Supplement biz hops on low carb fad diet
markd_at_toad-net.com
Date: 08/20/04
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Date: 20 Aug 2004 11:15:36 GMT
It had to come, like all parts of the commercial world, if they want it
they will sell it. Just as food people will provide low carb pasta and
potatoes and 4 carb candy bars, sold as atkins "meal" bars, the majic in a
bottle folk are here to serve too.
Supplement industry hops on low-carb bandwagon
By ALICIA CHANG, Associated Press
(Published August 19' 2004)
(AP) - Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that
the low-carb craze has invaded the $20 billion dietary supplement
industry.
From multivitamins to starch blocker pills, loosely regulated
supplements are popping up in the burgeoning low-carb market dominated
by food companies.
For vitamin makers, their biggest marketing tool is exploiting the
pitfall of high-protein diets, namely that you lose some nutrients
when you cut back on carbohydrates.
Low-carb followers may lack key B vitamins found in grain-based foods
like bread and pasta. Skimping on fruits and vegetables may cause
deficiencies in antioxidants like Vitamin C and beta-carotene.
About 44 million Americans are either on a low-carb diet or watching
their carb intake. Of those, about 5 million are taking supplements,
according to the Natural Marketing Institute.
While U.S. retail sales of brand-name, all-purpose multivitamins have
declined, specialty vitamins targeted at dieters are growing
dramatically.
Sales of One-A-Day WeightSmart, which contains a natural green tea
extract claiming to increase metabolism, shot up 55 percent over the
previous year, while sales for the popular Centrum multivitamin fell
by 9 percent, according to Information Resources Inc., a market
research firm.
Health experts generally agree that the best place to get the vitamins
and minerals you need is from food. People on special diets may
benefit from taking supplements, but nutritionists stress that a pill
is not a replacement for healthy foods.
Carb-conscious diets from Atkins to the Zone recommend supplements.
Atkins Nutritionals sells its own line of diet products and
supplements.
Now mainstream pharmaceutical companies are betting that low-carb
dieters will turn to tailor-made vitamins to make up for their
nutritional deficiencies.
In April, drug maker Bayer launched its over-the-counter One-A-Day
CarbSmart multivitamin containing higher doses of B vitamins and
antioxidants. Wyeth, the Madison, N.J.-based pharmaceutical firm,
followed suit a month later with Centrum Carb Assist.
"There's good science behind this in terms of the needs of low-carb
dieters and what they're not getting in their nutritional intake
through food," said Andy Davis with Wyeth Consumer Healthcare.
But not everyone is convinced that low-carb dieters will get more out
of a low-carb-focused vitamin, which can cost twice as much as the
ordinary kind.
David Levitsky, a professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell
University in Ithaca, N.Y., questions the need for increased amounts
of B vitamins, and believes taking a regular multivitamin will
suffice.
"There's so much hype around the low-carb diet," Levitsky said.
"People who buy into it will buy anything that's associated with
low-carb."
The low-carb vitamin makers are hoping to imitate the success of
Bayer's One-A-Day WeightSmart for dieters, which grossed $32 million
in U.S. sales for the one-year period ending July 11. Since its debut
about four months ago, One-A-Day CarbSmart has raked in $2.8 million
in U.S. sales and Centrum Carb Assist, $1.7 million, according to IRI.
Bayer already makes multivitamins targeting men and women while Wyeth
markets the popular Centrum Silver brand for the elderly. Both
companies say it was only natural to develop a vitamin for low-carb
dieters given the diet's popularity.
But some dietitians are adamant that nothing beats getting nutrients
from whole foods no matter what supplements people take.
"To take a pill to make up for a deficiency in your diet is not really
a panacea," said Elisa Zied, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic
Association and a registered dietitian who owns a private practice in
New York City.
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