Proactive management: The new frontier in vitamin supplementation

22 Apr 2024 --- A major influence on the vitamin domain these days is the consumer shift to proactive health management, with the leading health benefits being healthy aging, women’s health and beauty. We catch up with experts from Blue California, dsm-firmenich, SternVitamin and ADM, who share industry perspectives on what’s shaping the vitamin landscape.

“Globally, consumers are willing to pay a premium on ingredients that are considered natural and ensure product safety. The US has witnessed an uptick in vitamin and supplement consumption, with over 22% of its consumers reporting increased usage from 2022 to 2023,” Linda May-Zhang, Ph.D., VP of science and innovation at Blue California, tells Nutrition Insight.

“The top reason for this rise is health maintenance, cited by 55% of supplement users. This shift underscores a growing consumer emphasis on proactive health management, signaling a promising outlook for vitamins and supplements, where evidence-backed products are in high demand.”

Diet and health correlation
According to May-Zhang, Innova Market Insights’ Consumer Trends Report 2023 reveals that  61% of consumers worldwide equate “healthier living” with a nutritious diet. This mindset has catalyzed a surge in the use of supplements, particularly vitamins. 

“Supplements are increasingly regarded as a beneficial complement to diet to actively foster well-being. Other key drivers include immunity boosting (37%), energy enhancement (24%) and sleep quality improvement (22%),” May-Zhang says.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unprecedented surge in the demand for vitamins to support immunity, leading to consumers’ continued emphasis on nutrition and health.Vitamin fortification is seen as a viable solution in populations with high levels of micronutrient deficiencies. 

“Nowadays, certain vitamins, accompanied by their associated health benefits, have more popularity than others,” says Ozren Zimonja, global product marketing manager, dsm-firmenich.

Having looked at external sources, dsm-firmenich observes that the most trending health benefits are healthy aging and women’s health, including beauty-from-within, menopause support and gut health. 

“Consumers are looking for effective solutions to address their health concerns and support different health needs and vitamins acquired through diet may not be enough,” Zimonja explains.

Kristina Liukaityte, global product marketing specialist, vitamins at dsm-firmenich, adds that while there is a strong need for immunity support driven by the pandemic back in 2021, consumers are now interested in supporting a range of physical and mental health factors.

“Consumers are increasingly favoring natural, sustainable and clean label ingredients, for example, GMO-free, sugar-free, animal-free, not containing added nano ingredients such as silicon dioxide or synthetic antioxidants such as BHA/BHT,” Liukaityte explains.  

Functional and fortified
The human body needs all 13 essential vitamins to function optimally. According to Héctor Cori, nutrition science and advocacy global lead, essential nutrients at dsm-firmenich there are no top vitamins. “At the same time, vitamin combinations may come from their compatibility and synergy or shared health benefits,” he says. 

“For example, vitamin A and vitamin D are often grouped together because vitamin D enhances the absorption of vitamin A, allowing the body to utilize it more effectively. B group vitamins, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12, are often combined together. All these vitamins support nerve function and energy production.” 

Another popular combination is vitamins C and E, which share antioxidant properties. Both vitamins work to protect the body or other ingredients against oxidative stress.

“We have market-ready solutions, premix capabilities and build product concepts according to trending health benefits. For example, to support menopause, vitamin A, vitamin C and biotin can work well together as well as with botanicals and other nutritional ingredients such as geniVida, relieving menopause-related symptoms and at the same time supporting beauty-from-within,” Cori notes.

On the other hand, Clarissa Gödde, product manager at SternVitamin, says demand for vitamins will grow as populations age and consumers continue to focus on improving their health through nutrition. 

“Another key development is the growth of the plant-based market. Alt-meat and alt-dairy products are often criticized for their inferior micronutrient profile, but this can be addressed through vitamin fortification,” explains Gödde.The vitamin segment has shifted to a proactive health management mindset. 

“Micronutrient deficiencies occur in the developing world as well as industrialized countries. Fortification of staple foods, such as folic acid, as well as other foods and beverages, can help address deficiencies. Supplements also offer opportunities to compensate for specific vitamin deficiencies, for example of vitamin D, sufficient intake of which is difficult to achieve from diet alone.” 

Naturally sourced and synthetic vitamins
dsm-firmenich offers vitamins extracted from natural sources, such as vitamin E from non-GMO sunflower oil, and manufactures these supplements using various biotechnology techniques. These vitamins are identical to those in nature because there is no variation on a molecular level.

“When you are producing synthetic vitamins, you have flexibility in controlling activity, stability, technical performance and ultimately the efficacy of molecules. This is the advantage against natural vitamins where we cannot control these aspects,” Zimonja explains.

“Humans cannot synthesize most of the vitamins, and it cannot be obtained from the diet alone. Let’s look at two common vitamins, vitamin E and C. To meet the daily requirements of vitamin E, a person will need to eat 40 almonds or seven avocados each day, or in the case of vitamin C, a person will need to eat four oranges or 25 apples or 20 bananas.” 

“For most humans, this is not an easy task, and the mentioned requirements are easily met by manufactured vitamins in a single dosage.”

Paula Limena, vice president of global marketing of health and wellness at ADM, cautions that formulation hurdles may impact the end product’s sensory experience, shelf life and efficacy as manufacturers develop functional vitamin offerings.

“For instance, in ready-to-drink juices or energy drinks that have multiple functional ingredients, there can be ingredient interactions, which may cause separation or sedimentation. In beverages, powders and gummies, formulators must also consider inherent off-notes or textures from botanical extracts.” 

“Vitamins and minerals may also degrade over time due to prolonged exposure to heat, water, oxygen and light. We carefully select raw materials and work directly with growers worldwide to ensure quality ingredients. Plus, our extraction technology enables our botanical extracts to remain stable in different formulation settings,” Limena concludes.

Meanwhile, vitamins D3, C and B dominate the sector and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future because consumers are hyper-obsessed about boosting their immunity over other areas of wellness, the industry experts state. The market now focuses on “smart supplementation” through nano-coated vitamins, fat-soluble and micronutrient premixes.

In addition, vitamin consumers are most interested in multifunctional claims focusing on holistic health and better value for money. Offerings tailored to emerging health benefits such as gut synergies, sports nutrition and women’s health are trending in the segment.

By Inga de Jong