Joint health: “boomer” and “millennial” demographics hold future potential, says Lonza exec

19 Oct 2018 --- The global market for joint health supplements is increasing, driven by the large “baby boomer” population seeking to maintain their mobility and the high rate of supplement use among “millennials.” This is according to Dominik Mattern, Associate Director and Head of Business Development at Lonza. During a NutritionInsight webinar presented yesterday, entitled Driving growth in the joint health category: UC-II undenatured Type II collagen for joint support, Mattern highlighted the shifting market dynamics which is supporting the popularity of ingredients for joint health such as Lonza's UC-II undenatured Type II collagen.

“Two generations that I would like to draw attention to are the boomers, who look to maintain their health and are looking for solutions to do so. In that respect, UC-II undenatured Type II collagen is a game changer. It has a unique mode of action and it will play a role. The other generation are the millennials, they have a high use of supplements and they are continuously looking into effective solutions,” explains Mattern.

“This ingredient is really for the global consumer,” says Stephane Vouche, Marketing Manager at Lonza. “The largest market at the moment for joint health is Asia, followed by the Americas and European countries such as Germany, France, the UK and Italy,” he adds.

The joint health market has been diversifying and moving beyond encompassing just seniors for some time. Innova Market Insights data highlights that mobility is one of the top concerns for UK and US consumers, while products featuring mobility claims accounted for almost 17 percent of all supplements tracked globally between 2013 and 2017.

One ingredient that has potential for this diversifying market is UC-II undenatured Type II collagen, as highlighted by Lonza in the webinar.

UC-II undenatured Type II collagen
Hoping to tap into the high potential consumer segments for joint health – the boomers and the millennials – Lonza offers its UC-II. The ingredient has seen an annual growth from 25 percent to 58 percent from 2013 to 2017, according to Lonza. In this way, its growth rates are similar to that of other trending ingredients such as probiotics and curcumin, the company further notes.

Undenatured (native) type II collagen is derived from chicken sternum cartilage. It’s a trademarked, patented and clinically studied ingredient for joint health. 

“The ingredient is absorbed in the gut, in an area called the Peyers patch. It initiates a cell-signaling cascade involving all anti-inflammatory cytokines (TGF-B and IL-10) which then trigger chondrocytes to produce type II collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins in the knee,” Vouche explains.

Natural ingredients, such as collagen, are particularly popular for joint health. The company describes the ingredient's unique selling points as its small daily dose, unique mechanism of action (oral tolerance) and its considerable backing of preclinical and clinical science. This includes its effect in modulating knee osteoarthritis symptoms and improvements in knee function in healthy subjects.

NutritionInsight has previously reported on how low dosage forms are trending in the joint health market. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that offer efficacy in a convenient format. Furthermore, the “boomer” demographic are often already taking a higher number of medications, often in the form of pills. Taking more medications for joint health is far less attractive than natural supplements, for more consumers.

The low dosage form of the ingredient makes it suitable for a range of applications and delivery forms, further strengthening its appeal to consumers who may tire from taking a large number of medications. 

“One of the biggest differentiators of the UC-II from the more common joint health ingredients is the small daily dose. Solutions already on the US market of our ingredient support this,” says Vouche.

One ready to market product in the US containing UC-II includes vitamin C and D, manganese and copper. Adding vitamin K2 could also be an opportunity, as well as botanical extracts with anti-inflammatory benefits such as omega 3, krill oil, curcumin or Boswellia, Vouche adds. Lonza’s duocap capsule technology [from the legacy Capsugel business], which is suited for combination or dual release products, could facilitate such combinations. 

You can access the full webinar here.

By Laxmi Haigh