A super-strength broccoli soup by UK company SmarterNaturally has been named ingredient of the year for healthy ageing by NutraIngredients, a set of annual awards which celebrate the best ingredients, finished products, companies, people, and initiatives in the nutrition and dietary industry.
SmarterNaturally soup uses a super strength broccoli in a bid to turn back the clock on our ageing metabolisms, since a healthier metabolism is associated with better health and a lower risk of many different age-related diseases. This new, unique variety of broccoli is called GRextra and is grown in the UK.
GRextra is a unique strain of broccoli containing very high levels of glucoraphanin (five times more than standard broccoli varieties). Glucoraphanin is a naturally occurring nutrient that can help keep the metabolism working more efficiently as we age by activating natural antioxidant-producing pathways in our cells.
The soup has been developed by scientists at the Quadrum Institute, a centre for food and health research that combines the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’ endoscopy centre and the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School.
SmarterNaturally launched the delicious ‘Super-Soup’ last year. It has been described as a ‘game-changer’ for the many patients at risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Most pre-diabetics are simply told to change their diet and take more exercise, but figures show that compliance is low and that 20 per cent go on to develop full blown diabetes within five years.
SmarterNaturally CEO Laura Knight said: “SmarterNaturally is a spin-out company from the Quadram Institute (one of the UK’s leading food and health research organisations) and our GRextra broccoli is backed by strong, highly credible published research. We are translating that good quality, publicly-funded British scientific research into an ingredient and consumer products that have the potential to help many individuals age more positively, help prevent age-related disease and decline and alleviate pressure on our over stretched healthcare systems, not only in the UK but globally.
“We are proud that NutraIngredients Awards has recognised SmarterNaturally Soup because it is the first product containing GRextra broccoli powder, and it offers a completely new approach for people wanting to slow or reverse the harmful effects of ageing and live longer, healthier lives.
“This new science has the potential to provide critical support to the growing older community, with strong and growing evidence that glucoraphanin could help reduce the risk of a huge range of age-related health conditions – such as diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease and even cancer – as well as supporting people’s wellness and quality of life as they age through improved energy levels, sleep and muscle function. We are extremely excited about the possibilities that this new ingredient could unlock, and it’s our commitment to improving the ageing process in a real, evidence-based yet wholesome way that deserves the honour of this award.”
