Ask the expert

Energy need corresponds to the amount of energy needed by the organism to perform all daily activities. Ideally, the sum of the energy necessary for the body to maintain vital functions active combined with the demands that depend on individual daily activities: in other words, the first addendum corresponds to “basal metabolic rate”, while the latter depends on the voluntary muscle activity.

To pursue weight loss correctly and physiologically there are two necessary conditions:
1.   reduction of energy intake compared to daily energy expenditure with an appropriate low-calorie diet,
2.   increase of exits through the repression of sedentary habits, where appropriate, and enhancing energy expenditure through physical activity and movement.

Food supplements can support the weight loss process, exercising different effects depending on the specific constituents, that are the facilitation of obtaining the feeling of satiety, the limitation/reduction of the uptake of nutrients and consequently energy, the tendency to reduce body fat and maintain/increase lean body mass and thermogenic-type actions.

The role of supplements is mostly accessory and such products must be necessarily combined with a balanced and varied diet and a healthy lifestyle, with permanent change in incorrect eating habits and a good level of daily physical activity (without having to necessarily undergo intense and/or prolonged athletic type efforts).
A medical opinion is essential when one decides to undertake a weight loss diet: only a professional in the sector can contribute to the elaboration of a correct food and nutritionally balanced plan, adequate to support specific organic needs in the light of the individual health conditions and physiological characteristics.

Therefore there are no “miraculous diets” equal for everyone or “magic pills”: concrete results lasting over time, without risk to health, can be achieved primarily by changing your diet and your lifestyle: high quality food supplements can be useful to achieve set goals more quickly and to give support to one’s willpower and are therefore defined as “adjuvants for low-calorie diets”.

In order to give a clearer and as comprehensive as possible reply to increasingly frequent requests of our clients in relation to the delicate and important topic concerning cosmetic testing on animals, we wish to confirm that Farmaderbe has always preferred using raw materials untested on animals nor has it ever commissioned such tests, strictly following the legislation in force and official Unipro positions (Italian Association of Cosmetic Companies).

We also wish to point out, to avoid misunderstandings or free interpretations, that the implementation of animal testing within the Community on finished products is already prohibited as of September 11, 2004. In addition, on March 11, 2009 the prohibition set out by the 7th Amendment of the Cosmetic Directive (Directive 2003/15/EC) came into effect implemented in Italy by Legislative Decree 50/2005 concerning the placing on the market of cosmetics objective of animal testing. Therefore, from this date, it is forbidden to market products whose formulation has been the subject of animal testing after that date, to market cosmetic products containing ingredients or combinations of ingredients which have been subject to animal testing after that date and finally, to implement animal testing for ingredients or combinations of ingredients within the community. The exceptions are the tests for the assessment of long-term or systemic toxicity authorised until March 2013.

In the light of the foregoing and in reference to the European Commission’s Recommendation of June 7, 2006 establishing guidelines on the use of statements concerning the absence of animal experiments, the presence of marks or indications having these adjectives purely for commercial and marketing use are to be considered as completely useless.
Farmaderbe Cosmetics report the term “dermatologically tested” because they are subjected to specific hypoallergenicity tests on human volunteers, conducted at primary analysis institutes accredited by the Ministry of Health.

For further information on all issues relating to cosmetic products, please visit the websites:

www.abc-cosmetici.it/
www.salute.gov.it/sperimentazione-cosmetici
ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/alt-animal-testing/european-commission-reports-on-progress-in-the-development-of-alternative-methods-to-animal-testing-for-cosmetics

Pregnancy is one of the most delicate phases in the life of a woman, who often has to reflect on possible negative implications considered as harmless daily habits until a few weeks before. Many expectant mothers, for example, are wondering if trichological colouring may in some way harm the health of the unborn child.
In fact, although colouration and decolouration concern the hair shaft, which is the part of the hair that emerges from the scalp, it is possible that the substances used minimally penetrate in the organism, absorbed through blood vessels arriving to the scalp.

For obvious ethical reasons, there are no specific studies on the safety of use of trichological colourations in pregnancy: the risk that some chemical elements found in dyes are damaging to the formation of the embryo takes reasonably to advise against the use of dyes in pregnancy, at least in the first quarter, which is the most important and delicate time for child development. If coexistence with some white hair or with an ugly regrowth is intolerable, it is advisable to use delicate colourations without ammonia and resorcinol, possibly water-based, to apply about half a centimetre from the skin so as to minimise contact with skin. It is also appropriate to outdistance applications as much as possible over time.
The same precautions should be maintained during breastfeeding. For more information please contact your trusted gynaecologist.

Other information is available in the following recommended websites:

www.salute.gov.it/saluteDonna/nascita
www.otispregnancy.org/hairtreatments  (file pdf)

Food supplements are defined by the legislation that governs them (Directive 2002/46/EC, implemented with Legislative Decree no. 169 dated May 21, 2004) as: “foodstuffs intended to integrate the common diet and which provide a concentrated source of nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, in particular, but not exclusively, amino acids, essential fatty acids, fibres and extracts of vegetable origin, both mono-composed and pluri-composed, in pre-dosed forms”.

For a responsible choice of products, it is appropriate to recall that all food supplements made from plants are specifically regulated by specific rules, that provide that:

• They must be regularly notified to the Ministry of Health pursuant to art. 7 of Legislative Decree No. 111 of January 27, 1992 and subsequent Circular No. 3 of July 18, 2002 (Official Journal n. 188 of August 12, 2002) and included in the register of food supplements available on the website of the Ministry of Health; www.salute.gov.it/alimentiParticolariIntegratori)

• They must be prepared exclusively in establishments authorised by the Ministry of Health for the production and packaging of foodstuffs intended for particular food, enriched foods and dietary supplements; DECREE February 23, 2006 “General technical requirements and criteria for certification of the production and packaging of food supplements”;

• They must include on the label all information relating to plants or parts used thereof, excipients, compound foodstuffs, allergens, manufacturing plant, nutrient supply and warnings in accordance with Legislative Decree of January 27, 1992, no. 109 and Ministerial Decree No. 169 of May 21, 2004.

All nutritional supplements report the complete list of ingredients on the label and an indication of all allergens, in accordance and in full compliance with the legislative provision (Legislative Decree 114/06). To provide additional consumer protection, most of the references are also subjected to specific tests at the end of every production batch to confirm the absence of gluten and avoid any possibility of random contamination. A further guarantee of safety. The tested products and found gluten-free are characterised by an adhesive or by the term “gluten-free”.

Normative Ref.:
The Official Journal of the European Union no. L16 published Commission Regulation (EC) no. 41/2009 of 20/01/2009 concerning the composition and labelling of food products suitable for people intolerant to gluten.
This regulation applies to foodstuffs and therefore also to supplements and to products intended for particular nutritional uses. For integrators that can ensure gluten content not greater than 20 ppm, one can recommend the claim “gluten-free”.
For foodstuffs that use deglutened ingredients and do not exceed a maximum level of 100 ppm of gluten, one can recommend the claim “with very low gluten”.
These claims must be affixed immediately after the product sales description. Clearly, for the application of this regulation, what is dictated by Directive 2000/13/EC should be borne in mind that specifies “labelling and advertising should not mislead the consumer by suggesting that the product has special characteristics when in fact all similar foodstuffs possess the same identical characteristics”.

Farmaderbe performs specific tests for the determination of gluten on individual production batches even when none of the ingredients is considered as bearer of gluten, to minimise the risk of random contamination and ensure maximum protection to consumers.
The list of products tested, constantly updated, is available by clicking below: file update in progress.