Dairy holds bone health stronghold while vitamins and proteins drive industry innovation

10 Mar 2022 --- While bone health has traditionally been associated with older consumers, the space is seeing growing interest from younger populations. This shifting age demographic is leading industry to innovate beyond conventional supplements and offer more functional food equivalents.

NutritionInsight speaks to a roundtable of experts from Gnosis by Lesaffre, Fonterra and Valio on evolving trends and the attraction dairy continues to have.

“Consumers are actively seeking bone-support nutrients, but they are slowly starting to shift from traditional supplementation to foods fortified with these nutrients,” says Xavier Berger, global market manager with Gnosis by Lesaffre.

“Everyone is becoming more active, so they want their supplementation to ‘meet them where they are,’ so they can more easily fill their nutritional needs with items they are already consuming.”Calcium helps reduce bone mineral loss especially in post-menopausal women.

Vying for key ingredients
The main attribute consumers pay attention to when making purchasing decisions is the ingredient list, ahead of a brand name or health benefit claims, says Victoria Lam, general manager marketing, active living, Fonterra. 

The top three ingredients that consumers consider to address bone health are vitamins and minerals, followed by dairy proteins and then plant-based proteins, she notes.

Where older consumers are concerned, plant proteins are replaced by essential fatty acids.

Calcium, in particular, is considered a: “crucial building block of bone tissue,” while vitamin D is also one of the most mentioned ingredients, outlines Michael Healy, customer development manager at Valio. Milk also contains phosphorus, magnesium and zinc, which all aid in the upkeep of normal bones.

Consumers are keen to consume calcium for bone support, whether through diet or supplements. “However, it is essential that consumption be paired with vitamin K2 as MK-7 to ensure that calcium is properly used by the body,” Berger underscores. 

Vitamin K2 as MK-7 activates K-dependent proteins that help the body properly utilize calcium, he explains. It should also be paired with vitamin D, which promotes the production of vitamin K-dependent protein osteocalcin, responsible for building bone.

Dairy’s stronghold
Inevitably, items such as calcium and vitamin D are strongly associated with dairy ingredients. Consequently, these are linked to multiple mobility factors and claims. Citing Innova Market Insights, Berger highlights that 80% of products with bone health claims are supplements or dairy.

“Dairy is a well-known provider of many mobility supporting ingredients such as high-quality protein, calcium, phosphorous and vitamins, playing an important role in healthy aging,” Lam underscores.

Some dairy proteins such as milk protein concentrate or calcium caseinate can be ideal ingredients, she explains. This is because they are a source of both protein and minerals (calcium and phosphorus), components required to build and maintain bone. 

“As complete proteins which contain all the essential amino acids, dairy proteins also have added advantages for overall mobility by supporting muscle maintenance, strength and growth.”

Room for alternatives?
Healy notes that, although milk and dairy products are a known source of bone tissue building blocks: “as many as 70% of world’s population are unable to consume regular dairy products due to lactose intolerance or lactose malabsorption.”

This suggests “great potential in the lactose-free market, also in connection to bone health,” he adds.

Companies are already tapping into opportunities with plant-based micronutrients, aiming to strengthen bones.Consumers are keen to make lifestyle choices across their life to maintain mobility.

Shifting trends
Put simply, bone health is no longer seen as a category exclusive for the senior population, Berger explains. “More consumers, particularly those pursuing active lifestyles, recognize the importance of shoring up their bone strength.” 

Lam makes a similar observation that younger generations recognize mobility outcomes are improved by choices made across one’s life, not just during senior years. The value of nutrition is becoming increasingly understood in improving mobility across all age groups, she notes.

“A key example of this is a greater focus on building up bone density through 20s and 30s when bone mass peaks, in anticipation of the natural decline that comes with age. This messaging is also increasingly communicated via government health agencies.” 

Even if they are not directly affected by bone and joint health issues, more than six out of ten consumers in markets including China, Japan, the US and UK are interested in bone and joint health products, she underlines. Research also shows that 85% of global consumers aged 16-54 want to manage their health now to avoid health issues when they are older.

Beyond interest from younger generations, there has also been interest from aging groups, who seek to remain independently active as they get older. 

“At a global scale, it is estimated that by 2050, there will be two billion people over 60 years old. As our most senior generations expand in numbers, they are living longer and more active lives, and they demand more products that support this. Bone, muscle and cognitive health are all areas where this trend is showing in a big way now and in the near future,” Haley underscores.Dairy products are inevitably associated with bone health.

Broadening applications
Consumers are actively seeking bone-support nutrients, but they are slowly starting to shift from traditional supplementation to foods fortified with these nutrients, Berger highlights. 

Nearly two-thirds of product launches with bone health claims 2020-2021 were supplements. Dairy products account for 16% of all launches and half of food and beverage sources of bone-building calcium and vitamin, Innova Market Insights highlights.

For food and beverage applications, dairy products are often fortified with vitamin D, which has the additional benefit of supporting absorption and retention of calcium and phosphorus in the bone, Lam notes. At adequate levels, calcium and vitamin D work in synergy to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fracture in older consumers.

“As mobility becomes more of a mainstream conversation, there is an opportunity to provide a wider range of solutions outside of the medical nutrition space, to target consumers who adopt proactive measures to maintain bone health, such as liquid or powdered beverage formats,” she adds.

Research shows that one-third of global consumers prefer to manage their bone health through a normal diet such as recognizable foods and beverages rather than via supplements, Lam notes. 

By Andria Kades