Vitamins, Diet and Sports Nutrition

NEW YORK — Bayer will not be raising its offer for Schiff Nutrition to match or exceed last week's bid from Reckitt Benckiser, Reuters reported Tuesday morning. 

Bayer's bid is still active, however, and is in discussions with Schiff to acquire the company for its original evaluation of $1.2 billion. Reckitt Benckiser bid $1.4 billion. 

To read the Reuters report, click here. 

WASHINGTON — Individuals who do not obtain recommended intake levels of calcium through dietary sources can safely utilize calcium supplements to achieve optimal bone health, an expert panel concluded last week in the November online edition of Advances in Nutrition.

NEWBURY, Ohio — Hebron USA on Monday announced the launch of the Florax DS, a line of ready-to-drink probiotics that doesn't require refrigeration. 

Florax DS products are formulated with a proprietary strain of the probiotic yeast called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Cepa Fr 1972, also known as a nutritional or brewers' yeast.  

The Florax DS RTDs will be available in two flavors — original and raspberry — through Drugstore.com, Meijer, Discount Drug Mart and Rainforestsremedies.com.

SAN DIEGO — A study published last week by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has found a correlation between vitamin D3 serum levels and subsequent incidence of Type 1 diabetes. The six-year study of blood levels of nearly 2,000 individuals suggests a preventative role for vitamin D3 in this disease. The research appears the December issue of Diabetologia, a publication of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

LOS ANGELES — In the wake of a summer rebranding campaign aimed at active, health-conscious consumers, AquaHydrate on Thursday announced expansion of its distribution through GNC. 

The AquaHydrate line offers consumers "Supercharged Hydration," a combination of key electrolytes and alkalinity that helps restore balance to the body. While many sports and vitamin drinks hover around a 4 pH (relatively acidic) and most bottled water between 7 and 7.5 (pH neutral), AquaHydrate stands at a pH value of more than 9 (relatively alkaline).

DENVER — Ibotta on Friday officially launched its free mobile application for iPhone users that gives consumers a new way to earn as much as $40 in cash each time they shop. With Ibotta, consumers earn cash rewards for answering a trivia question, watching videos and/or providing feedback on their favorite products, then buying the products in major national retailers, such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens.  

SLOUGH, England — The battle for Schiff Nutrition is on. Reckitt Benckiser on Friday commenced its previously announced tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Schiff Nutrition — a provider of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and elsewhere — for $42 per share in cash, or approximately $1.4 billion.

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Bayer Healthcare on Wednesday announced that they have teamed up with Vitamin Angels to launch 10 Million Stronger, a charitable initiative aimed at delivering vitamin A to 10 million children worldwide who are suffering from vitamin A deficiency.