Bioactives company Brightseed, creator of Forager® AI, has announced the formation of the ‘Bioactives Coalition’. This coalition aims to enhance education and advocacy about science-backed bioactive compounds among food and health industries, consumers, and policymakers.
The announcement precedes the American Society for Nutrition’s (ASN) annual conference, Nutrition 2023 (July 22 – 25, Boston). Brightseed will host a satellite symposium at the conference titled ‘The Scientific Evolution of Bioactives in Human Health, Current Challenges, and the Path Ahead Illuminated by AI-Driven Science’ on July 23.
According to Jan-Willem Van Klinken, Brightseed’s SVP of Scientific and Medical Affairs, the advancement in science and technology provides an opportunity to build a widely accepted consensus on the definition and role of bioactive compounds. He expressed that bioactives, which he calls the ‘missing good’ in our food system, are essential for proactive and preventative health. Current tools and research momentum allow us to go beyond vitamins, minerals, and proteins and begin incorporating bioactives into nutrition and modern medical education.
The Bioactives Coalition facilitates interaction among leaders in food and health systems who promote the integration of bioactive compounds into U.S. dietary guidelines. The Coalition also aims to educate on the increasing scientific evidence, progress in research and discovery, and critical perspectives to guide the use and regulation of bioactives in functional food, beverages, and supplements.
Members of the Bioactives Coalition include renowned researchers and experts from the fields of agriculture, food, and health. Some notable figures include nutritional biochemist Jed W. Fahey M.S., Sc.D from John Hopkins, founder and director of The UltraWellness Center Mark Hyman, MD, and Katie Stebbins, Executive Director of The Food & Nutrition Innovation Institute at Tufts University.
Bioactive compounds in plants and other natural sources are critical to human health. Due to the complexity of understanding their direct impact on human biology, these compounds often constitute the “dark matter” of nutrition. However, current clinical evidence and AI-enabled advancements in R&D are leading to a reevaluation of bioactives for industry and consumer health use cases.
In 2022, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics led the creation of the first-ever North American guideline and daily intake recommendation for flavan-3-ols, marking a significant moment for the recognition of bioactives. The guideline suggests a daily intake of 400-600 mg from foods such as tea, berries, cocoa, apples, pears, and cinnamon.
Brightseed’s symposium at Nutrition 2023 will feature three speaker presentations, a panel discussion, and a Q&A with academics, government, and industry leaders about the role of bioactives in human health and current challenges hindering a universal understanding of their dietary value. Moreover, Brightseed will present a poster titled ‘Nutrient Composition Analysis of Multiple Batches of Hemp Hulls to Help Leverage Their Commercial Potential for Unique Delivery of Dietary Fiber and Bioactives’.
Image provided by Brightseed
