Nordic Naturals (Watsonville, CA) announced its partnership with the American Pregnancy Association (APA), which includes APA’s endorsement of Nordic Naturals as the “the official omega-3” of the organization. APA is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting reproductive and pregnancy wellness through education, research, advocacy and community awareness, the company said.
 
“We are convinced that our collaborative undertaking with APA will bring about increased education for women on the special role that omega fatty acids play in a new mother’s health along with the health of her baby,” said Joar Opheim, CEO of Nordic Naturals. “Current studies consistently show that women of childbirth age in this country and Canada consume far too little of these essential nutrients in their diet.”
  
For information about Nordic Naturals, call (800) 662-2544 or visit www.nordicnaturals.com. To learn more about APA, visit www.americanpregnancy.org.

A new study published, claiming that multivitamin use by postmenopausal women does little to improve their risk of mortality, fails to take into account important dietary factors or accurately grasp how dietary supplements and health claims are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the Natural Products Association (NPA).

According to the study, which was published in the February 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, postmenopausal women who take multivitamins have the same risk of dying from “most common cancers, cardiovascular disease or of any cause as women who do not take multivitamin supplements.”

“While cohort and observational studies like these can be important, they in no way constitute convincing or conclusive evidence,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for NPA. “This study fails to tell the whole story about the positive effect that vitamins and minerals can have on health. It also does not take into account important factors such as nutrients gained through diet.”  

Fabricant said it is “unprincipled” that the authors arbitrarily lumped supplement types into generalized categories that do not represent nutrient intake accurately. And when coupled with the fact that nutrient intake through the diet was not accounted for, Fabricant explained, the study has no means of establishing a baseline for which to draw any comparisons or eliminate bias.

Also troubling to NPA was the author’s apparent lack of understanding about how dietary supplements are regulated.

”Taken as whole, the research on dietary supplements in the prevention of chronic diseases, is strong and consistent,” said Fabricant. “To suggest that taking vitamins and minerals with a demonstrated health benefit is unnecessary sends the wrong public health message."

Climate change is affecting medicinal and aromatic plants around the world and could ultimately lead to losses of some key species, the American Botanical Council (ABC) reported. This conclusion is based on the research, observations and opinions of multiple medicinal plant researchers and conservationists, as reported in the cover article of the latest issue of HerbalGram, ABC’s quarterly journal.

HerbalGram issue 81, which contains the article “The Effects of Climate Change on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants,” was posted online and distributed to ABC members in late February. The article is based on recent climate change research and the perspectives of 15 scientific researchers, medicinal plant conservation experts and others, noting that species endemic to regions or ecosystems that are especially vulnerable to climate change, such as Arctic and Alpine regions, could be most at risk. Rhodiola rosea of the Canadian Arctic and snow lotus (Saussurea laniceps) of the Tibetan mountains are specifically identified as medicinal species that could face significant threats from climate change.

The article further explored how climate appears to be impacting plants—including medicinals—throughout the world. For example, climate change has led to shifts in seasonal timing and/or ranges for many plants, which could ultimately endanger some wild medicinal populations, it said. Extreme weather events, meanwhile, have begun to impact the production and harvesting of various medicinal plants around the world. For instance, recent abnormally hot summers have prevented reseeding of medicinal plants such as chamomile (Matricaria recutita) in Germany and Poland, and increasingly severe flooding in Hungary has reduced harvests of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and anise (Pimpinella anisum) in that country.

The full HerbalGram article has been posted on the ABC website at http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/R?i=-8yI32OLnk3OcRuiaMG0rg.

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) President Michael McGuffin presented new data to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on harvesters’ planting of cultivated American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) seed during a February 24 American Ginseng Meeting in Bristol, VA.
 
It is an established tradition for harvesters of American ginseng to plant the seeds after digging a ginseng plant, AHPA said. However, the data provided at the meeting focused on planting imported seeds, and represented the first time the number and ratio of planted seeds to harvested roots has been examined.

Based on data collected from ginseng dealers, McGuffin estimated that six to 17 million cultivated American ginseng seeds are planted annually. Furthermore, based on the average number of plants harvested in the past 10 years, the average ratio of planted seeds (each) to harvested roots for the past 10 years is between 33 and 108 percent.
 
“The role of ginseng diggers in propagating ginseng throughout the country is an important and often overlooked factor in the sustainability of American ginseng,” said McGuffin. “Since the 18th century, harvesting ginseng has been both a tradition and an income provider for many individuals in Appalachia, and they have long understood the importance of promoting the sustainability of this plant.”
 
McGuffin’s complete presentation is available online at http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/pdfs/09_0224_FWS_Ginseng_McGuffin.pdf.

On February 23, President Obama announced his choice of Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, the number two post in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Merrigan, a board member of The Organic Center, was chair of the Center's Science and Technical Advisory Council, helping to direct The Organic Center’s work with universities and research labs across the country and experts in agriculture, health and nutrition.

“Kathleen’s thorough knowledge of the science behind the organic benefit as well as her involvement at such a high level at USDA is sure to bode well for organic agriculture and sustainable food systems,” said Steven Hoffman, The Organic Center’s managing director, in a statement. “The Organic Center wishes Kathleen well in her nomination as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. She is sure to help build awareness of and interest in organic food and farming on a national level.”

And according to Christine Bushway, the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) executive director, OTA supports Merrigan’s nomination. “Kathleen's extensive background in organic agriculture in this key USDA position can only serve to heighten awareness and support for the industry at the federal level,” she said.

Quality Assurance International (QAI) can now certify to a new American National Standard for personal care products made with organic ingredients. Companies that make organic label and marketing claims for personal care products can now demonstrate compliance with NSF/ANSI 305: Made with Organic Personal Care Products, which includes organic ingredient specifications.

NSF/ANSI 305 is the first and only American National Standard to define organic labeling and marketing requirements for made with organic personal care products, QAI said. The new, voluntary standard allows “made with organic claims” for products with organic content of 70 percent (O70) or more that comply with all other requirements of the standard. Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products, as well as oral care and personal hygiene products.

The standard specifies materials, processes, production criteria and conditions that must be met in order for made with personal care products to make organic label and marketing claims. It also contains requirements for agricultural ingredients and methods of extraction based on the final product’s label claim.

The NSF 305 personal care logo will identify personal care products that have achieved certification to the standard.

For more information, contact QAI General Manager Jaclyn Bowen at (858) 792-3531, e-mail her at jaclyn@qai-inc.com or visit www.qai-inc.com.