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Hospital PMI® at 49%; June 2025 Hospital ISM® Report On Business®

TEMPE, Ariz., July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Economic activity in the hospital subsector contracted in June after 21 consecutive months of growth, say the nation’s hospital supply executives in the latest Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^®.

The report was issued today by Nancy LeMaster, MBA, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management^®(ISM^®) Hospital Business Survey Committee: “The Hospital PMI^® registered 49 percent in June, a 3-percentage point decrease from the May reading of 52 percent, indicating contraction after 21 consecutive months of growth. The composite index is in contraction territory for just the fifth time (with the PMI^® also registering below 50 percent in April and May 2020, as well as May and August 2023) in more than seven years of Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^® data collection. The Business Activity Index remained in expansion territory for the eighth straight month. The New Orders Index returned to expansion territory from an ‘unchanged’ reading in May, and the Employment Index returned to contraction after two consecutive months of expansion with its lowest reading since January 2022. The Supplier Deliveries Index was ‘unchanged’ in June after two consecutive months of expansion (which indicates slower delivery performance). The Case Mix Index remained in expansion territory in June, registering 50.5 percent, a decrease of 2.5 percentage points from the reading of 53 percent reported in May. The Days Payable Outstanding Index remained in expansion in June, registering 51 percent, down 0.5 percentage point from the 51.5 percent reported in May. The Technology Spend Index reading of 57.5 percent is a decrease of 1.5 percentage points compared to the 59 percent recorded in May. The Touchless Orders Index remained in expansion territory in June, registering 52.5 percent, up 1 percentage point from the reading of 51.5 percent reported in May.”

LeMaster continues, “Half of the general comments by Hospital Business Survey panelists related to concerns and challenges dealing with tariffs and the shifting geopolitical landscape. Panelists were nearly unanimous in indicating their facilities or systems were beginning to see tariff-related surcharges or increased pricing. The largest month-over-month change in this month’s report was the Employment Index, and the 8-percentage point decrease pulled the PMI^® into contraction. Comments indicated the reductions in staffing were related to margin pressures and loss of federal funding; they did not appear to be driven by volume levels. Although the Business Activity Index dropped 3.5 percentage points from the previous month, most comments cited strong or seasonal-level volumes. While inventories growth slowed, increases continued to be driven by efforts to blunt the impact of tariffs and potential shortages. Supplier deliveries continued to improve, and very few panelists commented about product shortages.”

*Hospital PMI^® History*

*Month*	*Hospital PMI*^®	*Month*	*Hospital PMI*^®
Jun 2025	49.0	Dec 2024	56.3
May 2025	52.0	Nov 2024	58.5
Apr 2025	55.0	Oct 2024	51.9
Mar 2025	51.0	Sep 2024	55.0
Feb 2025	56.0	Aug 2024	58.6
Jan 2025	53.5	Jul 2024	53.3
Average for 12 months – 54.2 High – 58.6 Low – 49.0

About This Report
The information compiled in this report is for the month of June 2025.

The Hospital PMI^® was developed in collaboration with the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM), an association for the health care supply chain profession, and a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

The data presented herein is obtained from a survey of hospital supply executives based on information they have collected within their respective organizations. ISM^® makes no representation, other than that stated within this release, regarding the individual company data collection procedures. The data should be compared to all other economic data sources when used in decision-making.

Data and Method of Presentation
The Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^® is based on data compiled from hospital purchasing and supply executives nationwide. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month. For each of the indicators measured (Business Activity, New Orders, Employment, Supplier Deliveries, Inventories, Prices, Prices: Pharmaceuticals, Prices: Supplies, Backlog of Orders, Imports, Inventory Sentiment, Case Mix, Days Payable Outstanding, Technology Spend, and Touchless Orders), this report shows the percentage reporting each response and the diffusion index. Responses represent raw data and are never changed. Beginning in January 2021, the Report On Business^® staff and consultants are gathering market information to better validate the Exports Index. Exports Index data are still being collected.

The Hospital PMI^® is a composite index computed from the following, equally weighted indexes: Business Activity, New Orders, Employment and Supplier Deliveries. Diffusion indexes have the properties of leading indicators and are convenient summary measures showing the prevailing direction of change and the scope of change. A Hospital PMI^® index reading above 50 percent indicates that the hospital sub-sector is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally declining. For the sub-indexes, except Supplier Deliveries, an index reading above 50 percent indicates that the sub-index is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally contracting. A Supplier Deliveries Index above 50 percent indicates slower deliveries and below 50 percent indicates faster deliveries.

The Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^® survey is sent out to the Hospital Business Survey Panel respondents the first part of each month. Respondents are asked to ONLY report on U.S. operations for the current month. ISM^® receives survey responses throughout most of any given month, with the majority of respondents generally waiting until late in the month to submit responses to give the most accurate picture of current business activity. ISM^® then compiles the report for release on the fifth business day of the following month.

ISM ROB Content
The Institute for Supply Management^® (“ISM”) Report On Business^® (Manufacturing, Services, and Hospital reports) (“ISM ROB”) contains information, text, files, images, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, and any other materials or content (collectively, “Content”) of ISM (“ISM ROB Content”). ISM ROB Content is protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret, and other laws, and as between you and ISM, ISM owns and retains all rights in the ISM ROB Content. ISM hereby grants you a limited, revocable, non-sublicensable license to access and display on your individual device the ISM ROB Content (excluding any software code) solely for your personal, non-commercial use. The ISM ROB Content shall also contain Content of users and other ISM licensors. Except as provided herein or as explicitly allowed in writing by ISM, you shall not copy, download, stream, capture, reproduce, duplicate, archive, upload, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, transmit, retransmit, distribute, perform, display, sell, or otherwise use any ISM ROB Content.

Except as explicitly and expressly permitted by ISM, you are strictly prohibited from creating works or materials (including, but not limited to tables, charts, data streams, time-series variables, fonts, icons, link buttons, wallpaper, desktop themes, online postcards, montages, mashups and similar videos, greeting cards, and unlicensed merchandise) that derive from or are based on the ISM ROB Content. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the derivative works or materials are sold, bartered, or given away. You shall not either directly or through the use of any device, software, internet site, web-based service, or other means remove, alter, bypass, avoid, interfere with, or circumvent any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices marked on the Content or any digital rights management mechanism, device, or other content protection or access control measure associated with the Content including geo-filtering mechanisms. Without prior written authorization from ISM, you shall not build a business utilizing the Content, whether or not for profit.

You shall not create, recreate, distribute, incorporate in other work, or advertise an index of any portion of the Content unless you receive prior written authorization from ISM. Requests for permission to reproduce or distribute ISM ROB Content can be made by contacting Rose Marie Goupil in writing at: ISM Research, Institute for Supply Management, 309 W. Elliot Road, Suite 113, Tempe, AZ 85284-1556, or by emailing [email protected]; Subject: Content Request.

ISM shall not have any liability, duty, or obligation for or relating to the ISM ROB Content or other information contained herein, any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or delays in providing any ISM ROB Content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. In no event shall ISM be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use of the ISM ROB. Report On Business^®, PMI^®, Manufacturing PMI^®, Services PMI^®, and Hospital PMI^® are registered trademarks and trademarks of Institute for Supply Management^®. Institute for Supply Management^® and ISM^® are registered trademarks of Institute for Supply Management, Inc.

About Institute for Supply Management^®Institute for Supply Management^® (ISM^®) is the first and leading not-for-profit professional supply management organization worldwide. Its community of more than 50,000 in more than 100 countries around the world manage about US$1 trillion in corporate and government supply chain procurement annually. Founded in 1915 by practitioners, ISM is committed to advancing the strategy and practice of integrated, end-to-end supply chain management through leading edge data-driven resources, community, and education to empower individuals, create organizational value and to drive competitive advantage. ISM’s vision is to foster a prosperous, sustainable world. ISM empowers and leads the profession through the ISM^® Report On Business^®, its highly regarded certification and training programs, corporate services, events and assessments. The ISM^® Report On Business^®, Manufacturing, Services, and Hospital are three of the most reliable economic indicators available, providing guidance to supply management professionals, economists, analysts, and government and business leaders. For more information, please visit: www.ismworld.org.

The text version of the public Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^® is posted on ISM^®‘s website at www.ismrob.org on the fifth business day* of every month at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The next Hospital ISM^® Report On Business^® featuring July 2025 data will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 7, 2025.

*Unless the New York Stock Exchange is closed.

Contact:	Rose Marie Goupil
	Report On Business^® Analyst
	ISM^®, ROB/Program Manager
	Tempe, Arizona
	+1 480.752.6276, ext. 3005
	Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Institute for Supply Management

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July 8, 2025

33-year-old’s wedding startup Cheersy raised $550K—with Kerry Washington as lead investor

Ten years ago, Amy Shack Egan agreed to help a friend plan her wedding. She couldn’t have imagined that it would inspire her to launch two businesses — or that Kerry Washington would become her lead investor.

At the time of that first wedding, Egan was freshly out of college and working three jobs to stay afloat in New York City.

“I was like a lot of early 20-somethings: frustrated about feeling really ambitious, but not sure what path I was supposed to go down,” Egan recalls.

While helping her friend navigate wedding logistics, she found that she had a knack for event planning — and an unexpected interest in the wedding industry.

Weddings quickly became Egan’s side hustle: that year, she planned three more weddings as a freelancer. The next year, she planned six weddings. By the following year, in which she booked 25 weddings, Egan decided to focus on wedding planning full time.

That’s the origin story of Egan’s first business: Modern Rebel, an ‘unconventional’ wedding planning company she founded in New York City in 2015.

As a former gender studies major, Egan, now 33, says that she had never imagined herself entering the often hyper-traditional wedding industry, but the idea of “rewriting the rules” intrigued her.

“Sometimes the best people to start a new business and shake up an outdated space are the people that go into it almost reluctantly — which is definitely how I did,” Egan says.

In the ensuing decade, Modern Rebel has planned over 500 weddings, which Egan calls “love parties,” and expanded from a one-woman show to a team of “really talented people.”

Still, she knew that there was even more room to grow within the industry – even if that meant taking a step back from wedding planning.

Not a “typical tech CEO”

Over 80% of couples plan their weddings by themselves, according to a 2025 survey by The Knot.

However, it can be difficult for couples to manage logistics while enjoying their big day, so many look to hire a wedding coordinator, Egan says: “Somebody who can step in a few weeks out, get to know the event, and then be their stage manager.”

In Egan’s experience, a good wedding coordinator can be hard to find. Online wedding marketplaces often have subscription fees and can be difficult to navigate, she says, so many couples resort to finding wedding coordinators through word of mouth.

“For a lot of reasons, there were couples reaching out to Modern Rebel saying, ‘hey, who do you trust? Who do you recommend?’” Egan says. “I realized that this could be its own business, and it actually could be bigger than Modern Rebel.”

In February 2025, Egan officially launched Cheersy, a digital platform that connects couples with pre-vetted wedding coordinators.

It’s the kind of company Egan wishes had existed back when she was a freelancer, she says.

“I have been in their shoes,” she says. “I have been in the trenches with them. I respect and value the service, and I see how important it is.”

Her experience with Modern Rebel has helped her understand both sides of the wedding marketplace, she says: “I’m not your typical tech CEO that’s just focused on the bottom line. I have a lot of respect for both sides of this equation.”

“When I met Kerry, it was an immediate ‘yes’”

Becoming a tech entrepreneur involved a lot of learning for Egan — mostly the hard way, she says. She had no prior fundraising experience when she launched Cheersy’s pre-seed round, which concluded in January 2025.

“I just cast that net out to some really incredible people in my network,” Egan says. “I said, I don’t know what I don’t know, and if there’s someone in your network that I should know, please introduce me.”

Through “somebody who knew somebody,” Egan found herself discussing Cheersy with actress Kerry Washington’s director of social impact at a dinner party.

“She said, you’ve got to meet Kerry. She’s going to love this,” Egan recalls.

Pitching Cheersy to Washington was “surreal,” she says.

“When I met Kerry, it was an immediate ‘yes’ the first time we had a meeting,” she says. “For her to come in early and say ‘I believe in this, I back this’ was so validating.”

Washington resonated with Cheersy’s mission that “all couples are seen and celebrated,” Egan says.

Washington, who became the lead investor for Cheersy’s pre-seed round, is just one of the company’s high-profile investors. Others include Elizabeth Cutler, co-founder of SoulCycle; Jennifer Gilbert, founder of event planning company Save the Date; and Christina Tosi, founder and owner of Milk Bar.

By the end of the pre-seed round, Cheersy had raised $550,000 in financing, all from angel investors.

Navigating a unique challenge

Egan had initially planned to start Cheersy’s seed round in fall 2025, but she and her husband Dan received unexpected news in January: after a year of struggling with secondary infertility, Egan was pregnant with twins.

“I think anyone, even if they’re not an entrepreneur, is like, how the hell do you raise two babies at the same time?” she says. She and Dan also share four-year-old son Arlo.

Since her due date is in August, Egan decided to launch another small pre-seed round of fundraising in the summer, and pushed seed funding to 2026.

Planning around a pregnancy is “not something that every founder has to deal with,” she says, “but it’s a unique challenge, and I’m up for it.”

In the meantime, she’s working on growing Cheersy’s customer base, building connections with vendors, and preparing for another round of fundraising.

Creating a startup “isn’t a straight line,” Egan says, but she’s using every bit of her experience in the wedding industry to build Cheersy.

“I always wondered why the universe made me a wedding planner,” she says. “I look now at where I am with Cheersy, and where we’re going with it, and I feel like the universe was giving me a front row seat to couples in this beautiful way.”

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July 8, 2025
Matheus Cunha’s shirt number confirmed for Man Utd

Cunha was the no.10 at Wolves last season, when he scored 15 goals in 33 games after succeeding Daniel Podence.

He previously wore 12 for the Black Country club and donned no.9 and no.19 while at Atletico Madrid.

Matheus was no.10 for Hertha Berlin during the 2020/21 season but had a variety of different shirt numbers at his other clubs Sion and RB Leipzig.

The number is a famous one in his native Brazil, having been synonymous with several of the country’s biggest stars.

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July 8, 2025
Anonymous data skewing Dutch vaccine stats, cultural views impacting uptake

Public vaccination registration is being impacted by a rise in anonymous data reporting and a decline in vaccination rates in specific demographics, the Dutch Public Health Institute (RIVM) told Euractiv.

In its 2025 report on Dutch vaccination rates, the RIVM found that the vaccination rate in infants and toddlers as part of the national immunisation programme decreased compared to the previous year, while the vaccination rate against HPV has risen.

However, the institute says it has not been able to provide exact vaccination rates for several years.

Since 2022, people have been allowed to decline sharing information, including dates of birth, concerning themselves or their children. This means that the registered vaccination coverage is slightly lower than the actual coverage.

A spokesperson for the RIVM told Euractiv, “The government will evaluate and discuss the need to change this current opt-in approach to an opt-out approach. Clarity on this issue will follow around Q3-4 in 2025.”

They said that while the data may not be as accurate as that from pre-2022 levels, the anonymous portion of the data is as low as 2-3%.

The institute was still able to draw several insights from its data.

In its report, the RIVM noted that the strongest decrease in vaccination coverage was seen among Dutch children with a Moroccan or Turkish migration background, children who do not attend formal childcare, and those from large families with four or more children.

The RIVM’s spokesperson said there is a need to update the institute’s communication materials and improve how professionals are trained to address the issue. The institute is collaborating with healthcare workers, community representatives, and municipal communication experts to reach underserved groups more effectively.

Declining vaccination coverage

In the Netherlands, the national immunisation programme aims to protect children from 13 infectious diseases through several vaccines starting from birth.

The RIVM says that when vaccination coverage declines, outbreaks of these diseases happen more frequently.

The type of primary school children attend in the Netherlands also has an effect on their vaccination rate, the RIVM said. It found that the vaccination rate decreased sharply at Islamic schools and has been relatively low for a long time at orthodox Protestant and anthroposophical schools.

“At these schools, there is a greater chance that groups of children (clusters) will get measles,” the RIVM said in its report.

HPV vaccine coverage increases

For the increase in HPV vaccine coverage, the RIVM found that it was higher among boys than among girls. The difference in coverage between them was less significant compared to 2024.

“The HPV catch-up campaigns may have had a positive impact here,” the RIVM said, referring to the campaigns to invite young people aged 26 and under to get vaccinated against HPV.

The RIVM noted that a high number of cases of whooping cough were reported in 2024, along with cases of measles and mumps.

People who fell ill abroad were infecting others upon their return to the Netherlands. This was particularly evident with measles, due to the higher number of measles cases abroad.

The RIVM reported that it’s no longer possible to determine whether the Netherlands is reaching a national vaccination rate of 90% for all individual vaccinations in line with WHO objectives due to informed consent requirements leading to under-reporting. However, it said it is clear that the Netherlands is not meeting the WHO standard of 9% for the MMR vaccine.

The RIVM says there are several initiatives the Netherlands is pursuing to combat vaccine refusal and hesitancy, including hosting online pages with information as well as running dedicated phone lines.

“The ‘Twijfeltelefoon’ (doubts hotline) is an initiative by doctors from the Erasmus University Hospital of Rotterdam. The students who answer questions have access to our training materials. They are called 30 times a day,” the RIVM’s spokesperson said. “Remarkably, most of the questions are about the planning of appointments.”

[Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire]

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July 8, 2025
South Africa trounces Zimbabwe in heaviest innings defeat in 20 years

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Wiaan Mulder had a fitting end to a fabulous debut as captain, taking the last catch for South Africa to hand Zimbabwe its heaviest innings defeat in 20 years and sweep the two-test cricket series.

Mulder scored 367 not out — 33 shy of the world record held by West Indies great Brian Lara — before declaring South Africa’s innings, and he also took three wickets and three catches to help his team win the second test by an innings and 236 runs.

Zimbabwe’s match total of 390 runs was just 23 more than Mulder made on his own. The World Test Championship winners have now won a South African record 10 consecutive tests.

Zimbabwe was dismissed for 170 in 43 overs in its first innings and, forced to follow-on, succumbed on 220 in 78 overs by Tuesday afternoon.

In the absence of the injured Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj, Mulder was a star as captain.

His 367 not out was the fifth-highest individual test score of all time, and propelled South Africa to 626-5 declared.

“It was super special (to be captain). It’s something I had dreamt of as a kid,” Mulder told broadcaster SuperSport. “To captain your country is one of the biggest honors you can get as a cricketer. So it was a super proud moment for me and my family and I am glad I could make the guys proud.”

Zimbabwe started Day 3 at 51-1 and lost two wickets in the morning, including Sean Williams, who tried to block Mulder and lost his off stump on 11.

Before lunch, Nick Welch achieved his third half-century in his fifth test but was out soon after the break for 55 to a slip catch by Mulder off slow left-armer Senuran Muthusamy.

Welch’s wicket began a slow collapse of seven wickets for 67 runs in 28 overs, highlighted by captain Craig Ervine’s 95-ball resistance for 49.

Corbin Bosch returned figures of 4-38, fellow pacer Codi Yusuf took 2-38 and Muthusamy had 3-77.

Zimbabwe’s winless streak in Bulawayo was stretched to 22 tests, 17 of them losses, since 2001.

The series marked South Africa’s first test tour in 11 years to its neighbor but the games were not counted in the World Test Championship as Zimbabwe was not in the WTC.

The South Africa squad is remaining in Zimbabwe for Twenty20 tri-series also involving New Zealand.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

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July 8, 2025
Envoy Air takes the employee experience to new heights with Samsung technology

While large regional jets are at the heart of Envoy Air’s fleet, its focus and energy flows from each and every employee to the customers it serves. That means it’s critical to keep everyone on the team updated with relevant information about pressing items including weather events and shift schedules.

Envoy Air is like other organizations in that it had established a corporate intranet to communicate important news. But much of its workforce — pilots, flight attendants, and ground crews — aren’t sitting at desks in front of a computer all day long.

This makes the strategic use of digital displays an important element in employee communications. Managing those displays and keeping content updated, however, was far from streamlined.

“When it came to screens and signage, it was higgledy-piggledy,” said Adam Simmons, Director of Communications at Envoy Air, as he explained the confusion and disorder. While some locations had higher-quality displays than others, for example, it was not uncommon for Envoy Air to rely on PowerPoint presentations loaded onto USB sticks that staff had to carry around. This fell short of its goal of offering dynamic, real-time data. “What we were displaying was a slide show, effectively.”

Luiz da Silva, Managing Director of Strategy and Operations Analysis at Envoy Air, explained that his team initially developed an in-house application to refresh general statistics on performance dashboards by pinging a website. These dashboards were primarily located at Envoy’s headquarters, but even there, the setup required minicomputers to be manually adapted to the existing displays.

“It wasn’t the most effective arrangement,” Simmons added. “At our headquarters, it was a wall with acrylic panels and a small monitor screen in the center. When we first moved in, we replaced the panels with stock photography, but the monitor ended up looking out of place and didn’t stand out — it just didn’t work well.”

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July 8, 2025
11 more Palestinian martyred by Israeli forces in Gaza – RADIO PAKISTAN
1. 11 more Palestinian martyred by Israeli forces in Gaza RADIO PAKISTAN
2. LIVE: Israel kills 78 Palestinians in Gaza as Trump-Netanyahu meet again Al Jazeera
3. Israeli attacks on Gaza kill 27 people since dawn Dawn
4. Israel kills 32 in Gaza, signals readiness for ceasefire talks The Express Tribune
5. Israel massacres 38 Palestinians as it hits over 100 targets in Gaza | Daily Sabah Daily Sabah
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July 8, 2025
Maro Itoje would welcome Owen Farrell England return

Called up to replace Elliot Daly last week, Farrell took part in his first full training session with the Lions on Tuesday.

Itjoe – who took over from Jamie George as England captain before this year’s Six Nations – said he is excited about what the now four-time Lions tourist can bring to the table in Australia.

It is highly likely that Farrell, who can provide cover at fly-half and inside centre, will play against the AU-NZ Invitational side in Adelaide on Saturday.

It will be 10 weeks since he last played a game, having suffered a concussion with his former club Racing.

“It’s pretty exciting to see what he could potentially bring to us,” said Itoje.

“Owen and I actually went to the same school. When I was in Year 7, he was in Year 10 – so I’ve known Owen since I was literally 11.

“But he didn’t start talking to me until maybe I was 12 or so. The Year 10s didn’t really speak to the Year 7s. When I got to Year 8, he started to talk.

“I have a very good relationship with him. And he just wants the squad to do well. He’s obviously back at Saracens now, which is great.”

Itoje, who returns to the lions side for Wednesday’s game against the Brumbies, was also asked if he is bemused at the way people react to Farrell.

“It’s quite remarkable, really,” he said. “He does provoke pretty strong reactions, either way. It’s pretty crazy.

“I’m sure he’s thinking, like, ‘what did I do?’ But no, he’s fine, and I think everything will be cool.”

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July 8, 2025
Clinical research validates TocoGaia for healthy aging, antioxidant defense and genomic stability

A human clinical study has confirmed that a tocotrienol-enriched functional beverage, containing PhytoGaia’s TocoGaia, delivers “clinically meaningful anti-aging improvements.” These benefits include “enhanced psychological quality of life, stronger antioxidant defenses, and improved telomerase activity, a key marker of genomic stability in healthy aging adults.”

The study spanned six months and involved 67 healthy participants between the ages of 50 and 70. Researchers at the National University of Malaysia conducted the trial.

The key clinical findings from the study showed clinically meaningful improvement in psychological well-being, such as better mood and emotional resilience, when participants consumed the tocotrienol-enriched beverage.

“This is one of the most comprehensive human trials to date showing that tocotrienols (TocoGaia) can positively modulate several key hallmarks of aging, from reducing inflammation and oxidative stress to enhancing genomic protection,” says Dr. Ariati Aris, scientific affairs specialist at PhytoGaia.

“What’s truly encouraging is that these benefits were seen within just six months of supplementation, with no reported side effects. These findings add robust support to the growing scientific evidence positioning tocotrienols (TocoGaia) as a safe and effective nutraceutical for healthy aging.”

Antioxidant and cellular aging benefits

Additionally, TocoGaia enhances the antioxidant enzyme activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, which are key in the body’s antioxidant defense to protect against oxidative stress.

The study also reported a boost in telomerase activity, noting that telomerase — an enzyme critical for maintaining telomere length —- was significantly elevated in the TocoGaia group, suggesting enhanced genomic stability and a potential slowing down of cellular aging.

Furthermore, the research indicated reduced inflammation and oxidative DNA damage, with the supplemented group showing reductions in key inflammatory markers such as TNF-α, as well as other cytokines including IL-6 and TGF-β, along with lower levels of 8-OHdG, a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage. This highlights tocotrienol’s role in modulating inflammation and promoting cellular integrity.

Importantly, the study highlighted an excellent safety profile as “no adverse effects were reported.” Clinical markers such as cortisol, insulin, liver enzymes, and lipid levels remained stable within normal ranges throughout the study.

“This study comes at a pivotal time when brands and consumers alike are demanding natural, effective, and, above all, safe solutions for healthy aging,” comments Bryan See, VP of PhytoGaia.

Synergies with squalene

The study is titled “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial on the Effects of Tocotrienol-Rich Vitamin E on Quality of Life, Antioxidant Status, and Genomic Stability in Older Adults” and was recently published in Nutrients.

PhytoGaia also offers STGaia, a novel synergistic formulation of plant squalene and tocotrienols/tocopherol developed specifically to support healthy aging across both internal and external dimensions, including skin nutrition, mitochondrial health, and hair vitality.

While TocoGaia claims to strengthen antioxidant defences and genomic stability, STGaia complements it by replenishing age-depleted squalene and promoting mitochondrial function, skin barrier integrity and cellular energy balance.

“Together, TocoGaia and STGaia provide a clean-label, clinically supported foundation for brands formulating science-backed solutions for longevity, beauty-from-within, and total wellness,” concludes PhytoGaia.

Nutrition Insight recently sat down with Aris to explore key trends and innovations shaping market growth. He highlighted the current aging population is projected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050, noting that cognitive health, memory support, and mental clarity are top priorities.

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July 8, 2025
Proud Dolf counting days to Nelson Mandela Bay return

And as soon as Dolf had moved from playing on tar to grass when her talents were recognised, she was invited to play rugby with her peers.

Imagine Dolf’s joy when the Springbok Women and Springboks flew from Johannesburg to Gqeberha on the same flight on Sunday, and she found herself seated next to Kolbe.

As she recalls enthusiastically: “We talked a bit of rugby, and he gave me some stepping tips.”

Since boarding the flight to the Friendly City, Dolf has not stopped smiling.

Not only did she score a wonderful try against Canada in the first Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where she plays her provincial rugby for the Bulls Daisies, but then, after spending some time on the plane with Kolbe, she realised she was home when the plane touched down at the David Stuurman International Airport.

“It was such a great feeling to be back. Rugby takes you to many places, but it also takes you away from home a lot, so for me to come back here was such a great feeling,” the fleet-footed utility back said after the Bok Women completed their second training session of the week, focusing squarely on a better result than the 50-20 defeat suffered in Pretoria.

Byrhandre Dolf on her way to scoring a memorable try against Canada in Pretoria.

“We trained nicely so far, and we actually took some confidence from that game, despite the result. We scored three very good tries and realised that the gap between them as number two ranked team in the world, and ourselves is not that big, providing that we limit our soft moments and stay in the fight.”

For Dolf, who made her Test debut against Canada 21 matches ago in 2023, the positives outweigh the negatives coming into the second clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“We focussed on playing with more intensity and not having those ‘switched off’ moments, and that already worked well for us at training. I am optimistic that we will be a much harder team to break down this weekend,” Dolf said.

On a personal level, returning to the impressive stadium will also be special. Not only will Dolf run out onto the field with the Springbok on her chest on Saturday, but she will also be playing in the green and gold in front of her family for the first time.

Special moments indeed, especially doing so in front of her grandmother, Lizzie Jantjies, with whom she lived since the age of 8.

“She is going to be there and see me play and that is special, as well as other family and friends,” Dolf confirmed with a broad smile, adding that her previous experience at the iconic city landmark was equally memorable.

Dolf in action at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.

“I was already playing rugby at the time and loving it and also doing well, having played for the Eastern Province U16 and U18 teams at the National Girls Weeks.

“In 2021, when the Springboks played against Argentina, I was actually a ball retriever inside the stadium for that match and when I handed Malcolm Marx the ball to throw into the lineout, I was the happiest person ever, being so close to a rugby idol.”

A lot of time has passed since and for Dolf, a lot of accolades have happened. She captained the Junior Springbok Women in 2022, made her Test debut a year later and went on to play in 21 Tests, scoring seven tries (and one conversion) in the green and gold, and missing only three Tests since that debut.

“That day I gave Malcolm the ball was huge for me and since a lot of good things happened for me in rugby,” she said.

“To come back here on Saturday will be more than just a game, it will be a homecoming in many ways and rest assured, I will be full of positive energy against Canada. This is going to be such a special day for me.”

And who knows, after the Kolbe stepping tips, it may also be a special day for the spectators.

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July 8, 2025