Wellbeing Digital Sciences (NEO:MEDI.AQN, OTCQB:KONEF) told investors its subsidiary KGK Science Inc (KGK) has completed preclinical safety studies for its caffeine replacement coffee product, which showed that it has an improved safety profile over caffeine.
The product, called Rarebird Coffee, contains the paraxanthine (Px) caffeine replacement which is described by the company as “predominant metabolite of caffeine”. It is found in small amounts in coffee and other plants, though the company highlighted that human bodies routinely convert caffeine into Px.
The company says the pharmacological effects resulting from this metabolism has not been well characterized. It has now conducted the preclinical studies of safety using Rarebird ingredients as “a first step prior to market entry”.
KGK proposes Px as a safer alternative to caffeine for use in foods and beverages, and the company says the comparison study to caffeine lends support this premise.
“The safety profile of Px, in comparison to caffeine, is apparent in this study,” Jeffrey Dietrich, Rarebird Inc’s founder and chief executive said in a statement.
“It is imperative that consumers understand how caffeine is metabolized and to know whether those metabolites are more or less safe than caffeine.
“The head-to-head comparison in this study suggests paraxanthine Px has an improved safety profile over caffeine, and one of our goals is to increase consumer awareness of Px as an innovative caffeine replacement.”
Najla Guthrie, CEO at Wellbeing Digital and KGK, added: “This study represents an important first step to both further our understanding of caffeine safety and highlight the use of Px as a potential caffeine replacement."