Enzymotec targets growing diabetics market
nutrition bar containing its nutritional oil, designed to target
the growing diabetics market.
The company, which has shown its formulation of enzymatically derived phytosterols and diglycerides (DAG) to have a triple action on heart health, says foods containing the ingredient would fill a gap in the market.
"Diabetics have an extremely high risk to develop cardiovascular diseases, which are related to their sensitive lipid and fat metabolism. The popular low-carb diets, commonly aimed at diabetics, totally ignore these specific needs of diabetes patients and even contradict them," said Dr Avidor Shulman, director of innovation at Enzymotec.
"Low-carb bars, in particular, are saturated with unhealthy fats in order to ensure good sensorial properties," he added.
German company WellPlus Trade has developed a new functional bar containing Enzymotec's ingredient, marketed under the brand carDiabeat.
"Our new approach is more focused on the acute needs of diabetes patients. Daily consumption of carDiabeat Bar can proactively fight diabetics' abnormal fat metabolism, without compromising on good taste," added Shulman.
The active ingredients of carDiabeat are said to simultaneously tackle oxidative stress, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and the atherosclerotic plaque formation cascade.
Diabetes has already increased by one-third during the 1990s, due to the prevalence of obesity and an ageing population. There are currently more than 194 million people with diabetes worldwide but if nothing is done to slow the epidemic, the number will exceed 333 million by 2025, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
