“Reawakening” in joint health: Industry spotlights advancing trends and ingredients

30 Jun 2022 --- Concerns and attention toward joint health are becoming more prominent as consumer lifestyles changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in fitness and health increased. NutritionInsight speaks to experts in the field detailing shifting trends and consumer demographics.

Lindsey Toth, director of global marketing at Lonza observes “an exciting” consumer shift over the past five to ten years.

“Attitudes toward joint health are changing. Previously, it was perceived as a concern of the elderly, but more young consumers are taking an interest in their mobility,” observes Jaume Reguant, healthcare director at Bioiberica. 

“Across the globe, joint and bone health problems are becoming more common. With the average life expectancy increasing, the desire to enter senior life healthy and independent has inspired a preventative approach,” shares Snezhana Kirina, marketing manager at Vaneeghen. 

“It is clear that the primary consumer base is growing: beyond sports people, joint health is a concern for active adults worldwide,” agrees Dr. Reyhan Nergiz-Unal, health and nutrition science lead at PB Leiner.

Renewed interest in younger consumers
Toth says that historically, primary consumers have been adults over 50 working to maintain mobility, keep active and reduce joint discomfort as they age. According to Innova Market Insights, more than half of the consumers aged 18 to 25 indicate that healthy aging is very/extremely important.According to Innova Market Insights, more than half of the consumers aged 18 to 25 indicate that healthy aging is very/extremely important.  

“But people are more health-conscious and we’ve noticed an increase in people worrying about mobility because they’ve been sedentary due to the pandemic.” 

“We’ve seen a rise in joint discomfort from younger generations because they’re more concerned about how immobile or mobile they’ve been and so joint health products are attracting attention from people of all ages and all fitness levels,” she continues. 

A majority of middle aged people have expressed concerns about joint and muscle pain, with some saying it has a moderate to severe impact on their health, shares Nergiz-Unal.

“Traditionally, the products in the joint segment are targeted at seniors (65+). Nowadays, we see younger consumers taking an interest in mobility and joint health with various goals; such as being more fit and active, improved lifestyle, increased strength or enhancing the overall quality of life,” adds Kirina. 

She identifies three primary demographics within the sector: active lifestyle consumers, athletes and seniors. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Brands should continue to tailor product messaging for varying consumer needs,” suggests Reguant. 

Toth expresses that Lonza has seen a reawakening and renewed interest in joint health and mobility because the doors have been opened to all age demographics below 50. “About one third of adults aged between 20 to 50 have joint health concerns.” 

Mobility for joint ability
Kirina shares that Europe is experiencing a more significant trend with a more holistic approach toward mobility and healthy aging. She says 74% of the global population acknowledges the link between overall health and good joint and bone mobility. Reguant says that type II collagen enables convenience and appealing product design thanks to its low dose (only 40 mg/day) for effective joint health. 

As a result of the pandemic, there has been a boom in the “active consumer” demographic.

“Rather than seeing exercise as a chore, it’s become an essential part of people’s daily routines – and even something to be enjoyed,” shares Reguant. Consumers also recognize that exercise positively impacts other health areas, such as their mood, energy levels, sleep quality, or even immunity.”

“Traditionally, discussions about joint health have concentrated on just that – our joints. This included a focus on issues such as pain management and joint diseases. Today, the conversation is much broader, with a distinct shift toward mobility as a whole – consumers are moving toward a ‘prevention-over-cure’ mindset, taking into consideration muscles and tendons alongside joints,” agrees Reguant. 

“The trend is toward prevention, rather than simply curative, and collagen peptides can support that. We recently finished a clinical study in collaboration with Florida State University for physically active middle-aged people, aged between 45 and 65. Many feel discomfort in their daily activities due to joint pain,” Nergiz-Unal shares, saying the participants experienced significant reductions in pain and improvement in knee functionality. 

Eyeing Asian markets
Reguant highlights that the most notable rise is that of collagen for joint health in Asia. According to Innova Market Insights, the number of new joint health product launches containing collagen has grown 85% in the last five years.

“Collagen’s benefits for skin health are well recognized in Asia, but now – as a result of an aging population and the emerging health-conscious younger generation – it’s rapidly gaining traction as a critical ingredient for joint health too. This represents a significant opportunity for brands looking to expand their footprint in Asia.”

“We recently held a webinar for the Asian market, where collagen peptides are traditionally very much linked to beauty. It struck us that the Asian participants now clearly recognize collagen peptides for joint health: they ranked them as the second most popular ingredient supporting joint health,” shares Yingying Wu, global product manager health and nutrition at PB Leiner. 

Fastest growing joint health ingredient
According to Innova Market Insights, supplements for joint health are rising with a 47% average annual growth, tracked between 2017 to 2021. In 2021, key ingredients included turmeric, beetroot and curcumin in sports nutrition launches. As a result of the pandemic, there has been a boom in the “active consumer” demographic. 

“We’ve heard a lot about collagen in the last couple of years not just in beauty and joint health but as well for new launches, and joint health,” says Toth. 

“It’s among the fastest growth we’ve seen in the supplement market today. It has a great reputation among consumers in healthy aging and the active nutrition space.” However, not all collagen is created equal. 

For instance, hydrolyzed collagen is a type I and type III collagen, typically helpful for beauty. But type II collagen, like UC II undenatured type II collagen, helps joint health with small doses, unlike hydrolyzed collagen, which comes in 25,000 milligrams scoops, explains Toth. 

“Type II collagen works differently. Instead of acting as a building block on top of your joints, it helps to go in and build and reset cartilage via the immune system, working from the inside out, so it helps to clean out old cartilage and comes in and builds and repairs that cartilage and sets new cartilage.” 

Future: Convenience and dosage 
Reguant says that type II collagen enables convenience and appealing product design thanks to its low dose (only 40 mg/day) for effective joint health. 

Glucosamine and chondroitin are often large dose sizes. “We know that pill continuity can be challenging as you get older when a lot of medicines are thrown into the mix. So convenience becomes critical in ensuring that joints are mobile and flexible,” explains Toth. 

“If you wanted to create an all-in-one, one-stop-shop joint health product, you could combine it with curcumin, MSM, GC Glucosamine and Chondroitin. Combining things hits on the major terms of convenience.” 

“Lonza has a Duocap capsule with a tiny capsule within a larger capsule. This allows for combining – powder in the inner capsule and liquid on the outer capsule so you can get convenience in one dosage form,” continues Toth. Technologies help to reshape what it means to be healthy and ensure mobility at different life stages, says Reguant. Credit: Bioberica.

According to Innova Market Insights almost one one two products also contain bone health claims in combination with skin and immune health claims. 

Experimenting with formats
Toth describes other fun dosage formats like gummies and aromatic capsules that act as cues, reminding people to take their supplements.

Kirina flags: “More and more people are adopting vegan or vegetarian diets, which brings further considerations for formulations. In a world where convenience is king, a primary challenge is creating a product that is vegan-friendly and available in a range of convenient application forms.” 

“From advancements in MedTech revolutionizing joint replacements in healthcare to wearable technologies making it easier for active consumers to track their health data,” adds Reguant. "On the surface, these technologies don’t interact with the nutrition market directly. But they’re helping to reshape what it means to be healthy and ensure good mobility at different life stages – which ultimately impacts the nutritional support consumers seek.” 

“In the future, such technology may help consumers track how nutrition and supplements improve their health in real-time. This is not yet a reality, but brands should prepare for the possibility. Further ahead, technology may play an increased role in personalizing joint health solutions – for example, identifying specific ingredient combinations based on their genetic data or lifestyle.” 

By Venya Patel