SupplySide Global 2025: Targeted solutions for women’s health, longevity and GLP-1 complements

At this year’s SupplySide Global trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, exhibitors highlighted targeted women’s health solutions, solutions to meet the healthy longevity trend, and formulations for consumers using weight management medications like GLP-1 agonists. Several companies highlighted how science and personalization are shaping the next wave of nutritional innovation along these three trends.

Live on the showroom floor, Nutrition Insight spoke with experts from Lallemand Health Solutions, Novonesis, and Kerry to discuss these growing trends and how product developers can meet them.

Targeted probiotics for women’s health

Bérengère Feuz, the marketing director at Lallemand Health Solutions, highlighted the company’s Prenatis probiotic for women’s health across life stages. Recently, two studies have bolstered the ingredient’s prenatal benefits as well as its efficacy for relieving the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

The first study was a clinical trial that included 180 healthy pregnant women in their third trimester. The placebo-controlled study revealed that women taking the probiotic experienced fewer infections and were more protected in the last semester compared to those taking the placebo. Additionally, it showed benefits for the microbiome of some of the newborns.

“We did a follow-up on the babies and they also had fewer infections in their first months of life and also had a better installment of their gut microbiota,” Feuz explained. “This occurred regardless of the delivery mode — C section or natural passage — so it’s quite exciting, since, during pregnancy, you don’t want to get any infections in the last semester in particular.”

The second study is also a placebo study looking at the benefits for premenstrual syndrome. It followed women during two cycles of menstruation and found that participants taking the probiotic had less bloating and different gut discomfort. These symptoms were statistically improved in the clinical study in the probiotic group.

At the same time, Feuz spotlighted “yet-to-be-published” findings on the company’s Cerebiome ingredient for cognitive health and healthy aging. At the trade show, Lallemand Health Solutions presented preliminary findings on an unpublished study conducted in healthy adults aged 65 to 80. She noted that all primary outcomes were positive, revealing promising results related to mobility, muscle health, and the gut-muscle axis.

“We did a whole battery of tests and we demonstrated, versus placebo again, that there were significant results on all parameters,” Fuez underscored. “Not going into too many details, but we did also look at the muscle architecture, and we could see benefits compared to the placebo group.”

Shifting to healthy longevity

Rahul Sachdeva, the global health category lead at Novoneis, highlighted healthy aging as one of the main trends at the show. Innova Market Insights’ data suggests that 73% of consumers rate longevity and healthy aging as either extremely or very important.

“If you walk around the floor, there’s a lot of buzz around this topic, and I think it’s because there is a lot of growth in the aging population,” he explained. “People are living longer and, at the same time, birth rates have declined, the percentage of the population that is about the age of 60 is constantly increasing, and it is expected to cross two billion by 2050.”

“Obviously, that opens up the entire need for specific, specialized solutions for the population that’s now entering the later life stages. We are in the middle of what’s called the ‘decade of healthy aging’ by the UN — it’s a very popular topic right now.”

Sachdeva pointed out that, historically, healthy aging and longevity targeted older adults, but this is shifting as Millennials and Gen Z are now driving interest in longevity innovations. He further said that individuals under 50 are increasingly proactive about starting their healthy aging journey early, which is influencing how companies position their offerings.

“Firstly, we’re not calling it healthy aging, we’re calling it healthy longevity, which is a more positive expression,” he revealed. “As far as the designer for solutions is concerned, we’re making them for a broader demographic, which is not just limited to the elderly, but also supporting the healthy longevity journey for people who want to start that earlier on, potentially already in their 40s.”

At the same time, Cassondre Saande, Novonesis’ scientific advisor for the Americas, noted the importance of probiotics in the longevity space. She attested that probiotics offer a wide range of strain-specific benefits within the gut, such as supporting microbial balance, strengthening the intestinal barrier, and producing metabolites that influence the immune system along the gut-brain axis and metabolic pathways.

Additionally, Saande said that the gut microbiome plays a vital role in neurological function while protecting against harmful pathogens. Because of its wide-ranging influence on bodily processes, it is considered essential to overall health and well-being throughout all stages of life.

“When it comes to healthy aging, we know that the composition of the gut microbiome is changing as we age,” Saande stressed. “For example, many studies reveal an age-related decline in beneficial bacteria along with an increase in pro-inflammatory microbes.”

“The good news is that research also increasingly suggests that if we can maintain a balanced microbiome, it will help contribute to better health into older age. Probiotic and symbiotic solutions are showing a lot of promise in that area.”

Additionally, Saande highlighted that the diverse functions of probiotics also make them valuable for women’s and cardiometabolic health — the last of which is an increasing trend due to the increasing use of GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Addressing the GLP-1 trend

Vivien Sheehan, VP of regional business development at Kerry, also pointed to the continuing expansion of GLP-1. According to Sheehan, the number of users increases each year, and new treatments are expected to enter the market. Innova Market Insights’ data suggests that one in two consumers across the globe see weight management is their main concern related to their physical health.

As this growth persists, Sheehan said that supporting consumers along their GLP-1 experience and offering solutions that can help manage side effects is essential.

To address this, Kerry conducted two consumer experience studies — one featuring the flagship probiotic BC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) and another with its new rice-derived postbiotic, Plenibiotic. Sheehan said the study included over 300 GLP-1 users at various stages of treatment, which allowed researchers to assess the impact of these biotics on alleviating gastrointestinal side effects commonly associated with the medication.

She stated that the findings were positive, showing that both the probiotic and postbiotic helped participants manage digestive discomfort, improving tolerance and overall medication experience. 

Moreover, she said that these results underscore the potential of proactive health solutions to enhance adherence and quality of life for GLP-1 users. Additionally, the research suggested that personalized dietary adjustments could further support their wellness journey.

“When you’re on the medication, you’re not as hungry, every calorie counts in terms of what you’re eating. Clearly, protein is critically important in terms of managing muscle loss,” Sheenan noted. “Where Kerry has a play here is helping customers with their taste solutions to mask off notes, particularly in plant-based and alternative proteins from dairy.”

“We can mask any off notes that might come through, especially as consumers are looking for higher concentrations of protein in the product,” she concluded. “Similarly, we have technologies like our lactase enzyme to break down dairy lactose, to make lactose-free or lactose-reduced offerings, to make it more easily digestible for consumers on GLP-1 meds.”