Check out nine stories newhope.com's wide-ranging audience couldn't get enough of throughout this tumultuous year.
This past year the natural products industry has seen dramatic changes in the way consumers live, eat, think and operate. Want to know which articles were visited the most on newhope.com this year amid all these shifts?
Below are the stories that stood out.
1. The 2021 NEXTY Awards finalists
The NEXTY Awards recognize the “pinnacle of excellence” in the natural products industry.
Competition is fierce. These new products must target an issue or problem that is not widely addressed, take a creative approach by using clean, sustainable ingredients coupled with transparency and show they are true innovators who aren’t simply taking a “me too” approach.
New for this year: judges were asked to take home some of the products from each category they were assigned to and prepare them in their kitchens.
With over 800 nominees for the 2021 Natural Products Expo West Virtual NEXTY Awards, 77 products stood out for their innovation, inspiration and integrity across 23 categories. Hundreds of other nominees competed and 78 products were chosen across 23 categories for the 2021 Natural Products Expo East NEXTY Awards finalists.
These two stories topped our list because they represent the very best natural products that emerged this year.
2. Study panned regarding effects of vitamin C and zinc on COVID-19
Despite being fraught with problems, a nutrition study that examined the effectiveness of vitamin C and zinc supplements in fighting COVID-19 still found a reduction of symptoms by more than a day for supplement takers over those who received the regular standard of care.
Problems with the study’s execution forced researchers to end the study prematurely after 10 days (instead of the initially planned 28-day trial). Because of the small population size in the study, the researchers concluded that the supplements did not work.