At the 45th Natural Products Expo West, Jeffrey Bland, PhD, founder of Big Bold Health and a pioneer in functional medicine, reflected on more than four decades of progress in the natural products industry and where it’s headed next.

A trained nutritional biochemist, Bland has long advocated for elevating the role of nutrition science in standard medical practice. He believes the industry is entering a pivotal phase defined by clinical validation, measurable outcomes, and personalized health strategies.

Bland launched Big Bold Health to help bridge the gap between traditional nutrition and rigorous scientific proof. Central to the company’s mission is the concept of “immunity as a driver of longevity.” Rather than viewing the immune system as a defense mechanism, Bland emphasized its role in regulating and remodeling the body. The company focuses on Himalayan Tartary buckwheat, an ancient crop rich in immune-activating compounds that Bland described as one of the most nutrient-dense foods ever studied.

That scientific focus will culminate in an 850-person, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the effects of Tartary buckwheat sprouts on immune aging and longevity, Bland said. Expected to conclude in mid-2026, the study aims to provide robust human data on how targeted nutrition can influence immune resilience, an area Bland believes is central to reducing chronic disease risk and supporting healthy aging.

Personal Perspective

Over his 30-year career, Bland has contributed to hundreds of clinical studies and helped develop numerous products grounded in measurable outcomes. Key to this process, he noted, is identifying meaningful biomarkers that can demonstrate how nutritional interventions impact the body.

Bland has been a champion of personalized nutrition for decades. Once considered impractical at scale, advances in technology are rapidly changing commercial approaches to personalization, he noted.

Wearable devices and continuous biometric tracking now allow consumers to monitor aspects of their health in real time, from metabolic function to “immunometabolism,” the intersection of immune and metabolic systems. This constant stream of data, Bland said, empowers people to take a more proactive, tailored approach to their health.

Education remains another cornerstone of Bland’s work. As co-founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine, he has long advocated for integrating nutrition into medical training. He pointed to encouraging developments in this area, including the incorporation of “food as medicine” principles in upcoming U.S. dietary guidelines and the adoption of culinary medicine programs at leading institutions like the University of California, Irvine, the Cleveland Clinic, and others.

Looking ahead, Bland believes the industry must move beyond unsupported claims toward demonstrable clinical value. For Big Bold Health, that means continuing to invest in rigorous research and applying those findings to both product development and consumer education.

The convergence of science, technology, and personalized data is opening a new chapter for the nutrition industry, according to Bland, where evidence-based interventions have the potential to transform not just individual health, but the broader healthcare landscape.

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