Formulating for the Evolving GLP-1 Consumer

The future of metabolic support for weight loss will continue to evolve, experts agree. One new option, recently launched by aptly named startup Evolv, is Evolv GLP-1, which the company bills as a first of its kind oral GLP-1 dietary supplement. The company’s founders designed a new molecule that mimics GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) pathways to help regulate appetite and metabolism.

Becca McCarthy, president and chief operating officer of Evolv, says products like Evolv GLP-1 can serve as a “tool in your weight loss toolbox” without making any clinical claims. The tablet supplement has a one-day half-life compared with GLP-1 injections’ one-week effects and may be a good alternative for users who can’t tolerate semaglutide’s side effects.

McCarthy says she anticipates a whole new wave of bioengineered ingredients that might be added to future food products to support GLP-1 users as scientists gain a deeper understanding of how human biology works in relation to our nutritional supply.

“These ingredients could help supplement the diet … and perhaps optimize health and longevity in ways we haven’t seen before,” she says. “If you can create biomimetics and other types of peptide activity through diet, it gives food manufacturers a strong opportunity to explore this kind of innovation.”

Hannah Ackermann, vice president of marketing and nutrition affairs at ingredient company COMET, says there is a “robust opportunity” in this approach, but she cautions that supplements are not subject to the same regulations as food and will have to be pursued prudently.

“We have to be very careful, as an industry, how we position these types of ingredients and how we manage consumer expectations,” she says. “We can’t promise things we can’t deliver.”

But even with that caveat in place, Bret Barhoover, senior marketing manager, specialized nutrition at Cargill, sees potential for innovative GLP-1–supporting ingredients. That’s especially true, he says, since so many ingredient companies are currently “playing defense.

“To meet GLP-1 needs, we’re taking our existing portfolios and saying, ‘Gosh, we have strong options that help deliver here.’ It’s a defensive play,” he explains. “But playing offense in the GLP-1 space is going to be developing unique ingredients that will be specific to GLP-1. It will be coming up with things that will add those complementary benefits for GLP-1 users so we really can support them at every step of their journey.”