Industry responds to Zoe science-backed supplement launch

The firm said it launched the ‘Daily 30+’ supplement, containing more than 30 plants and 5 grams of fibre per serving, in response to its members ‘always looking for ways to easily add more plants, diversity and fiber to their diets’.

Sara Gordon, general manager at Zoe Daily 30+ told NutraIngredients: “Daily30+ is category-defining and entirely different to other supplements on the market.

“It is designed to complement diet and is easily added to meals to enhance flavor, fiber, and plant diversity. This is what sets it apart from other supplements on the market - it is not designed to be a replacement for a healthy diet or to substitute nourishing foods.”

Daily 30+​

The ‘minimally-processed’ mix includes several types of fruit and vegetables to protect against cellular damage, mushrooms for their antioxidant properties, herbs and spices to reduce inflammation and diversify gut flora, as well as nine types of nuts and seeds, quinoa, and red lentils. 

Following the introduction of the Zoe kefir shot in collaboration with retailer Marks & Spencer​ earlier this year, this is the first own-brand Zoe product, and it has been ‘years in the making to help address the top dietary risks associated with poor health’. 

Customers can buy Zoe Daily 30+ online direct through the website for a four-month or rolling monthly subscription (priced at a discount rate of £133 or £36/month respectively), and the product will be introduced into the high-end British supermarket chain Waitrose from today (July. 17). 

Gordon added: “This is the first in our Science and Nutrition Range which we hope to extend in the future”.

Health benefits​ 

The launch has been supported by the results of a randomized control trial (RCT), which investigated the daily intake of the new whole-food prebiotic blend​ (30g/d) in comparison to the well-studied probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus​, or a control of bread croutons (28g/d).

The study, which ran from Feb.26 - Apr.22 this year, included 399 randomly assigned participants, who completed questionnaires and submitted blood and stool samples in the final week of the study. 

Results suggested significant improvements were seen in the change and ranking of ‘favorable’ and ‘unfavorable’ species as well as beta diversity, but not in the control or probiotic group.

Questionnaire results suggested Zoe’s product led to improvements in digestive health, energy, and a reduction in hunger in comparison to controls. 

According to Gordon, the study has proven the superior benefits of the product in comparison to others in the supplement sector. 

“While many products claim to be ‘backed by science’ referencing individual ingredients, Daily30+ is proven, through rigorous research, to deliver results for the specific formulation,” she stated.

“In contrast, the supplement market uses synthetic micronutrients in untested combinations that are marketed as ‘healthy’; however, they lack evidence.”

Industry response ​

The research has been shared on medRxiv​, a pre-print site that houses studies not yet certified by peer review. 

According to Zoe, the study is currently under peer review, and the abstract was peer-reviewed prior to its presentation at the recent Nutrition Society Congress held in Belfast earlier this month.

The company is discussing the results of the study in a range of newspapers, magazines and other media outlets, as well as on Zoe’s website, however this approach has drawn some criticism from industry stakeholders, who told us it’s not good practice of a company to publicise and use the findings for marketing before publication of the final peer-reviewed paper. 

Dr. Miguel Toribio-Mateas, a clinical nutritionist and microbiome researcher, explained why companies shouldn’t make a big splash about non-peer reviewed studies: “The findings haven't been validated by the wider scientific community, which could lead to misinterpretation and overestimation of the product's efficacy."

He noted this scenario highlights a broader issue in the supplement industry - the accessibility of resources necessary to conduct high-quality studies.

Dr. Toribio-Mateas also noted the potential conflict of interest in having the company fund it and employ some of the researchers involved (for example, Prof Tim Spector is co-founder of Zoe and also has a position of power at Kings College London, the sponsor of the study).

“This duality can unfairly advantage the marketing of his company’s products over other supplement brands that may not have the same level of academic backing or resources, skewing public perception and trust,” stated Dr. Toribio-Mateas.  

“While Zoe’s RCT is commendable, it doesn't imply their product is superior to others that haven't undergone the same rigorous testing - it merely reflects the disparity in available resources.”

Dr. Toribio-Mateas took to his substack blog ‘The Creative Scientist’​ to delve into the issues with the launch and study.

“I fear the general public will start believing a food combination is not worth consuming unless tested in an RCT,” he wrote. “This also risks promoting a mindset where people rely solely on scientific validation over their own intuition and mindful eating habits.”

Simiarly, nutritionist Claire Baseley discussed her concerns via LinkedIn, explaining that the marketing is misleading because the claims are not authorized for use in commercial communications. 

Speaking to NutraIngredients she stated: “Even if citing published studies - peer-reviewed or otherwise - the claims may only be those published on the GB authorized register of health claims or be approved nutrition claims and must meet all the necessary conditions of use, yet many of the claims being used regarding this product are not on the authorized register and are therefore not permitted.”

And Jeanette Hyde, nutritional therapist and author noted her criticisms of the study via her ‘The Gut Makeover’ blog​, drawing attention to choice of control in the RCT. 

“Zoe says there is a randomised controlled trial to underpin its supplement based on comparing use of it with another group eating croutons!

“Surely a group eating real fruit and veg etc would have been more useful a comparison for customers and nutritional therapists like me to judge the true value or not of the 30+ supplement?”

Source: medRxiv​
https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.02.24309816​ 
"A diverse high-fibre plant-based dietary intervention improves gut microbiome composition, gut symptoms, energy and hunger in healthy adults: a randomised controlled trial"
Authors: A.C. Creedon, et al.