MALAYSIA – Nestlé Health Science, a division of Swiss food giant Nestlé has launched a new program aimed at helping consumers avoid developing type-2 diabetes.
According to Nestlé Health Science (NHS), approximately 7,5% of the world’s adult population has suboptimal metabolic health and is considered to be prediabetic.
“If not addressed, prediabetes can progress into type-2 diabetes leading to health complications and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases,” NHS said.
With the new program, NHS however hopes to make a meaningful contribution towards reversing the problem and as a result improving people’s health and wellness.
The program comprises a novel food supplement that can be sprinkled over meals as part of a healthy diet to help maintain normal blood glucose after a meal.
The food supplement is accompanied by a digital platform that enables an assessment of diabetes risks and provides tailored recommendations for prediabetes-friendly meal plans.
The food supplement Nutren® GlucoSmart™ contains Reducose®, a Mulberry leaf extract, a natural ingredient known in Asian traditional therapies for lowering blood glucose spikes.
The Mulberry leaf extract was tested by Nestlé Research scientists in a clinical study and was found to have maximal efficacy in lowering the glucose response after a carbohydrate complete meal by 30 percent.
“Best results were achieved when the product was mixed within the meal rather than when consumed separately just before”, says Christian Darimont, Metabolic Health Expert at Nestlé Research who performed the study.
“Hence the importance of having the product in a format that can be sprinkled over a meal,” Darimont added.
The web-based digital platform applies nutritional rules controlling the parameters that are most relevant in prediabetes, such as glycemic load, calorie, and sodium intake, to propose recipes from an extensive proprietary recipe hub.
These recipes are then algorithmically combined into weekly prediabetes meal plans in line with local guidelines and recommendations for a healthy and balanced diet.
“It is really critical to prevent the onset of the disease, hence our focus on a comprehensive prediabetes program”, says Yu Cheng, Global Head of Metabolic Health at Nestlé Health Science.
“The program allows consumers to quickly assess their diabetic risks and then combines nutritional products with tailored recipe recommendations for managing meals and food intake in a more personalized way.”
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE
