish, one should be able to get all the vitamin K needed through a varied and balanced diet. However, it is non-existent in junk foods and restrictive Western diets. Therefore, supplements could be beneficial if recommended by a medical professional.


consumers are able to target vitamin deficiencies and reach health goals more effectively. For Snover, it’s amazing that it took this long for the vitamin market to embrace personalisation. “In a world where we can personalise everything from our trainers to our coffee, it’s crazy to me that we have only recently been able to truly customise our nutrition regimes,” she admits. “Everyone is unique and thus have different lifestyles, goals, health conditions, dietary requirements and personal preferences. A ‘one-size- fits-all’ supplement or multivitamin is not produced to suit these unique requirements, and the traditional manufacturing methods in the supplement industry are incapable of making truly bespoke solutions. “Nourished offers a totally innovative and


“Truly personalised nutrition can only be achieved with innovation, and so the mainstream methods of production need to be revised and updated in order to move forward.”


personalised product which allows the consumer to decide exactly what active ingredients go into their stack, their flavour and coating and even what name goes onto their packaging,” Snover continues. The tailored supplement and exact dosage can help avoid any negative outcomes that can come with blindly taking supplements as well – for example, rather than taking too much iron and risking iron toxicity, the personalised vitamin will have the exact dosage specific to each individual due to the data collected when signing up.


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Much of the increased awareness and focus on nutrition and health in the current market is a result of the pandemic, as the forced confinement to during various lockdowns and the fear of Covid lingering pushed many to become more health consciousness and proactive about their nutrition and immunity.


Roughly one in seven adults over 60 began taking vitamin D supplements since March 2020, an essential vitamin to aid immune functions as well as commonly associated with Covid-19, with those older or younger equally as likely to increase their supplement usage, according to a study by TILDA. “Understandably consumers became much more health conscious and sought preventative solutions to protect their immunity,” adds Snover. “Throughout the Covid pandemic we experienced an increasing interest for more personalised and convenient ways to take vitamins, which has allowed our business to develop and scale as a result.” Despite the heightened attention and blossoming popularity of personalised nutrition, the market is not without its challenges, as Snover explains. “Truly personalised nutrition can only be achieved with innovation, and so the mainstream methods of production need to be revised and updated in order to move forward.” For Snover, the challenges lie in the mainstream production and manufacturing, which limits capacity for individual requirements and customisation, while creating a lot of waste. This is not the only barrier that personalised vitamins face, as the lack of hard evidence to support certain health benefits has left some sceptical of the industries claims. With many nutritional experts agreeing in support of essential vitamins through a balanced diet rather than additional supplement, this does nothing to help calm reservation. However, there is a consensus that, where a balanced diet with naturally occurring vitamins is not possible, they admit the benefits of taking a supplement on the advice of a professional. In spite of these drawback, Snover is positive in looking ahead for the personalised vitamins industry, as she sees a huge opportunity for innovation and development within the market that will only grow over the next few years. “At Rem3dy we are excited about developments across a variety of sectors including women’s health, skincare, pet’s nutrition and oral health, as well as integrating our IP with new microbiome testing and wearable tech. “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and as such, we are continuously enhancing our technology to create further optimisations and automations which will help us to stay at the forefront of personalised nutrition.” ●


Ingredients Insight / www.ingredients-insight.com


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