My Malaysian trip was incredible. What an amazing experience to give a formal marketing presentation to the professionals who create these health-promoting ingredients.
For those just catching up, I was asked to speak at the 2nd annual Palm International Nutra-Cosmeceutical Conference (PINC 2011), “Bioactives for a Healthy Lifestyle” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was attended by hundreds of researchers, ingredient technology manufacturers and marketers. These were the who’s who in the palm fruit oil industry.
Every session was full, and the attendees stayed right through until the last Q&A, which is unusual for just about any conference.
People told me that my presentation was the perfect start to the conference between many of the scientists in attendance rarely get to see the process of seeing their research turned into rich media content.
Others thanked me for explaining that we need to do more than produce products and conduct research. They now understand that we need to build a market if we hope to sell successfully into the health and natural products segment.
Other key take-aways from PINC 2011
Anti-aging research
Professor Dato Dr. Wan Zurinah Wan Ngah, from the University of Malaysia, presented on tocotrienols and aging. This very informative session further confirmed what we know about palm tocotrienols supporting healthy skin at the cellular level.
The human studies are always my favorite, and hers is the type of research that cosmetic companies need to hear. I liked how she said that (anti-aging) begins with a good diet. You need to reduce your risk factors. And if you are 35+, don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, and are under lots of stress, you must supplement. Who is NOT under stress today? Who doesn’t want to age more slowly?
Anti-cancer research
Professor Paul Sylvester, University of Louisiana, discussed tocopherol and tocotrienols, and did a great job of explaining the difference between the two. He stressed the fact that tocotrienols are now starting to get their fair level of research and exposure.
His amazing cancer work shows strong anti-cancer benefits by inhibiting cancer cell growth factors. I asked him how it works. He said it was apoptosis or programmed cell death. Which means cancer cells are basically imploded then safely disposed of by the body. This is very exciting.
Stroke research
Dr Chandan Sen’s presentation was on stroke and how palm oil tocotrienols works to protect brain cells. I’m very excited that his most recent paper will be published in the prestigious journal Stroke in a couple weeks.
The Malaysian Palm Oil Council’s commitment to research is truly amazing. As the collective body of companies and researchers worldwide continues to collaborate at this level, I think we all can expect palm tocotrienols (a potent form of vitamin E) and red palm fruit oil to become known for their health benefits, sustainable cultivation and culinary performance throughout the world.
Mark my words: Malaysian palm fruit is poised to become known as the world’s next super fruit.
