The Blog of Dato' Dr Anuar Md Nor

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In a recent blog, we reported that Bill Gates invested in a company, C16 Biosciences Inc.,that plans to produce palm oil using fermentation process.  The company aims to reduce the need to reduce the impact on clearing tropical forests to plant oil palms.

It is reported by The Times, London on June 24^th, 2020, that Bill Gates has made an investment in a new venture that aims to solve another global problem. He has put his money in a start-up hopes to develop artificial breast milk to reduce the carbon footprint of mothers who choose not to breastfeed.

Estimates suggest that at least 10 per cent of the world dairy market, a major source of greenhouse gases, is used to produce baby formula milk. The company, Biomilq, an American company, has provided a proof of concept top show the feasibility of its plan. It hopes to produce breast milk artificially from cultured human  mammary epithelial cells in about five years (mammary epithelial cells are cells in the thin layer of of tissue that coat and lines the surface of the milk ducts in the breast)

This would be an alternative to formula milk. The firm has already shown that the process can produce lactose and casein, to components of human breast milk. Biomilq is being assisted by an investment of US$3.5 million, mostly from a fund set up by Bill Gates. The idea of growing breast milk in a laboratory is likely to be less alien to the public after the popularity of lab-grown meat.

Biomilq was founded by Michelle Egger and Leila Strickland. Ms Egger was a food scientist, while Ms Strickland was a cell biologist.

Breast feeding is widely touted for its health benefits for babies but many mothers do not have that option. Formula milk is the normal alternative for these mothers. This can cause problems, however, for some children’s digestive systems because it relies on cow’s milk or soy rather than human proteins. Biomilq aims to create something that is as digestible as human breast milk but have a smaller environmental impact than dairy.

The investment by Bill Gates into Biomilq was made through Breakthrough Energy Ventures, set up to focus on climate change. 

About Breakthrough Energy Ventures

According to Quartz, the digital business news website (www.qz.com, noted by its senior reporter,  Ashkat Rathi on August 26, 2019, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) is a US$1 billion fund with the aims to fund those technologies that fight climate change.

To be eligible for BEV, a start-up needs to showcase a scientifically sound technology that has the potential to reduce annual global greenhouse-gas emission by at least 500 million MT. Global emissions currently measure about 40 billion MT per year.

Start-up that have these technologies usually struggle to scale, either because the engineering challenge is too big or the business environment to support the companies doesn’t exist. These companies need patient capital. BEV is fine if its investments don’t provide a return for up to 20 years. In September, 2018, Quartz revealed the first nine investments made by BEV. It included three start-ups building energy-storage technologies, two using microbes to cut emissions in agriculture products, and one each working on low-carbon cement, cheap geothermal, nuclear fusion, and a solar-powered technology to collect water from the air. Eight were based in the US and one in Canada.    

In the 12 months since the last tranche, of investments, BEV has found 10 more companies that it thinks could help the world cut emissions drastically.

1. Arnergy: A Nigerian start-up  that deploys solar-power solutions for small businesses to provide reliable electricity.
2. Baseload Capital: A specialized investment entity  based in Sweden that funds the deployment of technology developed by start-up Climeon, which uses waste heat to generate power.
3. Boston Metal: A company based in Boston, US, that uses electricity, instead of coke, to convert iron ore into iron.  
4. Kobold Metals: A company based in San Francisco, US, that uses artificial intelligence to accelerate the search from ethical sources of the metals, like Cobalt, needed to make lithium-ion batteries.
5. Max: A Nigerian ride-sharing app that deploys two-wheeled motorcycles to move people in cities more safely. BEV’s money will help lower emissions by pushing for the electrician of Max’s vehicle fleet.
6. Malta: A Boston-based start-up that has developed a way to store renewable electricity renewable energy in the form of heat and cold.
7. Motif: A  Boston-based start-up that develops low-carbon alternatives for everyday food ingredients.
8. Sierra Energy: A start-up spun out of University of California, Davis, US, that uses oxygen and steam to break down waste into gases, which can be used to make synthetic fuel. The process leaves behind solid sorb metals that can be safely discarded or re-used
9. SparkMeter: A US-based start-up with a Kenyan office that develops smart meters to grow reliable access to electricity in poor countries.
10. Sustainable Bioproducts: A Chicago-based start-up whose fermentation technology creates low-carbon proteins that can be used as nutrients for foods.

Breakthrough Energy Venture is the investment arm of Breakthrough Venture, an entity established in 2015 by Bill Gates and a coalition of private investors concerned about the impact of accelerating climate change (www.b-t.energy). The board member s and investors include prominent individuals such as follows:

1. Mukesh Ambani: Investor
2. John Arnold: Board member
3. Jeff Bezos: Investor
4. HRH Prince Alwaleed Talal: Investor
5.  Michael Bloomberg: Investor
6. Richard Branson: Investor
7. Ray Dalio: Investor
8. John Doerr: Board member
9. Bill Gates: Chair of the Board
10. Reid Hoffman: Investor
11. Chris Hohn: Investor
12. Vinod Khosla: Board member
13. Jack Ma: Board member
14. Dustin Maskovitz and Cari Tuna: Investor
15. Patrice Motsepe: Investor
16. Xavier Niel: Investor
17. Hasso Palttner: Investor
18. Julian Robertson: Investor
19. David Rubenstein: Investor
20. Nat Simons and Laura Baxter- Simons: Investor
21. Masayoshi Son: Investor
22. Ms Zhang Xin and Mr Pan Shiyi: Investor    

Last week my wife related to me that a not-so-old gentleman was asking for vitamin C in our local pharmacy. The pharmacist told him that the stocks of vitamin pills have run out. She added that the stocks she ordered was also not sure when they would be delivered.  

Last weekend, my university, Azman Hashim International School of Business cancelled face-to-face classes. I need to teach my DBA students via online method using Skype.

Everyone knows the culprit is Covid-19.

I noted an article by Peta Bee in the Health Section of The Times London today. She interviewed an expert on immunology, Dr Jenna Macciochi, and a lecturer at the University of Sussex.  The following is an extract of the interview.     

If Dr Jenna Macciochi’s behaviour is a barometer of how wary we should be about the immediate threat of coronavirus, it is reassuring that we meet in a busy café and she greets me warmly — although not quite with a shake of hands.

Beyond that, her guard is clearly raised. She says that she has travelled by train from Brighton, a journey she would rather not have made, and that she is mindful of every situation in which she finds herself interacting with others. “I am taking great care not to go anywhere unnecessarily,” she says. “I’m being extremely careful and it goes without saying that I’m stringent about washing my hands.”

If we listen to anyone about the pandemic, perhaps it should be Macciochi. She has an impressive scientific CV; a lecturer in immunology at the University of Sussex, she previously worked at Imperial College London and is a contributing editor of scientific journals including the Annals of Advanced Biomedical Sciences. Her new book, Immunity — The Science of Staying Well, delves into everything related to our immune system and what we need to do to protect ourselves against infection. Its publication is timely — not even she predicted a pandemic of these proportions coming.

“Once real fear was raised in China, it was a case of gathering data and watching it evolve,” she says. “But it’s a brand new virus, and while we can look to others from the same family for clues, ultimately we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Macciochi, 38, and the mother of five-year-old twins, says that she has abandoned arrangements to visit her parents, both in their seventies, out of a desire to protect them. “There’s a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, I’ll be fine,’ because they are relatively healthy and might get only mild symptoms anyway,” she says. “But we seem to be missing the fact that it’s the vulnerable people we need to protect and the transition we need to contain.”

How we do that does not come in the form of a manual. Macciochi is reluctant to suggest that we can “boost” our immune systems through healthy living — “it’s a phrase that is too often misused by the wellness industry” — but says that we can raise our personal protection in many ways. Here she tackles the big questions about protecting ourselves from coronavirus.

I never get colds, so won’t I be OK?
“We are genetically and immunologically unique. But that is by design because if we were all immunologically identical, we would react to the same infection in the same way and our species would die out. Even members of the same family react differently to different immune system threats. But while some people do claim never to get cold and flu-like infections and may think that they will avoid coronavirus too, the reality is we are just more susceptible to some types of infection and more resilient to others. There’s no hierarchy to this and none of us is invincible to everything.”

Will taking vitamins help?
“When thinking about protecting themselves against infection, most people believe that taking vitamin C, in supplement form, will be helpful. It’s certainly true that vitamin C plays a key role in immunity and that a deficiency of it can lead to a higher susceptibility of a cold or virus.

“If you eat fruit and vegetables, vitamin C is practically unavoidable in the diet. Taking more — in doses of 1-2g daily — has not been proven to ward off infections, but it might be helpful in reducing the severity and duration of them.

“When we are ill our immune cells need almost double the amount of vitamin C they normally do to fight an infection, so consuming more of it could be beneficial in marginally reducing the length of time you are suffering by around 8 per cent in adults and 14 per cent in children, on average.

“If you do a lot of exercise, it’s worth taking as vitamin C appears to have stronger effects on people who train hard. In Finnish studies on marathon runners and skiers, vitamin C supplementation almost halved the duration of a cold, but had little effect on the sedentary participants.

“Do be aware that high intakes of vitamin C can cause gastrointestinal upset in some people and that, even if you do take it, it will not make you invincible.”

Will being fighting fit help?
“Physical activity is one of the best ways to prime and even rejuvenate immunity. A recent British study of male and female long-term cyclists aged 55 to 79 found that, when compared with those of twentysomething sedentary people, the older cyclists’ immune systems were far superior.

“Keeping your muscles active releases high levels of a specific chemical called interleukin 7 (IL-7) into the blood and that helps to prevent shrinking of a gland of great importance to immunity. The thymus gland, situated in front of the heart and behind the sternum, is responsible for producing new T cells, the master controllers of the immune system.

“It starts diminishing in size from our twenties, a process called thymus involution, but regular exercise halts this, keeping the thymus gland in healthy shape. Resistance training — lifting weights or your own body weight through press-ups, lunges and the like — is particularly beneficial in prompting the release of IL-7. But just moving throughout the day — getting up from your desk, walking at lunchtime — is more effective than sitting all day and doing a HIIT class after work.”

But shouldn’t I be avoiding the gym?
“Gyms tend to pack a lot of people into a confined space, probably not the best environment to seek out during the coronavirus pandemic. If you do go, take sensible precautions such as washing your hands often before and after a workout, wiping equipment with sanitisers and avoiding people who are sniffling or coughing. Your best bet is to exercise outdoors, running, walking or cycling alone or in small groups.

“If you usually train intensely, by all means keep it up. Your body and immunity adapt to training loads and it’s only if you increase your exercise steeply that it can start to suppress the immune system. Exercise is a form of stress to the body and will produce some immune dampening responses if you go at it too hard.

“It used to be thought that there was a window following prolonged endurance activity in which immunity was compromised as immune cells disappeared, making people more susceptible to infection. Science has since shown that this is not the case and that immune cells are just diverted to where they are needed most after hard workouts. But sensible precautions are recommended — don’t push too far or too hard and stay warm and dry when you finish.”

Is it OK to keep drinking alcohol?
“There are no benefits to drinking alcohol in terms of immunity and it may actually harm our defences. One reason for this is the effect it has on our sleep, which may be poorer in quality after a few glasses of wine. Since sleep disruption is known to raise the risk of catching a cold or the flu, it stands to reason that your susceptibility to any virus might be increased.

“Alcohol also affects the gut microbiome with hard spirits (including gin) particularly harmful when it comes to decreasing gut bacteria that benefit our immunity. A weekend of heavy drinking can affect the function of immune-regulating organs like the liver and explains why people tend to fall ill after partying. It’s best avoided at this time.”

Are zinc supplements worth a shot?
“Zinc is an essential mineral that’s needed by every cell in the body and is vital for normal development and function of cells that are involved in immunity. It’s not stored in our bodies, so a regular intake is vital — men need 5.5-6.5mg a day and women 4-7mg and you find it in a range of foods, including meat, milk, eggs, fish, chickpeas, baked beans, pumpkin seeds, dried figs and Brazil nuts.

“Whether it’s worth taking a supplement is debatable, but there is some evidence that zinc lozenges do help to prevent winter infections in children, and test-tube trials have shown that it seems to stop viruses getting into cells and improves the power of immune cells to fight infection, although there’s no confirmation they are helpful to adults in real-life circumstances. If you do take extra zinc, take a lozenge for the short term. Prolonged use of more than six weeks can cause an irritated digestive tract.”

Does eating organic food make a difference?
“Gut health is a big trend and your microbiota can have a powerful effect on your immunity. But too many people think that turning to probiotics or kefir is the way to go. What they should be doing is fertilising the gut bugs they already have with a diet rich in fibre and containing a diverse range of fruit, wholegrains and vegetables.

“A lot of soil microbes have been shown to help our immune system, so consuming fresh produce as soon after it has been picked as possible is the best bet. There’s some evidence that organic produce or that picked from an allotment, which might still have a bit of dirt on it, is superior for the microbiome. Ultimately, though, just increasing how many fruit and veg you eat is the best step you can take.”

Should I just stop worrying about coronavirus?
“Worrying definitely makes us more susceptible to infection, and stress has a known dampening effect on our immunity. I’ve been contacted by so many people in recent days who are concerned about the spread of the virus, and the best thing we can do is to take a step back and remove some of the pressure.

“We can’t make ourselves invincible, but we can reduce the effects of stress and in doing so raise our levels of protection. Carving time out of our day to change our routine slightly is essential at the moment. Small and regular practice of things like meditation can be really helpful, but so can walking outdoors, which introduces our brains to a wider vista and removes the focus on work and coronavirus. Try yoga, t’ai chi or reading — any steps that you find help to relax your mind.”

Will the threat of coronavirus improve with the weather?
“Weather and the climate could play a part in coronavirus, but the truth is we can’t be sure. We know that some viruses, influenza for example, prefer cooler climates and can survive longer on a cold surface, which is why it strikes more often in winter. Only time will tell if the threat of coronavirus eases as we move through the seasons.”

Will herd immunity help?
“The theory behind herd immunity, one of the strategies discussed by the government, is that a population becomes resistant to an infection because enough people have developed a resistance to it either through having the disease or because they’ve had a vaccination against it. It’s sort of a community immunity that makes it harder for something to spread.

“But we are nowhere near that point with coronavirus — it’s a brand new virus and nobody yet has immunity from it except perhaps those who have had it and survived. At the moment the only way not to get infected is to isolate yourself and distance yourself from people who may already have it.”

How do immunosuppressive drugs affect coronavirus?
“People taking this kind of medication for existing health problems are definitely more susceptible to contracting a virus because their immunity is compromised, although they would still need to come into contact with an infected person. So far, there aren’t many case studies to go on, but it could be that Covid-19 may look different and have different implications for someone taking immunosuppressive medication.

Since it is the immune system that produces symptoms of a virus like coughing and a fever, these people might not initially present with symptoms as severe as other people. But long-term there could be extra risk of complications from the virus if they are infected. Without a normal capacity to mount an immune response, it could mean the virus directly damages the delicate lung cells, something that is not reversible. The advice is to not stop taking medications unless instructed by your healthcare provider to do so, and if self-isolating to ensure you have plenty of your prescription.”

Can you get it and not know?
“One of the concerning things about coronavirus is that some people have tested positive having had no symptoms at all. They may be spreading the virus without realising it which is what makes it particularly scary.”

Immunity: The Science of Staying Well by Dr Jenna Macciochi (Thorsons, £14.99)

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Cognitive health is a vital part of healthy living and quality of life. Cognition includes the ability to learn new things, intuition, judgment, language and remembering. Cognitive health has remained a major health issue globally. Over the years, people have employed the use of traditional herds and medicines which contains therapeutic compounds that help curb diseases and ailments ranging from headaches and migraines to more condition-specific disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

CoQ10 and omega-3 fatty acids are being used in human nutritional applications to support brain or cognitive health. Vitamin E, rosemary, ginseng and ginkgo biloba are used in maintaining general brain health. New cognitive health ingredients are also being introduced and gaining popularity.

Aging population and increasing prevalence of brain-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease are among the key factors that the growth of the cognitive health ingredients market. 

Dietary supplements dominate the global cognitive health market. Functional foods and beverages is still an emerging application for majority of these ingredients and offers immense future potential.

Active ingredients used in cognitive (brain) health

There are a lot of ingredients positioned for cognitive health, such as vitamins, minerals, CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, citicoline and botanical extracts. Majority of the cognitive health ingredients are also positioned for health benefits other than supporting brain health. For example, omega-3 ingredients are positioned both for cardiovascular and cognitive health. However, the positioning of omega-3 fatty acids for cognitive health is emerging due to manufacturers’ interests in catering to a different target audience. Both ginkgo biloba and ginseng extracts are primarily positioned as adaptogens (a unique group of herbal ingredients used to improve the health of  adrenal system, the system that is in charge of the body’s hormonal response to stress) to improve memory and concentration and decrease the symptoms of condition-specific mental disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. The cognitive health benefits of the major ingredients are summarized as follows:

• CoQ10:
• Improves brain function
• Antioxidant property
• Prevents migraine
• Reduces the damage caused by Parkinson’s
  disease
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Helps reduce inflammation
• Discourages atherosclerosis
• Omega-3
• Promotes heart health
• Improves immunity
• Enhances eye health
• Improves cognitive health

CoQ10 and omega-3 are the most researched and clinically established health ingredients available for use in functional foods, functional beverage, and dietary supplement industries. EPA and DHA are the most important omega-3 fatty acids with strong scientific evidence supporting their health benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with numerous health benefits. The cognitive health benefits have been accepted by consumers.   

Companies involved in cognitive (brain) health ingredient market

There are many companies involved in the cognitive health ingredient market. These include Naturex SA, Ocean Nutrition Canada, Martek Biosciences Corporation and Cargill. There is a high level of threat from product substitution in the cognitive health ingredient market. The increasing demand for health ingredients has resulted in a large number of ingredients competing for market share. The competition is keen in such segments such as fatty acids, vitamins and mineral supplements, antioxidants, botanicals and herbs.

Moreover, majority of the ingredients’ efficacy and safety, except a few, are backed by limited science. Additionally, consumers are confused by the offering of such ingredients in the market place.  

Despite these challenges, new companies are entering the cognitive health ingredient market. The global population is increasingly being affected by brain disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Continued research efforts have provided scientific backing to the benefits of cognitive health ingredients. These efforts have revealed numerous brain-related benefits of a single ingredient.      

The omega-3 ingredient market is continuously undergoing consolidation. One large acquisition exercise was made by DSM which acquired Martek Biosciences in 2010. The latter was the first company to commercialize DHA produced from sources other than fish oils.    

Global cognitive (brain) health ingredient market

According to a market research company, Sprout Intelligence, the cognitive (brain) health ingredient market was estimated to be US1,500 million in 2015. This market was growing at 7 per cent per year. .     

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In our recent consulting assignment, we conducted a market research on active ingredients used in the nutraceutical industry. In general, the nutracutical industry is segmented into digestive health, immune support, weight control, heart health, beauty from within (nutricosmetic), heart health and cognitive (brain) health.  

This article covers the active ingredients used for heart health. The following article will touch on active ingredients for cognitive (brain) health.   

Sales of heart health foods and beverages are rising rapidly. Unlike other health product such as digestive health, consumers of heart health products are not offered “instant” gratification, a visible result within a couple of months, but only a promise of a long-term health benefits. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030, almost 23.6 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases, mainly from heart disease and stroke, making heart health products a must-have and a key food and drink development area. It has taken years to build solid clinical basis for these ingredients and their ability to support heart health.   

Diet can have a considerable impact on heart health, as it is linked to diabetes, elevated blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels, the major risk factors in developing cardiovascular diseases. There are three main factors in the expansion of the health and wellness sectors, and they are:

1. Consumers are moving away from treatment
   to prevention.
2. When supplementing their diets,
   consumers tend to favour food and drinks over pills or capsules.
3. With increasing education about the role
   of functional ingredients, consumers more frequently build their diets around
   health conditions.   

The major movements towards nutraceuticals (including fortified/functional foods and beverages, and vitamins and dietary supplements), focuses on adding purportedly beneficial ingredients to a diet to achieve the specific health function claimed by the product. Nutraceuticals represent a key focal point for product innovation.    

The impact of diet on cardiovascular disease risks is shown in the table below.

Diabetes Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Weight management and reduced intakes of fat, sugar and carbohydrate foods offer easy solutions, which can lead to the maintenance of good heart health.

Hypertension The risk of elevated blood pressure and hypertension is determined by genetic background, as well as many different environmental factors, including nutrition. Excess weight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, stress and, in some individuals, a diet rich in salt may lead to increased blood pressure.

Hypercholesterolaemia Elevated blood cholesterol is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk, as it promotes plaque development in arteries, which leads to heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Reducing dietary intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, and consumption of plant sterols, beta-glucans and other ingredients can help reduce cardiovascular disease risk by lowering blood levels of LDL cholesterol, the so-called “bad cholesterol”, linked to formation of plaques.

Hyperhomocysteinaemia Elevated blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine is also a known risk factor cardiovascular disease. Inadequate intakes of folic acid and/or vitamins B12 and B6 can lead to elevated homocysteine. Homocysteine is thought to increase cardiovascular risk by reducing blood vessel dilation and contributing to blood clot formation.

Ingredients used in heart health

There are a number of nutritional ingredients positioned for heart health, which are listed below.  

Ingredient	Heart health benefits	Best fortified/functional source
Plant sterols/stanols	Average cholesterol reduction of 7-10%.	Spreadable oils and fats, yoghurts
Omega-3	Reduction of blood pressure, lowering of triglycerides,	Milk, infant formula, spreadable oils and fats, bread, yogurt.
Beta-glucans	Regular consumption of beta-glucans contributes to maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations.	Oat, barley
Dietary fibre	Reduced risk of coronary heart disease.	Bakery products and pasta
Peptides	Blood pressure lowering in hypertensive individuals.	Yoghurt
Squalene	Can reduce cholesterol	Bread and breakfast cereals
Antioxidants	Anti-inflammatory, beneficial to heart health.	Chocolate, tea, red wine and other sources. Palm fruit juice would be a new source.
Soy protein	Reported to reduce cholesterol by 3%.	Food and drinks with soy protein.

Companies involved in heart health ingredient market

There are many companies involved in the heart health nutritional ingredient market. These include Naturex SA, Ocean Nutrition Canada, Martek Biosciences Corporation and Cargill. These manufacturers also produce ingredients which are also targeted at cognitive health market. There is a high level of threat from product substitution in the heart health ingredient market. The increasing demand for heart health ingredients has resulted in a large number of ingredients competing for market share. The competition is keen in such segments such as fatty acids, vitamins and mineral supplements, antioxidants, botanicals and herbs.

Moreover, majority of the ingredients’ efficacy and safety, except a few, are backed by limited science. Additionally, consumers are confused by the offering of such ingredients in the market place. The omega-3 ingredient market is continuously undergoing consolidation. One large acquisition exercise was made by DSM which acquired Martek Biosciences in 2010. The latter was the first company to commercialize DHA produced from sources other than fish oils.    

Ingredient market for heart health

According to market research company, Bekryl.com, the ingredient market for heart health was estimated to be US17,000 million in 2019. This market is growing at 7 per cent per year and forms the largest market for ingredient in the nutraceutical industry.