Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company strengthens sports nutrition positioning for BioPQQ
The company highlighted its efforts to aid BioPQQ in penetrating the sports nutrition market deeper. In the spring, it received anti-doping accreditation from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). In August, it received certification from Informed-Choice’s Informed-Sport program.
BioPQQ is a salt similar to B-vitamins. In fact, Shoji Matsukawa, general manager at Mitsubishi Gas Chemical America, said that there is some talk in the academic space that it should be considered its own vitamin, though this view is not widely accepted.
But the body of research backing BioPQQ’s cognitive effects is backed by 30 years of research, he told us at the recent SupplySide West 2018 expo in Las Vegas. “It’s a safe and effective Japanese-made brain supplement that has been proven to boost nerve growth factor and create new mitochondria,” he said.
For the athletic set, “because mitochondria are key components for producing energy, BioPQQ can help athletes boost their energy levels naturally and without caffeine,” he added.
No clinical trials have been published yet specifically looking at BioPQQ’s effects in athletic individuals after a bout of exercise, but Matsukawa said that several are ongoing.
Standing out in the crowd
Between 40 and 100 percent of athletes typically use supplements, depending on the type of sport and level of competition, he said, citing a March 2018 study published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
“Generally, these supplements are classified as a subcategory of food, so manufacturers are not required to provide evidence of product safety and efficacy, nor obtain approval from regulatory bodies before marketing their supplements to the consumer,” Matsukawa argued.
“However, that’s not the case with BioPQQ. This all-natural nutritional ingredient has been through rigorous testing and has received certifications from Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice, ensuring that BioPQQ has been manufactured to high-quality standards and tested for substances listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency list of banned substances.
With consumers generally skeptical of sports supplements, the Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice certifications gives athletes the reassurance that BioPQQ is safe to use for athletic competition.”
In addition to the certifications, the company is also aiming straight to consumers (as opposed to supplement manufacturers) by adding more sporty and athletic visuals to its BioPQQ marketing websites and refreshed its social media presence.
“With so many supplements on the market making unsubstantiated claims, it’s important for consumers to know that BioPQQ is the only supplement of its kind to have an NDI with the FDA, and GRAS status, which enables it to be included as a food ingredient. It also is the most clinically tested and studied supplement of its kind.”
Interested in Sports Nutrition?
The inaugural NutraIngredients-USA Sports Nutrition Summit, in association with the International Society of Sports Nutrition, will bring together leading scientists, brands and retailers, market analysts, and innovators in a unique, market-leading face-to-face event.
The key themes of this event include:
- The “size of the prize”
- The power and importance of social media
- Positioning and differentiation
- Sports nutrition and the military - product use survey data and enhancing the performance of Warfighters
- The State of the Science: Sports, fitness and exercise Nutrition
- Sports Nutrition products and Elite Athletes
- Alphabet soup: Everything brands need to know about GMPs, NDIs, AERs, DASCA, SARMs…
- Bacterial boosts – The microbiome and sports
- Personalization and the digital revolution
- Nootropics & sports nutrition
