Market Updates, Products & Ingredients

American River Nutrition Affirms GRAS Status of Geranylgeraniol Ingredient

A safety dossier from an independent panel of experts affirms GG-Gold’s safety in foods and beverages.

Ingredient supplier American River Nutrition announced that it has achieved a self-confirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for its ingredient, GG-Gold. This status was obtained through an independent panel of qualified experts, convened by the scientific and regulatory consulting firm AIBMR Life Sciences. A review of the ingredient included an analysis of the manufacturing process, nutritional profile, and a critical evaluation of the published research studies and toxicological data on GG-Gold.
 
GG-Gold is the first ingredient of its kind in the marketplace, containing Geranylgeraniol (GG), and is available to use at servings of up to 250 mg in nutrition bars, sports drinks, powders, and chocolate. GG is an endogenous and plant-based nutrient responsible in plants for the synthesis of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and vitamins E and K.
 
In humans, GG is involved in the synthesis of vitamin K2 in the form of MK-4, as well as skeletal and muscle proteins. Researchers theorize that the age-related decrease in GG observed in people may be related to a similar age-related decline in the nutrient CoQ10, American River Nutrition said. This correlation is also observed in the use of statins, which are known to decimate both CoQ10 and GG levels in the body.
 
GG-Gold, as a novel ingredient extracted from the annatto plant, is able to bring supplements to areas previously unaddressed by other products, American River Nutrition said. “GG-Gold rides on our best-in-class tocotrienol product, DeltaGold, as both are derived from the annatto plant,” Dr. Barrie Tan, founder and president of American River Nutrition, said. “American River Nutrition is the first company in the world to produce the critical GG nutrient commercially, which we manufacture in our state-of-the-art facility in Massachusetts. The self-affirmed GRAS establishes the safety of this truly remarkable compound unassumingly utilized by our body to produce the CoQ10 and MK-4 consumers so heartily embrace.”
 
Tan described GG-Gold as the “ultimate statin companion,” filling in to address the drug-induced nutritional deficiencies alongside CoQ10, which is currently the third most-consumed supplement category. CoQ10 only addresses part of statin side effects, whereas statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) occur in 10-20% of statin users, which is related to the loss of the GG molecule. Tan sees GG-Gold as a significant innovation for a standalone product, or in combination with other cardiovascular nutrients such as CoQ10.
 
“Considering the essential nature of this compound, we see the application of GG-Gold in a broad array of healthy aging protocols, including utilization in functional foods and beverages,” Tan said. “We have engaged and plan to continue research in the cardiovascular health and anti-aging platforms, and are exceedingly excited about GG because we are speaking the ‘nutrient language’ of the body to invigorate health.”

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