Many horticultural plants have been used for food, fiber, biofuel, medicine, and other products to sustain and enhance human life. As a species of the family Grossulariaceae, blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) and redcurrants (Ribes rubrum) are a rich source of bioactive metabolites and flavor compounds, including sugars, acids, and phenolic compounds.1,2 Some of these compounds have significant physiological effects on various areas of human health and wellness, including as a beauty from within ingredient.

In 2021, U.S. sales of beauty and personal care products exceeded $85 billion. Just as impressive is that Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) data indicated that sales in the beauty from within category of supplements reached $1.2 billion with a projection of growth to $1.6 billion by 2023.3

MitoHeal® extract is a combination of redcurrant and blackcurrant, which makes it a unique ingredient on the market. While there are other ordinary blackcurrant materials on the market, none contain the redcurrant varieties which, in combination with the blackcurrant, provide an extensive range of beneficial compounds. In particular, the additional antioxidant protection offered by redcurrant has been noted in the literature.4

Research has demonstrated that the primary focus of MitoHeal®’s redcurrants and blackcurrants, including the compounds they naturally provide, is that they are capable of improving skin, hair, and nail quality.5 There is additional research that shows supplementation with these currants provides, cognitive benefits6, visual benefits (dark adaptation and visual fatigue)7, benefits for exercise-induced oxidative stress8, and oxidative stress and vascular health.9

The Research

Redcurrants and blackcurrants, including the compounds they naturally provide, can offer a variety of human health and wellness benefits, with a focus on Beauty from Within. A study on MitoHeal® was conducted at Jacksonville University Center for Health and Human Performance. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study dermatologist ratings of professional photos and self-report assessments were used to measure effectiveness. Compared to the placebo, results showed that for the photographic assessments, significant mean score improvements in wrinkle severity, skin coarseness, brown spots, and hair and nail quality were found for the MitoHeal® groups. Participants in the MitoHeal® groups reported feeling more beautiful, confident, younger, and having more vitality. Participants in the MitoHeal® groups also reported significant improvements in their skin, hair, and nail satisfaction compared to the placebo group. 10

Conclusion

The combination of non-GMO redcurrants and blackcurrants found in MitoHeal® are traceable from farm to finished powder and prepared via a proprietary clean water extraction process without any harsh environmentally unfriendly solvents. In addition to anthocyanins, MitoHeal® also contains a significant number of other valuable compounds including nitrile alkaloids, indole alkaloids, flavonols, cinnamic acid derivatives, and others. This diversity of compounds in MitoHeal® is important since compounds other than anthocyanins appear to be responsible for some of the health benefits offered by these currants. These benefits include physical improvements in the skin (reduced wrinkles, skin coarseness, and brown spots), hair, and nail quality, and feelings of overall well-being (beauty, confidence, and vitality).

If you would like to see a copy of the full MitoHeal Beauty from Within White Paper, email us here.

References:

  1. Tian Y, Laaksonen O, Haikonen H, et al. Compositional Diversity among Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) Cultivars Originating from European Coun-tries J. Agric. Food Chem. 2019, 67, 5621−5633
  2. Laczkó-Zöld E, Komlósi A, Ülkei T, et al. Extractability of polyphenols from black currant, red currant and gooseberry and their antioxidant activity. Acta Biol Hung. 2018 Jun;69(2):156-169.
  3. Roberts R. 2021 Beauty Industry Trends & Cosmetics Marketing: Statistics and Strategies for Your Ecommerce Growth. Common Thread Collective. Sep. 28 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021 from https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/beauty-industry-cosmetics-marketing-ecommerce
  4. 8.Puganen A, Kallio HP, Schaich KM, et al. Red/Green Currant and Sea Buckthorn Berry Press Residues as Potential Sources of Antioxidants for Food Use. J Agric Food Chem. 2018 Apr 4;66(13):3426-3434.
  5. Hausenblas HA, Winters C, Hooper S. Efficacy of MitoHeal® Supplementation on Adults’ Skin, Hair, and Nail Quality: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2022. doi:10.1111/ced.15371
  6. Watson AW, Haskel-Ramsay CR, Kennedy DO, et al. Acute supplementation with blackcurrant extracts modulates cognitive functioning and inhibits monoamine oxidase-B in healthy young adults. J Funct Foods. 2015; 17: 524-539.
  7. Nakaishi H, Matsumoto H, Tominaga S, Hirayama M. Effects of Black Currant Anthocyanoside Intake on Dark Adaptation and VDT Work-in-duced Transient Refractive Alteration in Healthy Humans. Altern Med Rev 2000;5(6):553-562.
  8. Lyall KA, Hurst SM, Conney J, et al. Short-term blackcurrant extract consumption modulates exercise-induced oxidative stress and lipopolysac-charide-stimulated inflammatory responses. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2009 Jul;297(1):R70-81.
  9. Khan F, Ray S, Craigie AM, et al. Lowering of oxidative stress improves endothelial function in healthy subjects with habitually low intake of fruit and vegetables: a randomized controlled trial of antioxidant- and polyphenol-rich blackcurrant juice. Free Radic Biol Med. 2014 Jul;72:232-7.
  10. Hausenblas HA, Winters C, Hooper S. Efficacy of MitoHeal® Supplementation on Adults’ Skin, Hair, and Nail Quality: A Randomized Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology. 2022. doi:10.1111/ced.15371