Vitafoods Europe 2025: Healthy aging innovations in muscle, gut, eye, and women’s health

Solutions for healthy aging took center stage at the recent Vitafoods Europe trade show in Barcelona, Spain. Companies presented their nutraceuticals for people who want healthier lives as they age, supporting muscle health, digestive health, immunity, metabolic health, vision, and women’s health, specifically in menopause.

On the show floor, Nutrition Insight met with IFF Health Sciences, Lallemand Health Solutions, Epax, and Givaudan to discuss their offerings in this growing space. 

Henna Kailanto, EMEA lead for Clinical Innovation and Translation at IFF Health Sciences, says the company focuses on finding solutions for unmet needs at every stage of life. 

“We focus on three key pillars of cellular processes that are critical throughout aging — from infancy to older age. These are digestive, immune, and metabolic health.”

“Digestive health involves nurturing the gut to support overall wellness. Immune health focuses on strengthening the body’s defense systems. And metabolic health is about fueling the cells and body through well-functioning metabolic processes.” 

She highlights that, at its core, aging is about the aging of people’s cells. “If we can slow down the processes related to aging on a cellular level, we can address visible and invisible signs of aging.” 

Slowing down biological processes

Kailanto stresses the difference between chronological age — how many years someone has lived — and biological age, which reflects how well someone’s body functions. 

“While we can’t change our chronological age, we can influence biological age and affect the speed and functionality of processes with targeted nutrients.”

She says IFF Health Sciences has a wide portfolio of probiotics and botanicals that can be combined to address all stages of aging with different targets. 

“For example, we can focus on digestive health and epithelial cells in the gut to affect the speed at which epithelial cells age and address age-associated leakage often observed from the gut. Keeping the gut healthy can decrease this leakage and reduce inflammation in other body parts.”

Henna Kailanto, EMEA lead for Clinical Innovation and Application at IFF Health Sciences.“From an immune health perspective, we know immune cells become less responsive with age, leading to increased vulnerability to infections, while the prevalence of chronic conditions increases as well,” Kailanto explains. “Our ingredients can help slow down these immune aging processes and keep the immune system more active over time.”

Metabolism covers different chemical reactions in the body associated with nutrient absorption and nutrient or energy utilization, which change gradually as people age. “Maintaining vibrant metabolic function helps promote healthy aging even as the years go by,” she adds.

Gut-muscle axis

At the show, Lallemand Health Solutions unveiled research and launched Cerenity, a probiotic blend for healthy aging. Camille Binachon, the company’s marketing group manager, says the new clinical results on the gut-muscle axis show that a probiotic “can have a direct impact on mobility, strength, and overall muscle health.” 

“It resonates with consumers’ needs, who increasingly understand the role of the gut microbiome in many aspects of health. They also have a strong awareness of how it impacts healthy aging. So, this is a true innovation for probiotic applications.”

Cerenity combines three strains, which Binachon explains were selected for their ability to modulate gut permeability and impact the gut-brain axis. 

“We conducted a clinical study in 64 elderly participants aged 60 to 85. They were randomized to receive a placebo or Cerenity combined with 900 mg of inulin. We measured several criteria related to mobility and body composition.”

Aker BioMarine also launched a new healthy aging formula with its Superba Krill Oil that supports mitochondrial health and promotes vitality.Although the clinical trial included inulin, Binachon says the dose used was not significant enough to have a strong prebiotic effect. “We believe the observed benefits primarily come from the probiotics themselves. We have preclinical data supporting the effectiveness of the probiotic strains on their own.”

She says the study found significant improvements in handgrip strength, a widely used measure in sports and geriatric populations and a strong predictor of frailty. “Improvements here are meaningful for quality of life.” 

“We also used the Short Physical Performance Battery test, which measures balance and walking speed, and saw further significant results,” Binachon continues. “Another primary outcome was the ‘Time to Up and Go’ test — asking participants to stand up from a chair, walk a short distance, and return. Again, we saw statistically significant improvements.”

In addition to these findings, the study also showed an increase in muscle morphology — muscle volume grew in certain areas — which suggests improvements in muscle strength in older adults.  

New omega-3 chain for healthy aging

Marine-based ingredient specialist Epax unveiled the first commercially available very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (VLC-PUFA), with potential benefits in healthy aging. Preclinical research suggests that supplementation with this category of omega-3s is linked to improved sight, while depletion is associated with reduced bone density and muscle strength. 

Derek Tobin, the company’s business development and clinical research manager, says VLC-PUFAs are similar to traditional omega-3s DHA and EPA but have a much longer carbon chain than these fatty acids. 

Cell Biotech unveiled its Lab2Pro Brain Guard capsule with probiotics for cognitive vitality and wellness for the aging mind.“Functionally, they’re somewhat different from EPA and DHA, as these mostly come from our diet, and we have enzyme systems that make these very long-chain fatty acids,” he explains. “The enzymes that do this become less efficient with age. Some research suggests that age-related vision decline could be linked to this reduced enzymatic activity.”

“Biologically, these fatty acids offer benefits, particularly in the brain and vision. A large proportion of VLC-PUFAs are found in the retina, similar to DHA. They may also play a role in dry eye disease and skin health, where they help prevent water loss, and in male fertility, an area we’re currently exploring.” 

Tobin notes that most research has been preclinical, with a few interventional studies. However, since researchers did not have access to sufficient volumes of VLC-PUFAs, “all the data lack causality.” 

“Now that we can offer commercial volumes, researchers and product developers finally have the opportunity to conduct essential interventional studies. That’s a breakthrough for the field.”

“What excites me the most is opening the door to scientific and creative minds in development,” he continues. “On my own, I can only think of so much. But now, others can take it further to places we haven’t imagined yet. It feels like the beginning of a new story that started with DHA and is now moving beyond into exciting new territory.” 

Supporting women through aging

Givaudan won the Vitafoods Innovation Award for Healthy Aging Ingredients with its Lifenol ingredient. Lifenol is a natural, low-dose solution based on hop extract and delivers effective phytoestrogen — prenylnaringenin. 

Elena Sava, marketing manager of health at the company, says Lifenol is one of its flagship ingredients for women’s health. It delivers consumer value thanks to its clinically proven benefits and robust science, taste, broad applicability, and natural and sustainable sourcing. 

Domus Naturae’s new EternaVital formulation for longevity targets cellular health, cognition, mitochondrial energy, and stress management.“Lifenol is a foundational ingredient for supporting women through aging — covering menopause, post-menopause, and, more recently, bone health. Those benefits are relevant for a large share of the population.” 

“Over 70% of women experience symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances due to decreased estrogen, which negatively impacts bone health,” she explains. “Having an ingredient that addresses all of these is incredibly valuable.” 

Romain Le Cozannet, clinical research scientist for Health at Givaudan, adds that Lifenol started with two clinical studies focused on menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and sleep disturbance. “More recently, we expanded into healthy aging for women by targeting osteopenia, or reduced bone mineral density.”

“In a clinical trial published two years ago, women with osteopenia were given calcium and vitamin D — either alone or combined with Lifenol,” he continues. 

“After 12 months, those taking Lyfenol saw significantly improved bone mineral density beyond what calcium and vitamin D achieved alone.”