Healthy ageing for all

Welcome to the Vitafoods Insights Monthly Thematic Podcast, where each month we highlight a different topic within the nutraceutical industry. Join us as we explore this month's theme, healthy ageing. Today's host is Ajay Paul, graduate fellow. 

It’s no longer about targeting the older consumer; healthy ageing is now a lifelong journey to maximise health-span, not just lifespan. It is important to understand what different demographics are seeking at their life stages, explore the latest ingredients and research, and gain insight on the science around heart health, eye health, skin health, and more. Healthy Ageing is our thematic topic for February and is being sponsored by Valio, Gnosis by Lesaffre, and TSI Group. First off, Michael Healy, customer development manager at Valio, offers his perspective on how the healthy ageing category is shifting, and what product marketers should understand about the target audience. 

At Valio, we've seen from our buyer research and customer feedback that there has been a clear shift in the category from niche medical nutrition products for the very elderly, to more general applications targeted at midlife consumers. A large driving force behind this change has been the preventative health trend. This has seen consumers become more proactive in researching the food that they buy, and valuing functional health benefits. By improving your diet in mid life, it is possible to reduce your risk of aging related conditions later on and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Older people are a heterogeneous group, which means that product marketers need to develop solutions that better target the needs of many different individuals. Appetite typically becomes less when you get older, so products need to have a nice taste to ensure compliance. A good example of this is Valios nutritional premix Nutri F+. Nutri F+ is made from fresh finished milk and developed to meet the unmet needs of aging adults. It has been specifically formulated to support a variety of different health concerns. For example, bone health, muscle mass, and cognitive activity. 

The support towards bone health, muscle mass, and cognitive activity all residing in Nutri F+ make it a fascinating product indeed with great potential in the Healthy Ageing market. Next up, Anne Roksvåg, senior marketing manager at Gnosis by Lesaffre, shares her insights on how the Healthy Ageing category is changing and which ingredients are making an impact. 

People are in general more mindful of how their lifestyle choices affect their present day health, but more importantly, how those choices impact their future health. The Healthy Aging category previously dominated by an older demographic has expanded and is being considered by younger active consumers who recognize the importance of building a healthy foundation earlier in life. This shift in focus is thanks in great part to the supplement industry, widening its message to speak to younger demographics, particularly those in their late 20s, late 30s, who are making conscious health choices as they plan for the future. These active life stylers are primed for supplements that support overall health, including bone, joint and heart health. They are seeking supplements that not only deliver multiple health benefits, but in new on the go delivery formats that fit into their active lifestyles. Vitamin K2, as backed by the clinical validation of MenaQ7® has emerged as the key nutrient to support healthy aging, with its proven benefits to support bone and heart health. At Gnosis by Lesaffre, we are thrilled to offer the most comprehensive vitamin K2 solutions platform, increasing our customers opportunities to incorporate the proven health benefits of vitamin K2 in products targeted at all of life stages. Further, we understand how K2 works synergistically with other key nutrients that speak to the healthy aging demographic, such as vitamin D3, but also omega-3s. And we can guide brand owners through creating innovative formulas that deliver multiple clinically validated benefits, as well as empowering them to explore new delivery formats. 

It seems that K2 is a key nutrient in the Healthy Ageing space which can not only be synergised with other important nutrients but can also target different life stages. Finally, Larry Kolb, president of TSI Group, commented on not only the changes in the healthy ageing category, but the opportunities this opens up in the industry. 

So at TSI, we see the Healthy Ageing category changing primarily in a demographic that we're working on, and that is achieving total musculoskeletal health. Where we see this healthy ageing opportunity is achieving total musculoskeletal health is like a free three prong stool we have joint health and bone health, which are very well established categories, multibillion dollar ingredient categories, but you really have a untapped market and that is the muscle health. And that's the third leg of the stool, we see the muscle health category as significant, especially for this demographic that's 40 years and older, we would consider these the aging population that includes more of an active lifestyle, active nutrition and also a senior population that is growing older and trying to achieve this total musculoskeletal health we see myHMB is being a cornerstone ingredient in muscle health in the primary benefits that it provides that in improving muscular skeletal growth as well as attenuating or reducing muscle loss as you age. So we're very excited about these changes in the Healthy Aging category and we look very much forward to be a leader in the in the muscle health solutions with myHMB. 

The potential opportunities in the healthy ageing market to improve muscular skeletal growth and reduce the muscle loss that comes with age certainly make myHMB an ingredient to watch out for. We appreciate Michael, Anne, and Larry, for taking the time to share their insights on the healthy ageing category, and Valio, Gnosis by Lesaffre, and the TSI Group for their sponsorship. If you are interested in learning more about these products, make sure to check out the hyperlink available in the show notes. Thanks for tuning in and see you soon.  

Thank you for tuning in. And don't forget to check the show notes that will allow you to link to the information discussed in today's podcast, as well as any sponsorship opportunities. Our monthly thematic episodes are published on the second Thursday of each month. So be sure to stay tuned, subscribe and even suggest to a friend. You can listen to all our episodes in your favourite platform or you can also check our episodes as well as other editorial content at vitafoodsinsights.com.