Nutrasumma, a high-end supplement manufacturer from the United States, announced its entry into the Chinese market at the 12th National Nutritional Science Conference in Beijing from May 16 to 18.

Zhang Yuan, general manager of Nutrasumma for China, told media whey protein products will be available for Chinese consumers. The products will be sold mainly through e-shopping platforms, such as Tmall.com while the company establishes retail distribution outlets.

In the US, the company's supplement products are mainly sold through supermarkets, such as Wal-Mart, and organic food stores, such as Whole Food and Sproubts, according to Zhang.

A dozen Chinese and American experts in nutrition and gastrointestinal tract disease attended the event and some spoke on the benefits of proper use of nutritional supplements.

William J. Evans, a professor with Duke University Medical Center, whose research is focused on protein and muscle metabolism,says old people need protein supplement the most. He warns that in both China and the US, many people develop chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, from excessive and imbalanced nutrition.

"As we grow older our metabolism changes, and our needs for certain nutrients change. At the same time, our need for calories is reduced. So for many older people, if they eat all of the nutrients they need in their food, they might take in too many calories and gain weight and fat," he said.

"My research shows as we grow older, our body needs more protein in the diet than young people do. It's a problem that many older people have in eating inadequate amounts of good quality protein."

For many old people, the consequence of not eating enough protein is that they will lose muscle, and they may become weaker and have difficulty in performing normal everyday tasks, Evans said.

It is important to use supplement to ensure the old people will get enough good-quality protein, either in supplement or part of their diet, to help them to prevent loss of muscle, Evans added.

Many young people with high stress lives end up eating low-quality diets, and they may be eating more fast food, high fat sort of products. Using of supplement may be a way to ensure they get high-quality nutrients sufficiently, Evans said.

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