Helaina showcases effera™ at SupplySide Global 2025 (Booth #2673) with clinical data showing no immune response vs bovine lactoferrin, plus collaborations like Longevispheres Pumpkin Spice Bites and Brain Fog Chocolates for menopause support.
Helaina is making waves at SupplySide Global 2025 (Booth #2673) with its human-identical lactoferrin ingredient, effera™, showcasing new clinical data, collaborative innovations, and positioning the ingredient for multiple supplement categories.
From a groundbreaking layered functional food collaboration ("Longevispheres") to a menopause-focused "Brain Fog Chocolate" innovation with Freemen Nutra featuring Memo-Q and effera™, plus new formulator resources addressing female athlete iron deficiency and the booming colostrum market, Helaina is demonstrating why effera™ is creating entirely new opportunities in sports nutrition, women's health, and healthy aging applications.
Longevispheres and Menopause Brain Fog Chocolates: Functional Food Meets Healthy Aging
At this year's show, Helaina is debuting Longevispheres Pumpkin Spice Bites, an exclusive collaborative functional food concept that showcases effera™ alongside other cutting-edge longevity ingredients in a delicious seasonal format.
The collaboration bridges the gap between functional supplementation and enjoyable food experiences, positioning effera™ as a versatile ingredient that works across multiple formats while supporting the body's natural aging processes.
Meanwhile, Helaina has also teamed up with Freemen Nutra for Brain Fog Chocolates, targeted towards a common cognitive situation for menopausal women. There's even more below, so check it out at Booth #2673 and keep reading:
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What are Longevispheres?
Helaina's effera™ is revolutionizing supplements with the first human-equivalent lactoferrin. Research shows better bioavailability and reduced immune response compared to bovine sources.
These pumpkin spice bites support healthy aging through a synergistic blend of premium bioactives, which differ in every layer:
- effera™ – Human-identical lactoferrin for immune balance and iron support
- Puremidine® – Spermidine for cellular renewal and autophagy
- Lutemax® 2020 – Lutein and zeaxanthin for eye and cognitive health
- Pūrcolla™ – Collagen peptides for structural resilience
- PROtext™ – Plant protein base
- Treha® – Trehalose for stability and mild sweetness
Menopause Support: Brain Fog Chocolates with Freemen Nutra
Helaina is also unveiling an innovative menopause-focused collaboration with Freemen Nutra featuring Brain Fog Chocolates that combine effera™ with Memo-Q (a cognitive support silk protein peptide ingredient) to address one of the most common complaints during menopause: mental clarity and cognitive function.
This application makes strong scientific sense given effera™'s established benefits for iron regulation, inflammatory balance, and gut barrier function -- all critical considerations during hormonal transitions. Menopause is associated with decreased lactoferrin production, declining gut microbiome diversity, and increased inflammatory markers.
Memo-Q breaks the mold in cognitive enhancement. This silk protein-derived ingredient from Freemen Nutra has 10 human clinical trials showing memory and learning benefits across ALL ages -- from 7-year-olds to 90+ seniors. Four mechanisms, one powerful ingredient. 400-600mg daily.
The chocolate format addresses multiple menopause-related challenges simultaneously:
- Cognitive Support - Memo-Q targets brain fog and memory concerns that affect many women during menopause
- Iron Balance - effera™ helps maintain healthy iron levels as hormonal changes affect iron metabolism
- Inflammatory Support - effera™'s ability to support healthy inflammatory responses becomes increasingly important as estrogen declines
- Gut Health - effera™ promotes beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which decline during menopause
The indulgent chocolate delivery format makes daily supplementation more appealing while providing functional benefits that directly address quality-of-life concerns during this life stage.
There will also be some great discussions on the research:
effera™ Superiority: Clinical Evidence of Human Recognition
Helaina continues building its scientific foundation with compelling clinical data distinguishing effera™ from traditional bovine lactoferrin. It's time to come to the booth and learn about the most important one of them all:
No Immune Response to Human-Identical Protein
The landmark Peterson 2024 clinical study directly compared effera™ with bovine lactoferrin in healthy adults over an 84-day period.[1]
The results revealed a striking difference: participants taking bovine lactoferrin developed antibodies against the protein, with antibody levels approximately 3 times higher after 56 days compared to baseline. In contrast, both effera™ groups showed no significant increase in anti-human lactoferrin antibodies at either dose level.[1]
When antibodies develop against a supplemented protein, they can potentially neutralize or clear that protein before it provides full beneficial effects. effera™'s lack of immunogenic response suggests the body recognizes it as native human lactoferrin rather than a foreign protein requiring immune surveillance.
We have an entire article dedicated to this study coming soon, so sign up for PricePlow's Helaina news at the bottom or top of this article.
Female Athlete Iron Support: Addressing the Root Cause
One of Helaina's key focuses at SupplySide Global 2025 is educating formulators about effera™'s unique approach to iron metabolism in female athletes.
We went behind the scenes at Helaina's Manhattan lab to see how they make human-identical effera™ lactoferrin through precision fermentation.
The Female Athlete Iron Deficiency Crisis
Research indicates that up to 35% of female athletes experience iron deficiency, leading to fatigue, decreased performance, reduced heart rate variability, and impaired recovery.[2] While many assume dietary iron intake is the problem, the root cause often involves inflammation-driven disruption of iron regulation.
The IL-6/Hepcidin Pathway
During training, female athletes experience elevated IL-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine that triggers increased hepcidin production.[3] Hepcidin blocks both iron absorption from the diet and iron release from storage sites in the liver by downregulating ferroportin, the only known mammalian iron exporter.
This creates a vicious cycle: athletes may have adequate iron stores, but their bodies cannot access that iron when inflammation is elevated. Simply adding more dietary iron through ferrous sulfate supplementation can actually worsen the inflammatory response and remains ineffective when the underlying hepcidin blockade persists.[4]
effera™'s Multi-Pathway Solution
effera™ addresses iron deficiency at its source through five complementary mechanisms:
Dan DeMarino and Anthony Clark from Helaina dive deep into precision fermentation technology and effera™ human-equivalent lactoferrin, revealing how 5-week development cycles and machine learning models are revolutionizing bioactive protein production on Episode #180 of the PricePlow Podcast.
- Iron Chelation – Binds free iron (a pro-oxidant) to mitigate a key trigger for inflammation
- Immune Modulation – Directly calms immune reactions through receptor binding, reducing IL-6 output
- LPS Neutralization – Binds bacterial endotoxins in the gut that spike IL-6
- Gut Barrier Support – Fortifies tight junction proteins to reduce exercise-induced permeability and systemic inflammation
- Ferroportin Upregulation – Helps unlock stored iron by supporting the body's natural iron transport system
But as discussed with Dan DeMarino and Anthony Clark in Episode #180, you can really think of lactoferrin as the air traffic controller for iron transport -- not necessarily the plane itself.
Clinical research has demonstrated that lactoferrin supplementation significantly reduces IL-6 levels, with a meta-analysis showing a weighted mean difference of -45.59 pg/mL compared to ferrous sulfate.[5] This IL-6 reduction occurred primarily in women and populations with iron homeostasis disorders.[6]
For female athletes, effera™ offers a gentler, more effective alternative to traditional iron supplementation by restoring the body's ability to regulate iron naturally rather than forcing more iron into an already-blocked system.
Colostrum+: The Next Evolution in Immune Support
Helaina is also positioning effera™ as "Colostrum 2.0" for formulators seeking to create superior immune and gut health products.
Laura Katz, founder and CEO of Helaina, discusses the revolutionary effera™ human-identical lactoferrin technology and precision fermentation platform on Episode #167 of the PricePlow Podcast.
Human vs. Bovine Colostrum Composition
While bovine colostrum has gained popularity for immune support, human colostrum tells a different story. Bovine colostrum is primarily immunoglobulin G (IgG), optimized for calves' immune needs. Human colostrum, in contrast, is primarily lactoferrin, the key bioactive designed specifically for human immune function and iron regulation.
effera™ allows formulators to recreate the most important bioactive in human colostrum with quantifiable potency, purity, and precision:
- Greater Potency – Delivers better-binding lactoferrin per dose than leading bovine colostrum brands
- Bio-Identical Recognition – Works in harmony with human biology rather than triggering immune responses
- Allergen-Free & Vegan – Removes dairy allergen concerns and ethical sourcing questions with 100% animal-free production
- Format Flexibility – Tasteless, odorless formulation enables gummies, ready-to-drink beverages, capsules, and other formats where bovine colostrum presents challenges
The positioning as "Colostrum+" gives brands the opportunity to differentiate in an increasingly crowded market while offering consumers a scientifically superior alternative that aligns more closely with human physiology.
Why SupplySide Global 2025 Matters for effera™
Helaina is using SupplySide Global 2025 to establish effera™ as a category-creating ingredient rather than simply another lactoferrin option. The combination of:
- Compelling clinical data showing superior human recognition
- Clear formulator education on specific applications (female athletes, colostrum+)
- Innovative collaborations like Longevispheres and Brain Fog Chocolates demonstrating real-world versatility
- Multiple format compatibility and supply chain reliability
...positions effera™ for broader adoption across sports nutrition, women's health, healthy aging, and general wellness categories.f
For formulators interested in creating genuinely differentiated products backed by human-equivalent biology and clinical validation, Booth #2673 is a must-visit at this year's show.
Learn More About effera™ and Helaina
To dive deeper into the science, applications, and business case for effera™, check out PricePlow's comprehensive coverage:
- effera™: Revolutionary Human-Equivalent Lactoferrin Goes Beyond Bovine, Changing the Supplement Industry – Our complete ingredient guide
- Dan DeMarino & Anthony Clark: Helaina's Precision Fermentation Revolution with effera™ | Episode #180 – Deep dive into the science and manufacturing
- Inside Helaina's Manhattan Lab: A Deep Dive into Precision Fermentation and Human-Identical Lactoferrin – Facility tour and technology overview
- Laura Katz: Helaina Revolutionizes Nutrition with Human Identical Lactoferrin | Episode #167 – CEO perspective on clinical strategy and market positioning
- Formulator's Corner #18: The Women's Performance Stack Powered by effera™ Lactoferrin + Creatine + HMB – Sample formulation demonstrating effera™'s synergy with other performance ingredients
Visit Helaina at Booth #2673 at SupplySide Global 2025 to experience the future of human-equivalent nutrition. And if you missed it, sign up for our alerts and see all future Helaina content below:
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