Yasir and Maya Qureshi were living busy lives, working in banking and finance, building a house, and expecting a baby, when Yasir suddenly began to suffer from chronic pain.
“It happened almost overnight,” he said. “I lived with chronic pain in my muscles and joints every day. It was as if I had woken up after running a marathon the day before. I had to give up running and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But it had a huge impact on my life’s physical and mental health. ”
After years of doctor visits and blood tests yielded no clues as to the cause of the symptoms, the couple began considering lifestyle changes.
“We noticed that he was under too much stress and his body was inflamed,” Maya told NutrIngredient. “Once he cut out gluten, he felt really good, and we started introducing anti-inflammatory ingredients from Ayurvedic medicine, which is familiar to me having grown up in India.”
She said Yasir’s symptoms improved further by consuming turmeric and ginger smoothies daily.
“Once he felt better, he was able to start moving again. This was the real turning point in his health improving,” she added. “This has helped us realize the importance of staying active for physical and mental health. It has also helped us to help so many people suffering from inflammatory conditions. We wanted to help other people use the product that we thought was so important.”
A three-pronged approach
After being laid off while on maternity leave, Maya decides not to work in banking or finance, instead spending her time and surplus money on a new business.
Rhythm Nutrition launched its flagship product “Deflame” in 2020, offering a liquid liposomal blend of 500mg curcumin, 150mg ginger root, 200mg algae-derived omega-3, 100mg Indian frankincense, and organic black pepper.
Each 15ml sachet pack can be taken alone as a hot ginger punch or added to drinks for a more rounded flavor.
Liposome technology is used to increase the bioavailability of ingredients in liquids by protecting them as they travel along the gastrointestinal tract and increasing cell contact. This protects the cargo from early metabolism and increases its diffusion throughout the body.
About 18 months later, the startup launched Complete Repair, a personalized blend of vegan or bovine collagen and additional botanicals.
“There are so many collagen products on the market, but we knew we needed to make ours special in order to stand out from the crowd,” Maya said . “Our customers can choose vegan or bovine collagen, and if they choose animal collagen, they can choose a blend of type 1, type 2, and type 3.”
She explained that type 1, which stands out on the market, is the most abundant collagen in the body, found in hair, skin, nails, bones, etc., which suits the needs of many customers.
Type 3 collagen is the second most abundant collagen in soft tissues and governs the early stages of wound healing and granulation tissue formation.
Type 2 collagen, although not commonly found in supplements, is an important collagen found within cartilage and is used for osteoarthritis and other types of muscle and joint pain.
“Some customers may not need to add type 2 collagen because they are just looking for general preventive joint support and cosmetic benefits,” Maya said.
Additional ingredients that can be combined with collagen blends include MCT oil, known for its benefits for weight management, gut and heart health, as well as brain health support and anti-aging benefits. These include a variety of mushrooms such as lion’s mane and chaga for humans. their blend.
“Customers expect the ability to personalize products and want the added benefit of being able to meet their holistic needs without having to take multiple different pills or potions,” Maya added.
The final product in the range, Forcefield, is another liposomal liquid formulation containing a range of ingredients shown to improve bone density and natural collagen synthesis.
This product contains 4000 IU of vitamin D, 100 mcg of K2, 1000 mg of vitamin C, 15 mg of zinc, and 3 mg of resveratro, a powerful antioxidant with anti-aging and immune health benefits. contained.
Maya said Rhythm Nutrition’s customer data reveals that the majority of consumers are over the age of 40 and are trying to stay active while navigating health issues such as menopause. Considering other aspects of health that this audience wants to support, the brand is looking to launch products that support brain and gut health.
“People are more aware than ever that their physical and mental health are linked, and that gut health is a key part of longevity, influencing the midsection through the gut-brain axis. That’s clear,” she said.
