Industry personalizes healthy aging nutrition to boost adherence and enjoyment

The nutrition industry is increasingly personalizing longevity and healthspan supplements to promote adherence and efficacy as aging needs change significantly across life stages. To explore the convenient, enjoyable solutions that cater to diverse health requirements for healthy aging, Nutrition Insight speaks with Valio, Akay Bioactives, Balchem Human Nutrition and Health, Sirio Europe, and Gnosis by Lesaffre. 

In our previous report, we revealed how industry players are shifting from the “anti-aging” angle to “lifelong vitality or healthspan,” prioritizing measurable outcomes over vague longevity promises. 

However, ageless vitality claims have been found to often rely on preclinical data instead of human clinical trials proving functional health outcomes like mobility or inflammation reduction. In response, industry players are calling for dose-relevant studies, validated biomarkers, and real-world evidence to match consumer expectations for measurable benefits.

Making personalization practical

Dr. Anu Turpeinen, Nutrition Research manager at Valio, states that personalization is becoming essential — “but it must also be practical.”

“Valio designs solutions that fit naturally into everyday diets, because long-term adherence is key to real impact,” she notes. “Nutrition for older adults should never feel clinical or restrictive; it should be enjoyable. Palatability is especially important, as appetite often declines with age, increasing the risk of inadequate nutrient intake.”

“That’s why we focus on sensory quality, delivering fresh, clean flavors and a smooth, appealing mouthfeel. We also enable personalization through versatile formats, from fresh products to functional powders.”

She highlights Valio’s portfolio, which features lactose-free solutions for better digestibility, probiotic-enriched products offering gut well-being, high-protein options to aid muscle function, and phospholipid-rich ingredients such as milk fat globule membrane to support cognitive health.

Botanicals & better bioavailability

For personalized solutions, Akay Bioactives’ ingredients are based on clinically backed botanicals that have been shown to target physiological pathways, says Trisha Sugarek MacDonald, Ph.D., market development manager at Akay Bioactives, an Oterra company. “This includes cognitive performance, hormonal balance, metabolic health, sleep quality, and musculoskeletal wellness.”

Personalization can be made practical by focusing on sensory quality and clean flavors.“When expanding our portfolio, we evaluate emerging health and lifestyle trends and ensure our ingredients align with modern delivery formats and performance expectations in terms of benefit outcomes,” shares MacDonald. “Where enhanced absorption is needed, our patented FenuMat technology improves bioavailability, supporting lower effective dosages, enhancing water dispersibility, and refining organoleptic properties.”

She says the technology supports long-term consumer adherence and product experience. Akay Bioactives’ ingredient design enables their incorporation into several kinds of delivery formats, such as beverages, gummies, capsules, and ready-to-mix powders, giving brands the flexibility to develop solutions that fit into consumers’ daily lives.

Ensuring supplement reliability

Working with nutrients that are sensitive to degradation, Balchem Human Nutrition and Health focuses on ensuring that their mineral and vitamin supporting health plan performs reliably across formats, shares Dominik Mattern, VP of Science, Business Development and Marketing.

“The stability and bioavailability of the nutrients are fundamental, especially in multi-ingredient formulations where the interaction can sometimes lead to degradation. Vitamin K2 is a good example. Because of its sensitive nature, it can break down when combined with certain minerals. To address this, we developed K2Vital Delta, the world’s only patented double-microencapsulated vitamin K2 designed for mineral combinations.”

“We put this to the test with our Vital Trio concept, which combines the vitamin with our Albion Minerals’ chelated magnesium bisglycinate and vitamin D3. Together, these ingredients work to support immunity, heart health, and others, demonstrating how brands can deliver more in a single, convenient product.”

Furthermore, he spotlights the company’s recent launch, VitaCholine Pro-Flo for tablet multivitamin solutions, which uses technology to solve choline’s natural hygroscopicity, which is its tendency to attract and keep moisture.

Industry players are focused on consumer adherence with new delivery formats to promote preventative health approaches.“The result is improved stability, efficient compression, and smooth absorption, making it easier to incorporate choline into multivitamins with additional cognitive health benefits.”

Delivery formats for preventative nutrition

Just addressing life stage requirements for healthy aging means that “efficacy alone is not enough,” says Sara Lesina, general manager at Sirio Europe.

“Solutions must also be convenient, enjoyable and easy to integrate into daily routines if they’re going to deliver real long-term impact. This thinking sits behind our most recent development — Lifechews, a patented plant-based gel tablet system designed to transform lipid-based supplementation.”

“LifeChews combine clinically proven bioavailability, a high nutrient payload and a pleasant, chewable format, answering growing consumer demand for supplements — including for longevity — that are as enjoyable as they are effective.”

Using new delivery formats, the company seeks to help brands create longevity solutions that consumers would take every day, not just when they are motivated or when issues start emerging. Lesina believes LifeChews will hold broad market appeal, especially with younger consumers 

“However, it’s important to remember that older people still often prefer delivery formats they’re already familiar with, like capsules and powders. That’s why our new longevity platform, Aeion, contains a range of formats and vitality-supporting ingredients — to help brands help consumers of all ages establish and follow their routines over the long term.”

At Gnosis by Lesaffre, the research team focuses on solutions based on age, genetics, and dietary patterns, says its global operational marketing director, Silvia Pisoni.

“It’s now clear that healthspan gains from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) and folate supplementation vary. Older individuals benefit most from direct methylation interventions like SAMe due to declining levels of B vitamin absorption that impact the one-carbon cycle.”

“Also, genetic mutations (e.g., MTHFR polymorphisms) prevent effective folate metabolism, leaving room for innovative products to target genetically vulnerable populations. Meanwhile, populations with low B vitamin intake, such as those following vegan or vegetarian diets, may need tailored solutions combining SAMe with bioavailable folate,” she explains.

Formulations should target specific populations, as aging is multifaceted, says Pisoni, pointing to how older adults with reduced B12 absorption or high homocysteine might respond differently to SAMe than a younger person with better nutrient status.

“Personalization is central to effective positioning. Adherence is encouraged by the type of delivery format, enteric coating to enhance stability, and dosing schedules,” she concludes.