Supplementation: Stress, oral health and HMOs highlighted as pervasive trends

22 Jan 2020 --- Although the perfect diet should offer the body all the vitamins and minerals it needs to maintain health, micronutrient deficiencies remain a staple concern among consumers. Supplementation can help tackle these issues, with hectic lifestyles leading consumers toward “popping pills” to fill their nutritional gaps. However, pill fatigue has also led consumers to demand more enjoyable delivery forms. From targeting stress and oral health to omega fatty acids and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), industry players speak to NutritionInsight about the latest ingredients and trends in the supplementation arena.

Supplement use is on the rise, with more consumers seeking to boost their nutrient intake. Dietary supplements usage in the US has peaked at an “all-time high,” with 77 percent of US adults reporting they consume dietary supplements, according to a Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN) 2019 Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements. The report found that the majority of US adults take supplements.

“The supplement space is slowly but surely stepping up and filling the gaps to eventually become a credible alternative or complementary option to pharmaceuticals. We see the industry’s goal as providing clinically supported, stable and user-friendly products addressing all major health areas,” says Maja Orešnik S&R Director at PharmaLinea.

Delivery methods
Enjoyable delivery formats are a pivotal demand among consumers. Pill fatigue has led to numerous innovative supplementation methods and industry predicts the trend will be a lasting one.

 Lay Kwan Goh, Head of Global Marketing, BASF Human Nutrition“In terms of ready-to-use formats, consumers are looking for convenient solutions that can be incorporated easily into their daily routine. Avoiding pill fatigue, having on-the-go solutions and a wide variety of application forms to choose from are all current consumer needs. With an aging population, special conditions might arise, such as swallowing issues. This increases the need for health ingredients that can be used in diverse applications,” says Lay Kwan Goh, Head of Global Marketing, BASF Human Nutrition. 

From gummies to jellies and sprays, today’s available formats are wide in range and suit every taste.

“Adapting to on-the-go lifestyles of consumers, we are working on orodispersible powders in stick packs. It is a quick and handy solution, also easily associated with the acute and fast action of the product, hence its popularity and demand with our partners,” Orešnik says. “We also received great interest connected to our last year’s premiere of spray formats, so we are developing in that direction as well, this time targeting oral health.”

Trending ingredient: HMOs
According to Goh, HMOs are one of the “lighthouse innovations in the human nutrition ingredient market.” Originally intended for use in infant formula, strong emerging science has shown that HMOs also offer health benefits for adults. As such, health and nutrition companies are now focusing their attention on adults as another potentially promising group of consumers.

“Some estimates see a possible annual market valued at as much as US$1 billion. BASF has also ventured into this new market space to continue to meet the health needs of consumers globally with PREBILAC 2’-FL (2’-fucosyllactose) for digestive health. 2’-FL – the most abundant HMO – is the perfect ingredient for supporting the development of a healthy digestive and immune system, during early life and beyond,” Goh notes.

In addition to a partnership with Glycosyn, BASF has formed alliances with scientific institutes like UC Davis to further extend the offering of the most abundant HMO, 2’-FL, branded PREBILAC, to new applications and a broad range of customers worldwide.

Targeting stress and oral health
Pharmalinea is targeting stress via supplementation, an issue that a crushing majority of consumers seems to suffer from. “The very popular indication of stress has definitely taken center stage in the industry and on more developed markets, but has, in our view, mainly failed to deliver credible solutions with specific positioning built on clinical support,” Orešnik notes. 

“While vaguely stress-targeted products based on herbal commodities may be selling through certain channels, they aren’t suitable for promotion through medical detailing and pharmacies, which is how an increasing number of PharmaLinea’s partners work to educate. This is why we are addressing stress and are planning to launch a new line, addressing both acute and chronic aspects of it, specifically,” she adds.

Pharmalinea has also found oral health support to be inadequately addressed, especially seeing as dental caries is one of the most common chronic diseases overall. “Daytime on-the-go support commonly comes either in the form of chewing gums and films based merely on menthol and xylitol, or in the form of mouthwash. However, this can be very aggressive, killing all flora and drying out the oral cavity. If consumers have learned anything in recent years, it is that our inner microbiota can be beneficial and that more targeted solutions are needed. Hence, we are developing a line of sprays supporting oral health in an innovative, scientifically supported and targeted way,” Orešnik highlights.

Supplementation for sports nutrition
Consumers understand the connection between sports, post-workout and inflammation and are actively looking for premium plant-based solutions to support their healthy body response, Goh says. In this space, BASF has released PeptAIde, a patent-protected and a nutritional companion for active people – from leisure sports to performance athletes.

 Maja Orešnik S&R Director at PharmaLineaThe launch brought to the segment a new generation of peptides. Identified by artificial intelligence, PeptAIde contains a unique set of plant-based peptides that specifically help modulate inflammation. The immune-modulating effect is supported by both in vitro and in vivo studies, according to the company.

Key demographics for supplementation
“By innovating in the areas of stress and convenient delivery methods we are especially addressing the needs of millennials and Gen Z – the current and future drivers of global economies. Additional rising demands with these demographics are for products to be vegetarian, vegan, sugar-free and preservative-free,” Orešnik notes.

“As an example, the quality of algal DHA sources and our experience have enabled the project of a vegetarian and vegan alternative to >Your< Pregnancy Softgels. While this is one of our star products, already leading in several markets, consumer habits and demands are never stationary and consequently neither is our development,” Orešnik says. 

From children to adults and seniors, everyone can benefit from supplementation and the market is ripe with offerings for every age group’s needs. 

“We hold a strong belief about providing the right nutrients to the right people at the right time. Differences in nutrient requirements will vary according to your life stage, environment and other circumstances. This is why our health ingredients and solutions cover the gamut across life stages from early life nutrition and sport to nutrition to support active aging,” Goh concludes.

What’s next?
The supplementation sphere is a competitive one that stays abreast of industry trends with continuous innovation. In the future, enhanced ingredients are expected to enjoy a wider range of applications and novel delivery formats, while the target demographics expand along with the demand for health-supporting supplementation.

By Kristiana Lalou