:max_bytes(100000)/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.pijper.io%2F2026%2F06%2Fcmz5JDS3zntwOU1781698096.jpg "A university of exeter clinical trial has added new weight to the case for colour nutrition")
Its story centres on a University of Exeter clinical trial exploring whether a supplement concentrating plant colour nutrients could reproduce some of the health benefits long associated with the Mediterranean diet.
What the Trial Found
The Exeter study enrolled 150 adults aged 50 and over, across a 60-day period. It was randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled, meaning neither participants nor researchers knew who was taking the active supplement until the study ended. According to the trial summary, those taking DailyColours showed significant improvements in cognitive performance and physical fitness. Blood analysis also found changes in immune pathways and inflammation markers consistent with patterns seen in people who follow the Mediterranean diet over time.
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most extensively studied eating patterns in the world. Research from long-lived populations, including places such as Sardinia and Ikaria, has linked it to lower rates of heart disease, slower cognitive decline, and longer healthy lives. Translating even part of that effect into supplement form is an ambitious claim, but the Exeter findings suggest concentrated plant colour nutrients do reflect many of those benefits.
A related sub-study at King’s College London looked at epigenetic changes after one month of supplementation. Researchers reported shifts in gene expression consistent with slower biological ageing, though they stressed these findings should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.
Beyond the Single-Ingredient Trend
Much of the fast-growing healthy ageing supplement market still revolves around single compounds such as NMN, spermidine, fisetin, and resveratrol. The theory is usually straightforward: identify one molecule, link it to one ageing pathway, and build the product around it. But diet does not work that way, and neither does ageing.
DailyColours was developed over four years to reflect the colour diversity of Mediterranean plant foods. It uses extracts from 16 fruits, vegetables, and herbs to deliver more than 160 phytonutrients across four plant colour groups: red, blue-purple, green, and orange-yellow. The company’s research suggests that the value lies in the spectrum rather than any one compound alone.
Why Colour Nutrition Matters
The basic science is simple enough. Beta-carotene gives carrots their orange colour. Lycopene gives tomatoes their red. Anthocyanins create the blue-purple pigment in berries. These compounds help protect plants, and when eaten, they help support human health too.
The practical problem for most of us is that very few people eat a wide range of colourful plant foods every day. That is where DailyColours makes its case: as a way to narrow the gap between what the Mediterranean diet offers and what modern routines often make difficult.