Healthy aging not just about seniors, say Vitafoods 2020 exhibitors

08 Sep 2020 --- The healthy aging sector has developed to include more than just senior consumer groups. Ranging from acute pain relief to long-term heart and bone health, various interpretations of healthy aging are on display at Vitafoods Virtual Expo 2020, hosted from September 7 to 11.

NutritionInsight speaks with event exhibitors who demonstrate how the sector refuses to remain stagnant in its definition and product applications.

“Healthy aging is a fast-growing segment, not only because older people want to live longer and improve their quality of life, but also because younger adults are focusing on how they can stay in shape for the long term,” says Anne Passemard, Innovation Director EAME, Functional and Nutritional Ingredients – Taste & Well-Being at Naturex, part of Givaudan.

“The definition of healthy aging has changed significantly in recent years. It’s a concern for consumers as early as their mid-forties and now encompasses the maintenance of vital functions such as mobility, cognition, memory, men’s health, women’s health and cardiovascular health.”

COVID-19 has shone a light on the importance of securing overall health, says Traberg of Nattopharma.Meanwhile, Séverine Lemoine, Communication Manager at Ingredia, adds that diseases such as osteopenia, sarcopenia or diabetes, as well as concerns like cardiovascular health and stress, can also impact healthy aging in the long-term.

Investing in “vital senior years”
Consumers interested in healthy aging increasingly understand that the preventative care approach requires a long-term investment in maintaining overall health.

“It is now recognized that being vital in our senior years means putting the right elements in place earlier to provide a foundation of health,” asserts Gunilla Traberg, Director Sales at NattoPharma ASA. 

“It is also worth noting that COVID-19 has shone a light on the importance of securing overall health. Some we have lost during the pandemic did not die from COVID-19, but rather the underlying health conditions that were exacerbated, such as compromised cardiovascular health,” she notes.

Gen Z, Gen X or Baby Boomers all share a growing awareness of the benefits of balanced, holistic well-being, embracing nutrition that supports both physical and emotional well-being, says Myrthe de Beukelaar. The Market Analyst at Innova Market Insights presented a webinar on healthy aging and how the shifting consumer groups are optimizing industry innovation.

“Sophisticated personalized nutrition advice is still expensive since it tends to involve the input of health professionals evaluating the data provided, followed by composing a personalized eating plan for the individual. In time, however, the cost of this will come down owing to the emergence of software programs, which will be able to provide a similar level of service in a completely automated way.”

Attenuating pain, extending lifespan
There is “no doubt” that pain is a “useful and important symptom” for body signals of imminent health issues, says Dr. Benny Antony, Joint Managing Director, Arjuna Natural. However, it is also a major cause of not just discomfort, but the loss of quality of life.

What results is a “cyclic effect” of manifested physical pain affecting mental well-being, consequently resulting in further negative impact on both social and physical well-being. “We can easily see why pain is a nemesis of healthy aging itself,” Dr. Antony highlights.

The general consensus to “grin and bear” pain is outdated in an ever-developing healthy aging sector (Credit: Arjuna Natural).For Dr. Antony, there is a clear relationship between economic and social distress and heightened importance for overall health and well-being. “[Health] impacts livelihoods of not just the adult population, but also in the opportunities that the adult population can provide for their offspring.” 

Broadening product offerings
In the nutraceuticals space, Arjuna Natural identified an abundance of natural remedies acting over time, but fewer natural solutions for acute pain relief. This led the India-based company to introduce Rhuleave-K to the healthy aging arena, a synergistic botanical blend that can provide pain relief as quickly as within 2.4 hours.

At the Vitafoods event, Nattopharma is presenting its flagship vitamin K2 brand MenaQ7 that “simultaneously addresses bone and cardiovascular health.” Meanwhile, Ingredia is exhibiting its range of proteins and bioactives for aging well, including Pep2Dia, Lactium and Proferrin.

Two of Naturex’s flagship ingredients, Flowens for urinary health and a highly bioavailable TurmiPure Gold for pain management and joint health, address key challenges in the healthy aging space right now, says Passemard. Produced from a full-spectrum cranberry blend, Flowens has been clinically shown to improve lower urinary tract symptoms in men at daily doses of 250 mg and 500 mg. 

Ahead of the virtual event, NutritionInsight also spoke with Bioiberica and Lonza on how undenatured collagens are tapping into the healthy aging trend. Yesterday’s coverage detailed how storytelling is underscored to address consumers seeking sourcing narratives.

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting from Katherine Durrell