Equal opportunities for optimal health: How significant is gender-centric positioning within nutrition?

02 Sep 2019 --- In today’s society, gender is often politicized so specifically engaging with a consumer’s sex might come off as a shallow and outdated way of making a quick buck. Savvy consumers are much more aware (and shrewd) than they used to be, and woe betide the brand which underestimates the intelligence of a consumer base – especially Millennials and the younger Generation Z. Forward-thinking brands instead are ditching traditional “for women” or “for men” food and beverage campaigns for this very reason, but what about the nutritionals space where biology plays such a crucial role?

Gender-differences are seen as such an integral part of personalized nutrition - a trend that is gathering momentum and driving food, beverage and nutritional NPD worldwide – and one that has a significant place in promoting and marketing nutritional products.

The personalized nutrition trend continues to gather pace with more discerning health-conscious consumers zeroing-in on tailored diets and supplementation. Consumers are seeking to take control of their health and wellbeing through preventative means and food, exercise and pharma are all components of that. Gone are the days of a “one-size-fits-all approach” and now is the time for the “make it mine” solution.

Speaking with NutritionInsight, David Gabbay, Vice President of Sales at Isreal-based Anlit – which develops and produces high-quality dietary supplements – explains why differentiation of components and/or doses is required when it comes to providing some supplements for men and women. 

“Until recently there has been a tendency to tailor nutritionals more generically with a lesser focus on gender differences. So if you want to enrich your omega-3 diet to prevent heart problems, for instance, the dose is the same and determined by age, weight, and medical history,” he says.

Gabbay believes that “both genders need to be appreciated and celebrated for their differences.”

“In the case of vitamins, minerals and multivitamins there is a certain difference in RDA concentrations needed for regular maintenance. For example, RDA of Vitamin C for men is 90 mg/day, for women - 75 mg, for pregnant women - 85 mg/day. Differentiation of components or doses is required when it comes to providing a supplement for men and women.”

Anlit’s “Femina Probiotic” chews, for example, contain a combination of probiotic strains and cranberry that promote women’s personal health. You can add or enrich the general formulas with ingredients that women or men can enjoy (such as lycopene for men, cranberries for women, and more),” Gabbay notes. 

When it comes to promoting supplements targeted for health conditions or life periods that characterize men and women, there needs to be differentiation and separate reference to the materials used and their dosage in order to tailor supplements effectively, Gabbay explains.Women absorb nutrients more slowly, a man’s digestive system works differently to a woman’s, say experts.

For example, recommendations for omega-3 high DHA consumption during pregnancy, increased calcium intake during menopause, high iron consumption during the period of fertility, especially during pregnancy. 

Addressing personalized needs and wants
In June, Microbial biotechnology, health, and nutrition expert DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences released a probiotic formula touted as delivering mood, vaginal and immune health benefits for women during pregnancy and beyond, coined Howaru Protect Prenatal+. According to the company, there is a “growing global demand for personalized health care that addresses individual needs and wants.” 

Gone are the days of a “one-size-fits-all approach” and now is the time for the “make it mine” solution, stresses DuPont, which is meeting this need by developing products that are increasingly focused on stages of life rather than broad generic categories. 

“Howaru Protect Prenatal+ is an example of DuPont meeting the demand for condition-specific formulations,” a DuPont spokesperson says. 

The need for improved nutritional differentiation is also underscored by Jonekos Staness, Founder and CEO of nutrition company Eat Like a Woman, who believes “All nutrition has not been created equal.” She stresses the importance of female-specific needs that have, until recently, been largely ignored.  

A woman’s nutritional needs are of course very different at each life stage. such as from reproductive years to pregnancy.“Women are not ‘small men’ who just need different portion sizes,” she says. “Until recently, it was thought that the only difference between women and men was merely reproductive.” Today, we know that the combination of genetic, hormonal, and physiological differences affects not only our susceptibility to disease but also how our bodies respond to diet.”

A woman’s nutritional needs are of course very different at each life stage from the reproductive years to pregnancy/lactation, to menopause and beyond, but it’s important to not just concentrate of reproductive health as the personalized nutrition trend evolves. There is plenty of opportunity for innovation, geared towards both genders, that lay outside of this. 

Women absorb nutrients more slowly, a man’s digestive system works differently to a woman’s, women experience greater levels of insomnia and do not process serotonin as well as men, while men can experience heart disease differently than women. In sports nutrition, women oxidize more fat and fewer carbohydrates and protein compared to men during endurance exercise. Taking all these factors, and more, into consideration, industry’s personalized nutrition journey and how gender fits into that, is only just beginning. 

A full version of these interviews can be found in an in-depth article in the forthcoming edition of The World of Food Ingredients. 

By Gaynor Selby