Special edition: Cognitive health
Citicoline
One of the leading brands in the cognitive health sector is Nawgan (above), a brain health product formulated by Rob Paul, PhD, and available in numerous retail outlets. The product’s main ingredient is Kyowa Hakko’s Cognizin-branded citicoline ingredient.
Karen Todd, RD, director of marketing for Kyowa Hakko USA explained that Cognizin is the first and only form of citicoline that has been tested on healthy individuals.
“We initially targeted the adult and mature market addressing the issues of energy, attention and memory,” she said. “Overall, we have been able to see a strong correlation with our science and the needs/wants of consumers. We are extremely pleased with the clinical outcomes and will continue to strengthen our scientific support.”
Todd added that the company has expanded its studies to include healthy adolescents, and recently presented at the annual American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology conference in Hollywood, FL. “This new randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled human clinical trial found that adolescents experienced increased motor speed and attention after supplementation of Cognizin,” she said.
The ingredient is sole throughout the US and Canada as a dietary ingredient for use in dietary supplements and functional foods and beverages.
“We actually manufacturer both the citicoline sodium (for drug use ) and the citicoline free base (Cognizin in our branded form of Citicoline), but only sell Cognizin within the United States and Canada because an IND (investigational new drug) filed for Citicoline Sodium in the mid-1990’s precludes its use as a dietary or food ingredient because it was not marketed as a dietary or food ingredient prior to the IND and the initiation of clinical trials in the United States,” said Todd.
Cognizin is a grandfathered dietary ingredient and is the only form that is allowed as a dietary ingredient for use in dietary supplements or as a food ingredient in the US, she added. The ingredient obtained self-affirmed GRAS status in 2009, and the company recently obtained Novel Food approval in Europe.
