Yiruixing Packaging, a Chinese custom packaging manufacturing services provider, has expanded its capabilities to offer more flexible and scalable packaging solutions for businesses in the protein, supplement, and nutrition sectors.

By enhancing its original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and original design manufacturing (ODM) services, the company is aiming to meet the growing demand for custom packaging.

The move aims to handle high-volume production while maintaining market-standard compliance and quality.

The expansion comes in response to the increasing need for packaging solutions that cater to bulk buyers and manufacturers in the nutritional product market.

Yiruixing said that it is now better equipped to support businesses requiring durable, consistent packaging that can meet the demands of large-scale production.

This allows the company to offer custom solutions for packaging protein powders, dietary supplements, and other nutritional products, providing businesses with the flexibility to scale their operations effectively.

The company’s expanded offerings include a range of materials and packaging types, from rigid boxes to flexible pouches and resealable bags.

These packaging solutions are designed to meet the specific needs of each product, ensuring that the integrity of protein and supplement products is preserved throughout the production and distribution processes.

 The company’s new approach allows for tailored packaging that accommodates factors such as filling methods, storage conditions, and destination requirements.

By offering options for custom structural designs, material selection, and branding, Yiruixing indicated that it is able to deliver packaging solutions that cater to the diverse needs of its clients.

This includes a commitment to regulatory compliance, ensuring that packaging meets global labelling standards and facilitates smooth distribution across international markets.

Yiruixing said that it has also increased inspection and testing processes at each stage of production.

Sign up for our daily news round-up!

Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that RR [Rhodiola rosea] can elicit concurrent improvements in maximal strength, muscular endurance and power—challenging a previously reported trade-off,” wrote researchers at Jacksonville State University in the United States and Azad University in Iran.

They reported differing effects on performance with the two doses they tested: “Lower doses preferentially enhancing late-set muscular endurance/volume and higher doses favoring maximal lower-body strength without sacrificing power.” The findings also revealed dose-dependent nootropic effects.

The study noted that rhodiola’s effects have previously been described as “modest and outcome-specific, rather than broadly ergogenic” and that the benefits and mechanisms involved may depend on intake patterns, length of supplementation and the type of exercise.

High altitude herb

Rhodiola rosea is a perennial herb that mostly grows at high altitudes in arctic areas of Europe and Asia, with forms of the herb in trade including dry extracts in solid dosage forms such as capsules and tablets, liquid extracts, cut, dried rhizome and root and powdered rhizome and root.

It has traditionally been used to manage stress, depression and mental and physical fatigue, and to boost energy.

Rhodiola may be beneficial for exercise due to its bioactives such as salidroside, which modulates pathways in the nervous system that can support fatigue resistance and power maintenance. Salidroside can also dampen oxidative stress and support mitochondrial biogenesis and stability. The current study did not, however, collect mechanistic biomarkers.

“Practically, these findings suggest that 7-day RR supplementation (200–1,500 mg/day) may benefit athletes in resistance training programs that emphasize volume and fatigue resistance, such as those used in hypertrophy or strength protocols”, the researchers reported, adding that the cognitive enhancements may support sports requiring mental acuity alongside physical demands.

However, they noted that the lack of effects in the Wingate cycling test implied limited utility for explosive sports such as sprinting, although team sports may benefit.

Study details

The crossover, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study aimed to determine whether seven-day Rhodiola rosea (RR) supplementation improved resistance performance and executive function in resistance-trained adults compared with placebo.

Twenty-seven resistance-trained athletes between the ages of 18 and 40 were divided into one of four groups: control (CON; no supplement), placebo (PL), low-dose RR at 200 mg/day (LDRR) and high-dose RR at 1,500 mg/day (HDRR). Each period lasted seven days under the assigned condition, with laboratory performance testing on the seventh day comprising strength, cycling and cognitive tests, as well as anthropometric and physiological measurements.

The dosage of RR used was informed by prior studies in athletes and consisted of standardized to 3% salidroside and 1% rosavin sourced from BulkSupplements.com. It was administered to the participants an hour before exercising so that the researchers could evaluate short-term rather than chronic effects.

The results revealed that LDRR increased bench press one-repetition maximum (1RM), set-3 repetitions, set-3 volume and mean power compared with the control condition. HDRR increased set-3 repetitions and peak power “with a trend for set-3 volume”, the researchers wrote.

On the leg press, both rhodiola doses improved 1RM compared to control, with the lower dose increasing the maximum by 35.7 kg and the higher dose increasing it by 47.7 kg. Improvements for both groups were significant versus placebo.

There were also improvements for the supplements in the Stroop Color–Word Tests. No consistent sex differences were observed.

“Short-term RR consumption, regardless of dose or gender, improved resistance performance and significantly enhanced Stroop outcomes, with minimal changes in anaerobic cycling and RPE, and no consistent acute hemodynamic effects,” the researchers concluded.

Source: Nutrients 2025, 17(23), 3736. doi: 10.3390/nu17233736. “Dose–Response Effects of Short-Term Rhodiola rosea (Golden Root Extract) Supplementation on Anaerobic Exercise Performance and Cognitive Function in Resistance-Trained Athletes: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study”. Authors: M.S. Koozehchian et al.

Last Updated:January 02, 2026, 12:02 IST

Herbal, flower and fruit teas may no longer be called tea as FSSAI tightens labelling rules to prevent food misbranding.

On a recent cleaning spree, I came across a basket shoved at the back of a cupboard containing around 30 colourful little jars. I rattled them around, peering at the labels: zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, cod liver oil, omega 3, and basically any other supplement you could name. The collection had accrued over the course of several years, picked up – and then swiftly dropped. Health sprees that only had a hefty bill from Holland & Barrett to show for them.

The majority of us are susceptible to the idea that “investing” in our health equates to spending hard-earned cash to prove to ourselves that we’re serious. The unworn trainers or expensive yoga pants, the unused gym membership (a cliché because it’s true) – and, for others like me, a huge box of very good intentions, rattling around the drawer under the bathroom sink.

Did I clear out everything best before 2022 (or, in some cases, 2019)? Yes. Did I also reignite the urge to buy more? Naturally. Like most people, I’d also been recently caught in the TikTok wellness trap, where everyone appears to have the answers, no matter what their credentials. Powdered greens – a dietary supplement of vegetables, fruits and algae which claims to be a concentrated dose of nutrients – appeared to be a brilliantly easy panacea, as did supplements I’d never previously taken notice of – milk thistle, to cleanse a tired liver for a tenner, or ashwagandha to lower blood pressure and anxiety, and collagen for pretty much everything else.

It doesn’t need pointing out that the platform has very little merit in the health world, yet sales of beauty and wellness products such as supplements are through the roof on ever-influential TikTok Shop – and this is big business.

For the supplements industry, health really is wealth. Over the last 15 years, the over-the-counter vitamins and minerals market has grown exponentially, generating more than £650m in UK sales in 2024. In the US, it’s far higher, with one of the more conservative estimates suggesting Americans will be swallowing $70bn of supplements by 2030.

It is, of course, unsurprising. Five years ago, we lived through an unprecedented global health crisis that, when life was boiled down to the bare basics, gave us all a thorough wake-up call. Covid led us all to reconsider our perceptions of health, the way we live and, crucially, how we prevent ourselves from getting ill. Naturally, many people turned to quick-fix supplements – and sales were their highest in more than a decade; almost twice the amount sold nationally last year.

Vulnerability is what the supplement sector thrives on – but as to whether they work, it’s a lot more complicated.

One size does not fit all

“We should think about taking supplements like a prescription,” says registered nutritional therapist GQ Jordan. Much of the time, we’re conditioned to think that taking supplements, whatever they are, must be safeguarding or improving our health. We forget that health – existing or genetically predisposed conditions, our levels of fitness and diet – is not an equal starting point for all of us. Additionally, some over-the-counter vitamins and minerals can interact with medication.

“It’s really important to try and take a personalised approach to all of these things – what works for one person might not work for another; everyone has their own signs and symptoms of what they might be lacking, probably the first thing to do is to track those to see if there’s any consistency. So, if you’re waking up in the night consistently or having an energy dip in the afternoon, it might be a good sign to consider taking some magnesium or vitamin D to see if they help,” advises Jordan.

If at all possible, Jordan says, speak to your GP about your own health status before deciding what you need supplementing, and before sinking a load of cash into your local pharmacy. Or, if that’s not possible and you can afford to, put that money towards seeing a nutritionist. Getting goodness through diet is more sustainable in the long run because of how things are broken down in our gut. Some supplements aren’t suitable for people with underlying health concerns, especially when it comes to the liver, which must process everything you put in your body.

Finally, remember that your requirements will change depending on your current situation. As we age, our hormones change drastically, which can change what we need and how much of it is needed.

Not all supplements are made equal

Far from it. Supplements, says Lynsey Vaughan, nutritionist and product innovation lead at wellness brand Higher Nature, which is “committed to unmasking the world of supplements”. “There are a few things to keep in mind,” Vaughan explains, particularly whether the capsule or tablet is made of natural ingredients.

“A non-active ingredient might be the physical shell that you put the ingredients into, and then there are also excipients, which is an industry term for non-active ingredients. Not all supplements have them in – and many don’t have the right amount in. For a good supplement, you want the actual ingredient, limited non-active and synthetic ingredients, and to get the right dose. There are many that I come across where I’ll look at the formula and think, ‘What is that even doing?’ Often there’s no real benefit at all.”

open image in gallery

Just like in ultra-processed foods, look at how many ingredients are listed. Too many non-active or synthetic ingredients make it much harder for the body to digest and, adds Jordan, can cause more harm than good.

“You could think that you’re safeguarding your health or being proactive, which comes from a really good place, but then choose supplements that might not be right for you on a personal level or up to scratch. That could have a real impact on other aspects of your health, particularly your gut health, because the supplements contain all these buffers and preservatives that aren’t really essential.

“The gut lining is super-sensitive. It’s the barrier between our outside world and our body, essentially, and these things can have a compounding irritating effect.”

In terms of the label, look out for “synthetics versus natural food form”, recommends Vaughan. “Most people assume that vitamins and minerals are natural. In fact, one survey found that 70 per cent of people think that vitamins and minerals in fortified foods are natural, but they’re not – they’re synthetic. Similarly in the supplement world, there’s a huge knowledge gap.”

You can’t ‘out supplement’ a bad diet

“I’m allergic to the wellness industry wheel,” Jordan jokes. “Most of the ads we all see online – things like green powders, for example – should be under investigation, in my opinion. Many of them create pain points for people and then target them for vulnerability: weight loss, infertility … Solve your PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] with an expensive green powder. It’s really dangerous.”

open image in gallery

And it can mean that we end up feeling more comfortable paying less attention to what we’re actually eating. “Nothing can supplement a bad lifestyle,” Jordan says.

Vaughan agrees. “Based on dietary data, around 75 per cent of people in the UK are not eating enough oily fish,” she says. Generally, our diets have changed exponentially in the last few decades – and Vaughan knows the impact from her own health struggles with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. “I forced myself to eat liver, which is full of nutrients, when I went through my own health struggles,” she explains.

Back in the day, especially in poorer communities, we used to eat much more offal and cheap oily fish such as kippers. It goes without saying that we should also be focusing on eating lots of rich, leafy greens and moving our bodies enough, which all helps with our gut health and would alleviate the need for so many supplements in the first place. That baseline, both Vaughan and Jordan agree, must be heeded before we start trying to compensate over the counter.

If you take just one supplement, this should be it

It’s a close call here: for Jordan, vitamin D, omega 3 and magnesium all chart high; for Vaughan, omega 3 just about tips it with vitamin D a close second. In fact, the government recommends we should all take a supplement for vitamin D, as thanks to the lack of sunlight in the UK, which stimulates the production of it in our bodies naturally, most of us are deficient.

“I actually recommend taking vitamin D all year round, not just in winter and autumn months,” says Jordan. “Just having that can really help your energy, help your mood, help your gut as well, and your immunity.”

open image in gallery

And even when we are eating enough oily fish, which is packed with omega 3, Vaughan notes that recent years have seen fluctuations in the amount of nutrients we’re getting from fish like salmon and mackerel.

“There’s some evidence that omega 3 levels in oily fish have been declining over the last 50 years,” she explains. So there’s a combination of, not only are we not eating enough, but the amount that you used to have to eat to get enough omega 3 is now no longer enough either, so it exacerbates it.

“Omega 3s are so important for us at the cellular level – every single cell membrane needs omega 3s to kind of work their membranes to work flexibly, to let nutrients in, let waste out. They’re also good for hormone balance, brain function. It’s incredibly necessary.”

Jordan agrees, adding that it’s especially important in pregnancy and postpartum. “A particular DHA, a specific type of omega 3, is given to the baby, not mum in that time. So women who have experienced brain fog after giving birth, for example, might benefit from supplementing with omega 3 to get those levels back up.”