Austin, Texas – September 11, 2026 -- Humann, the Austin-based cardiovascular supplement maker behind SuperBeets, has formed a research partnership with the University of California, Davis and appointed Dr. Harold Schmitz, Ph.D., as Chair of its Science Advisory Board to lead the collaboration.
Schmitz brings Mars Inc. science leadership to cardiovascular nutrition research
Dr. Schmitz previously served as Chief Science Officer at Mars, Inc. and as Senior Scholar at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, with a background in nitric oxide research and food and nutrition innovation. In his new role, he will direct the partnership with UC Davis' Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH), which will design and run scientific studies, including clinical trials, examining how nutrition influences cardiovascular health across life stages in women and men.
Company builds on eight prior published clinical studies of its products
Humann says the IIFH partnership extends a research base that already includes eight published clinical studies on its supplements. The company was founded on research originating at The University of Texas and has previously worked with scientific figures including Dr. John Ivy on exercise and metabolism, cardiologist Dr. John Cooke, and the late Nobel Laureate Dr. Ferid Murad, whose work on nitric oxide's cardiovascular signaling role underpins much of the company's product science.
Executives frame collaboration as shift from disease treatment to prevention
"We believe it's time to reframe the conversation around heart health because, for too long, America has been looking at it the wrong way,