What are the benefits of sodium hyaluronate?

What are the benefits of sodium hyaluronate powder?

On January 7, 2021, China's National Health Commission issued a "three new food" announcement, approving sodium hyaluronate as a "new food raw material" that can be used in ordinary food. This means that sodium hyaluronate (that is, hyaluronic acid), which has always been well-known in the fields of skin care and medical beauty, can be used not only in health food, but also as a food raw material in ordinary food, such as beverages, alcohol, candy, etc. , the hyaluronic acid industry ushered in new development.

What is sodium hyaluronate acid powder?

Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt form of hyaluronic acid, and the water solubility of hyaluronic acid can be improved by this ionic form, which is beneficial to the application in the food industry. Hyaluronic acid (HA), also known as hyaluronic acid, is a substance that the human body can synthesize itself, and its essence is a macromolecular polysaccharide. It is widely distributed in the body of humans and animals, such as the vitreous body, joints, skin, umbilical cord and other parts.

Although hyaluronic acid itself is a component of the human body, with the increase of age, the synthesis of hyaluronic acid will gradually decrease, and the content of hyaluronic acid in the human body will gradually decrease. The content is set at 100%, and at the age of 30, 50 and 60, it will drop to 65%, 45% and 25% respectively, resulting in skin aging, joint sclerosis, vertigo and other problems, so exogenous supplementation is required.

At present, hyaluronic acid has been widely used in clinical medicine, cosmetology, etc., but everyone is still relatively unfamiliar with its application in the field of food. In fact, health foods or foods containing sodium hyaluronate are very common abroad, such as Japan, South Korea, the United States, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, etc. have allowed sodium hyaluronate and its main ingredients to be added to food. or dietary supplements. In my country, sodium hyaluronate has been approved as a new resource food (ie, new food raw material) twice.

The first approval was in May 2008. The Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China approved sodium hyaluronate as a new resource food.

The second approval was in January 2021, and this approval mainly expanded the use of sodium hyaluronate. Based on the approved use in other countries and international organizations, in the "Announcement on 15 "Three New Foods" such as Cicada Flower Fruiting Body (Artificial Cultivation) issued on January 7, 2021 (Announcement No. 9 of 2020) , the National Health Commission once again approved sodium hyaluronate as a new food raw material, and announced that the expanded use of sodium hyaluronate is:

Milk and dairy products (0.2 g/kg);

Beverages (2.0 g/kg for liquid beverages ≤ 50 mL, 0.20 g/kg for 51-500 mL packages, solid beverages are converted according to the volume of liquid after reconstitution);

Alcohol (1.0 g/kg);

Cocoa products, chocolate and chocolate products (including cocoa butter substitute chocolate and products) and confectionery (3.0 g/kg);

Frozen drinks (2.0 g/kg).

The announcement document also pointed out that infants, pregnant women and lactating women are not suitable for consumption. The labels and instructions of relevant products should clearly indicate the unsuitable groups, and indicate that the recommended consumption is ≤200 mg/day.

Does oral sodium hyaluronate powder work?

Many researchers have studied the degradation and absorption of oral hyaluronic acid in the human body. Studies have found that after oral administration of hyaluronic acid, large molecular weight hyaluronic acid can be degraded by microorganisms in the gut into substances with smaller molecular weights, which are then absorbed and further transferred to the blood or lymph to supply to the required parts of the body. In addition, under the action of synthetic enzymes in the body, the decomposed substances can re-synthesize macromolecular hyaluronic acid, which increases the content of hyaluronic acid in the skin and other tissues of the human body, thereby exerting its function.

After the human body ingests hyaluronic acid, it can improve the physiological properties of the skin. Moisturizing is the most important role of hyaluronic acid, which can hydrate and soften the stratum corneum of the skin, thereby making the skin soft and smooth. Hyaluronic acid also helps the skin absorb nutrients and promote skin tissue metabolism, thereby preventing skin aging and playing a certain anti-wrinkle effect. In addition, hyaluronic acid is also the main component of articular cartilage and synovial fluid. Taking hyaluronic acid can also effectively relieve osteoarthritis and protect the joint function of the human body.

Application of sodium hyaluronate acid powder in health food

As mentioned earlier, China has approved sodium hyaluronate as a new resource food in 2008, and the scope of use is a health food raw material. After that, a variety of health food products containing sodium hyaluronate in the formula have emerged.

As of November 16, 2021, there are 29 approved health food products containing sodium hyaluronate, as shown in the figure below. The health functions mainly focus on improving skin moisture and increasing bone density.

The dosage forms of approved health food are concentrated in powder/granule, tablet, capsule and oral liquid. Among them, powder/granule products have the largest number of approvals.

Sodium hyaluronate often does not appear as a single health food raw material, but is usually compounded with other raw materials. In products whose health care function is to improve skin moisture, the raw materials commonly used in combination with sodium hyaluronate include collagen, vitamin C, etc.; in products whose health care function is to enhance bone density, it is often used in The raw materials are chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine hydrochloride/sulfate, calcium carbonate, etc.