Natural Products Global was saddened to hear of the untimely death of our long-time columnist – and friend – Jack Challem.
Jack became ill towards the end of 2016 and his last Natural Products News (NPG’s sister publication) column appeared in the January issue. He died on April 13 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, aged 66.
Jack gained fame as The Nutrition Reporter, a persona and newsletter that was published for decades and combined solid research with an accessible writing style. He was a prolific health writer and best-selling author of more than 20 books.
Jack’s books included No More Fatigue, Stop Prediabetes Now, The Food-Mood Solution, The Inflammation Syndrome, Feed Your Genes Right and Syndrome X. His nutrition articles also appeared widely in US consumer titles. He was a well known figure at trade shows, both in the US and Europe, where he regularly attracted standing-room-only crowds at his seminars.
NPG editor in chief, Jim Manson, comments: “I met Jack on several occasions, both at US trade shows and at our own Natural & Organic Products Europe events in London. As well having a very obvious talent for making complex health topics understandable and accessible to a wide audience, he was a warm and generous-spirited person. We emailed and spoke monthly for years, ostensibly to discuss content for his NPN column – but more often than not as an excuse to discuss a shared passion for photography. I’ll miss Jack’s columns – and our monthly chats.”