Huel v2.1 launched

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Hi Huelers,

We are pleased the say that v2.1 is now shipping.

Below is the info from here: https://huel.com/pages/huel-version-2-1

In June 2015 we launched Huel which shortly incorporated a couple of formula tweaks and Huel v1.2 was successfully sold for over 9 months. Always innovating, we felt there were changes we could make to further improve Huel. In August 2016 we launched v2.0 and you can read these changes here.

Now we’ve launched Huel v2.1 which features some further improvements which follow both feedback from regular Huelers as well as our own research.

As before, the main ingredients in Huel are unchanged: Huel remains primarily oats, pea protein, flaxseeds, brown rice protein, MCT from coconut and sunflower lecithin. And don’t forget the great changes we made on introducing v2.0 including the addition of lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene and replacing folic acid with the more biologically active L-methylfolate calcium. These remain integral parts of the Huel 2.1 formula as well as:

  1. Removal of Sodium Fluoride

Fluoride is an essential nutrient and is crucial for dental health and, as we felt that Huel should contain everything the body needs, we included it in the formula, especially as not everyone has access to a fluoridated water supply. However, the inclusion of fluoride in Huel was unpopular so we felt we should listen to our consumers and remove it. Huel v2.1 contains no sodium fluoride. Instead we recommend that, if your water supply doesn’t contain fluoride, that you brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste.

  1. Addition of Vitamin K2

Vitamin K is an essential vitamin. In Huel v1.2 and v2.0, the requirements for vitamin K were met from the vitamin K1 naturally occurring in Huel’s core ingredients, plus additional K1 in the vitamin & mineral blend. However, additional advantages from consuming vitamin K2 have been demonstrated. Vitamin K2 is naturally produced from bacteria and refers to several variants of the vitamin. MK-7 is the most biologically effective form (due to it’s stability (1)) and is the form we’ve used in Huel v2.1. Vitamin K2 performs the same functions as vitamin K1 by assisting in blood clotting and vessel integrity. However, it has also has been shown to help as an anti-inflammatory agent, with consequential cardiovascular benefits (2,3), as well as improved bone health (4,5,6,7). It may also help reduce the risk of prostate cancer (8). We chose not to reduce the amount of K1 in Huel, but to add K2 as extra. This means that the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) is met by K1 alone with additional K2 for the health benefits stated above.

Since the launch of v2.0, we also made two other changes to the formula: Firstly, on launching v2.0, we used methycobalamin rather than cyanocobalamin as our vitamin B12 source. However, we were unsure that its bioavailability was as efficient so, within two weeks, we switched back to cyanocobalamin and we have continued to use this as our B12 source in v2.1.

Secondly, we added sea salt to v2.0 to increase what we then felt was an inadequate sodium amount in Huel. This addition proved unpopular, so we removed sea salt and v2.1 continues to have a salt level of 3.3g per 2,000 calories.

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“Instead we recommend that, if your water supply doesn’t contain fluoride, that you brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste.”

Sorry to be pedantic but you are implying here that if you are in a fluoridated water area then it is not necessary to brush your teeth :stuck_out_tongue:

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Dentists in my country (we don’t have fluoride in our water supply) now recommend to spit out your toothpaste after brushing but not to rinse your mouth so some will be left on your teeth. No doubt some fluoride will enter your systems trough your skin and tongue and by swallowing a bit (for those who worry about not getting enough).

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Incredible. This just keeps getting better :slight_smile: Thanks, I’m so happy to be supporting such a great company!

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Meh. I should have held off ordering. I did ask on my order that if Huel 2.1 wasn’t ready they could delay my order so it meant getting 2.1 but for some reason they didn’t and sent me 2.0 anyway :frowning:

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The notes on the basket page are not always read, we ask that they are read and heeded to but they can be missed. If you have any requests then it is always best to contact us team@huel.com.

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Glad to see the salt and fluoride changes.

The vitamin K changes seem sensible and positive.

Is L-methylfolate calcium shelf stable?

I noticed B12 is now 2.5mcg. It seems there’s maybe evidence it should be 4mcg/day:

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/4150

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I’d also like to see lutein and zeaxanthin amounts raised to those recommended here:

http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/diet-and-nutrition/lutein?sso=y

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Isn’t the Vitamin B12 amount a little low now?

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the Panel sets an Adequate Intake (AI) for cobalamin at 4 μg/day for adults based on data on different biomarkers of cobalamin status and in consideration of observed mean intakes, which range between 4.2 and 8.6 μg/day in adults in several EU countries.

I would actually prefer 6mcg B12 since that’s likely near the median in regular diets. But even 4mcg is significantly more than the current 2.5mcg/2000kcal. Huel 1.2 used to have 4.5mcg/2000kcal.

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Hi guys

Thanks for the feedback so far on V2.1; we’ve worked hard and listened to feedback to further improve Huel.

We’re no dentists here, so all we recommend is you follow conventional sensible tooth care advice!

B12 - the 2.5mcg level meets EU levels at 2k calories and this level itself is far more than sufficient for the majority of the population. Indeed, the 1991 Dietary Reference Level of just 1.5mcg per day, a level that was the advice for years, provided more than enough to prevent deficiency as well as an intake to withstand a period of zero intake; so stores will certainly be adequate on 2.5mcg per day The liver turnover of B12 is very slow and this is where 80% of B12 is stored.

However, as always, we will review current evidence and will be happy to revise should it be necessary.

B12 deficiency is usually associated with other pathology rather than inadequate enteral intake.

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As a long term vegan I now take sublingual B12 supplements, and will continue to do so. As you get older absorption can be more difficult. It is the only supplement I take, and I take both cyano and methyl. Having said that I have had my levels taken numerous times by my GP (even before I started supplementing) and my levels were always good - above average. They remain so.

b12 deficiency is not fun from what I have read/heard, and anyone can be deficient but like you say it is often associated with other pathology…but does seem to increase with age.

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It is more prevalent as you get older as the stomach get’s less efficient in producing intrinsic factor; this is why pernicious anaemia can be an issue in elderly and it’s entirely unrelated to B12 oral/enteral intake.

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Just opened and tried my new bag of 2.1 - tastes great. Possibly less sweet than the last version. Good work.

Edit - I have the Vanilla version.

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Anyone else find the aftertaste really bad in the vanilla V2.1? Speaking as someone who just finished his last bag of V1.2.
It’s hard to describe it, but I can smell it too once it’s mixed. It’s a strong/sharp taste.

I might’ve gotten the wrong impression of the taste, because the only time I’ve encountered this smell/taste was when I had left my shaker filled with water, for later cleaning, for a day in a hot apartment. And at the top of the lid there had been air trapped, really letting it all get nasty. And the smell that had when I opened it is the taste I get from V2.1.

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I’m on my first mix of 2.1, generally I do 600ml water with 2xU/U 1xVanilla and 1tbps of Cocoa powder.
it’s noticably thicker with 2.1, enough that I’m going to have to adjust my mixes as its more like drinking porridge than a chocolate shake.
there’s also a slightly odd aftertaste that I can’t quite put my finger on.
not sure if the aftertaste is due to the vanilla, the U/U or both

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Will this new formula help with my wind issues from previous versions?

Any ratios changed? Etc.

Thanks!

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No changes in the ratios of Huel. The changes from the first batch of v2.0 and v2.1 are:

  • No fluoride
  • No added salt
  • Added Vit K2
  • Change of B12 source from methyl- to cyanocobalamin

No changes to macronutrients.

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I noticed an ingredient change that appears to have gone undiscussed: Huel’s source of Vitamin E.

Version 1.2 still contained D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (natural), but 2.1 contains DL-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (synthetic). I’m unable to find which one was in version 2.0, but in any case Huel now contains synthetic Vitamin E.

The change surprises me for two reasons: [1] synthetic Vitamin E has lower bio-availibility than its natural counterpart, therefore more is needed to reach the RDA level; [2] the 2.0 release notes proudly announced that more vitamins and minerals now came from natural food sources, thereby implying that Huel aims to maximize its use of natural micro-nutrients.

Personally, I would prefer natural Vitamin E simply for its higher bioavailibility. Also, I would have liked Huel to include the change in the 2.0 or 2.1 release notes with an explanation. Now it slightly feels like the change was sneaked in; I can only guess it was to lower production costs.

Sources:
[1] http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-E
[2] https://huel.com/pages/huel-version-2-0-the-principal-changes

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I noticed this change also but it’s probably not very important. Is there any evidence that DL-α-tocopherol is inferior when you account for the difference in vitamin E activity?

Maybe someone from Huel could answer the following

  1. What percentage of vitamin E comes from the natural ingredients?
  2. Wikipedia says that 1 IU racemic mixture = 0.45 “milligrams α-tocopherol”[1], has this been accounted for?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Tocopherol