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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. That is the challenge from the Goal 3 by United Nations.


One way to ensure healthy lives is to adopt a sustainable nutrition. Nutrition is a critical part of health and development. There is a proven relationship between healthy diets and an improved nutrition.

Everyone needs an adequate nutrition to support his development, but some populations deserve a particular focus. At the agenda: from beginning of pregnancy to child, overweighted and obese people, sport people, senior, diabetics and intolerant/allergic populations.

First 1000 days

More than 50% of infants under 6 months of age are not exclusively breastfed (source: UNICEF).

The 1000 days between the woman’s pregnancy and her child’s 2nd birthday offer a window of opportunity to build healthier futures. Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential to ensure the growth, health and development of children to their full potential. Poor nutrition increases the risk of illness and is responsible, directly or indirectly, for one third of the deaths that occurred in children less than 5 years of age. Inappropriate nutrition can also lead to childhood obesity which is an increasing public health problem in many countries.

FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre, inulin and polyfructose, as well as FIBRULOSE™ chicory root fibre, oligofructose belong to the inulin-type fructans, also known as FOS. They are part of the solution to mimic mother milk oligosaccharides in baby food formulae for those who did not have access to breastmilk. Since nothing will replace fully mother milk. Combined with GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides), HMOS (human milk oligosaccharides obtained by precision fermentation) or probiotics, they are well recognized by the industry leaders as well as the national regulatory authorities based on peer reviewed science.

 

During pregnancy, the woman’s diet but also the rate she gains weight or her physical and mental well-being, has a powerful effect on the child’s future health. Pregnancy is not a long calm river! Women can face several health disorders.

Constipation is common for pregnant women. Chicory root fibre contributes to an improved bowel frequency, and softer stool consistency might be useful during pregnancy. This unique soluble fibre has the potential to improve the health and well-being of the pregnant woman, notably for bowel habit.

Calcium needs are physiologically increased during pregnancy and lactation. In consequence, if the mother intake in calcium is too low, it can lead to transient bone loss during childbearing. It is thus very important for pregnant women to insure a sufficient intake of calcium. Consumption of chicory root fibre can also play a positive role on this. They are known to reduce the risk for osteoporosis.

 

Support parents and family in the food transition is also a challenge of pregnancy and baby food. What are the healthy plant options for those who want to reduce animal-based food into their own diet and for their kids? Plant sources offer great opportunities for a sustainable nutrition. PISANE™ pea protein – a nutritious plant protein – and FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre – a unique prebiotic fibre – are part of the solution.

Weight management

676 million adults are living with obesity (source: WHO).

Today, the prevalence rates of overweight, obesity and diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are increasing in every region and most rapidly in low- and middle-income countries where the growth rate of overweight and obesity now exceeds that for underweight. For some regions, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is almost the same as the prevalence of underweight and the combined rate of overweight and obese adults is projected to rise to over 50% by 2030 (source: WHO).

Nowadays, many specific diets can help us to lose weight: limited carb diets, very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet (high fat), high-protein low-carbohydrate diet, low-fat diet, low-calorie diets.

Market HealthAndNutrition Weight Management

Proteins play a significant role in the regulation of appetite, food intake, body weight, and body composition. The role of protein as the most satiating macronutrient in regulation of food intake, body weight and body composition has been well-studied for many years now. As a nutritious plant protein, PISANE™ pea protein is a part of the solution. Its composition in essential and branched amino acids, its high digestibility and protein content make PISANE™ an ideal ingredient to help people feel full longer.

As a soluble and prebiotic dietary fibre, FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre promotes satiety feeling. Formulating with chicory root fibres is also the occasion to meet the recommended daily fibre intake a meal substitute need to cover in a given format (meal, snack, bar…). FIBRULINE™ naturally replaces carbohydrates such as maltodextrin in low-carb and keto diets.

 

It turns 9kCal fat and 4kCal sugars in 2kCal fibre while improving flavour and mouthfeel.

Sport nutrition

In 2019, more than 40% of the EU population practiced some physical activities at least once a week (source: Eurostat).

Sport foods are those specialized products designed for athletes to improve their nutritional intake, health, wellbeing, performance, muscle growth and/or recovery from exercise. For the human body, adequate protein intake is crucial. Proteins are essential building blocks for the structure and metabolism of muscle, bone, and connective tissue. But protein needs depend on the type of sport activity: endurance athletes, intermittent activity and power athletes. Recommendations regarding the optimal protein intake per serving for athletes to maximize muscle protein synthesis are mixed and are dependent upon age and recent resistance exercise stimuli. General recommendations are 0.25 g of a high-quality protein per kg of body weight, or an absolute dose of 20–40 g. These protein doses should ideally be evenly distributed, every 3–4 h, across the day.

During the pre-workout, an immediate supply of amino acid is essential to get muscles ready for training. Body needs a muscle mass and strength increase. During the workout, the objective is to get amino acids release for the synthesis of muscle. And after exercise, amino acids enhance the recovery and muscle mass preservation. What is important during this phase: muscle synthesis and reduction of muscle damage.

Increase protein intake is necessary for athletes, but the quality of protein has to be high in order to ensure a significant efficacy. The efficacy of protein intake in athletes is linked to various factors such as the timing of protein ingestion, the rate of digestion and the quality of protein intake. PISANE™ pea protein ticks the boxes! With a PDCAAS of 0.94, and a high content in arginine and leucine, PISANE™ is an essential part of the plant solution.

Healthy living

1 in 4 adults do meet the global recommended levels of physical activity (source: WHO).

World Health Organization defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Popular ways to be active include walking, cycling, sports, active recreation and play, and can be done at any level of skill and for enjoyment by everybody. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health.

Healthy living is about having an active lifestyle and a healthy diet (of which healthy snacking). The objective is to ensure a good physical and mental health: I want to reset my body and soul.

COSUCRA offers prebiotic fibres – FIBRULINE™ from chicory root – and plant protein – PISANE™ from yellow pea – to tackle challenges linked to a healthy lifestyle: maintain weight, nutrition-density, immunity.

Healthy ageing

There will be 1.4 billion people aged 60 years and older in 2030 (source: WHO).

By 2030, 1 out of 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million. By 2050, two-thirds of the global population over 60 years will live in low- and middle-income countries.

Ageing is associated with health conditions such as sarcopenia, diabetes, osteoporosis and immunity decrease, constipation. PISANE™ pea protein and FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre have an important role to play in the support of a healthy ageing. Ease-of-use and nutrition-dense, PISANE™ and FIBRULINE™ are ideal for medium to small portions for which the challenge is to have all the nutrients in a small food portion.

 

Let’s focus on sarcopenia! As a progressive skeletal muscle disorder, sarcopenia involves an accelerated loss of muscle mass and function. Adequate protein intake has a potential to attenuate the age-related loss of lean mass among older adults. Thanks to its high-quality amino acid profile and its intermediate-fast protein profile, PISANE™ helps to maintain muscle mass.

And what about constipation? Constipation frequently persists in older age and can be attributed to change in dietary pattern, liquid intake, less utilization of high fiber diet, excessive intake of laxatives and medication, reduced intestinal functioning and physical inactivity. A daily supplementation of 12 g inulin improves constipation relief by increasing stool frequency and quality of life in an elderly population with constipation.

DIABETICS

1.5 million deaths in 2019 because of diabetes (source: WHO).

A healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Chicory root fibre is a non-digestible carbohydrate (or dietary fibre) and thus doesn’t affect blood glucose levels after consumption. This soluble fibre can be used to control certain blood sugar management problems, in particular by limiting the daily effects of our everyday diet.

It may even improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, thanks to some metabolites that are formed upon fermentation of chicory root fibre in the large intestine. Over the long term, it can also contribute to lowering the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre can be used to substitute digestible carbohydrates. Thanks to its non-digestibility in the small intestine, FIBRULINE™ has no impact on post-meal glycaemia and insulin responses.

FREE-FROM DIETS

Pea ingredients and chicory root fibre are ideal to support the formulation of gluten-free and lactose-free products.

From yellow pea, PISANE™ is not a major allergen compared to soy protein. 

Using PISANE™ pea protein, SWELITE™ pea fibre, NASTAR™ pea starch, EXAFINE™ pea hull fibre and FIBRULINE™ chicory root fibre, manufacturers can face a lot of opportunities in the gluten-free and lactose-free food market.

At the agenda: gluten-free biscuit or bread, plant-based dairy products – from RTD beverages to cheese.

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