Sex matters: Gender-specific science advances as demand for tailored nutrition surges

31 May 2019 --- Personalized products and treatments are the future. According to industry experts, the proliferation of NPD across the personalized nutrition segment means that consumers and manufacturers alike are engaging with the individual health requirements of people, including gender-specific needs. In a time where the lines between genders are becoming increasingly blurred on a social and political level, researchers are seeking to better understand differences between men and women on a biological paradigm. Eye-opening research is leading to an increased interest in gender-specific NPD, such as scientifically backed female-orientated products.

A lack of representation of women in clinical trials used to be a significant hurdle for equal representation in the nutrition space. Until 1977, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned females from clinical research, meaning findings were not gender balanced, as the metabolic make-up of men was taken to be the norm. However these days, studies are much more gender-balanced, notes Staness Jonekos, Founder and CEO of Eat Like a Woman, tells NutritionInsight. The company offers plant-based bars and snacks aimed at the nutritional needs of women and also differentiates its products by the nutritional needs of different life stages.

“US nutritional guidelines have always been geared toward men. Yet, women process nutrients very differently than men do and need different nutrients at each life stage. In 1980 the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was one of the earliest national guidelines based on data that was derived from mostly enlisted men in the military,” Jonekos tells NutritionInsight. 

Fortunately, a decade later, women’s health came onto the radar, she adds. The discovery that folic acid supplements taken at the time of conception can prevent neural tube defects, such as anencephaly and spina bifida, really brought women’s health to the fore.

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that women who are pregnant take a 400 mcg of a folic acid supplement. Such nutritional recommendations during pregnancy and lactation is a relatively new science. But this reproductive clinical research only addresses one part of a woman’s health profile, notes Jonekos.

“Recent research reveals there are differences between men and women in terms of hormones, digestion, metabolism and even how we absorb nutrition. A woman’s health requires more attention than just ‘bikini medicine’ – reproductive health,” she says,

Beyond reproductive health
The majority of gender-specific nutritional difference addressed in the public sphere is for the pregnancy and lactation phases of life, but this is beginning to shift to be more inclusive. 

Recent research has made strides in this regard. Studies have revealed, for example, that the transport of fat in the bloodstream is almost twice as fast in women as men, which has implications for heart disease. There is a greater change in triglyceride level and a lesser change in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in women than men with high-carb or high-fat meals. 

“This gender difference in lipoprotein metabolism and dietary response can be acknowledged with gender-based nutritional solutions,” says Jonekos.

There was also a 2014 study that confirmed a sex difference in the adiponectin – a protein that plays a role in the development of insulin resistance – response after a four-week controlled eating plan on the Mediterranean diet, with only males experiencing a decrease. 

Meanwhile, some studies have also pegged females at being more at risk from the adverse effects of obesity. Most common obesity-related cancers predominantly affect women, including breast and womb cancers. A 2018 report by Cancer Research UK put forward that obesity will overtake smoking as the biggest preventable cause of cancer among UK women in 25 years’ time. 

However, Jonekos notes that much of this new science is not yet mainstream knowledge for both the public and medical community. 

“Other than my company, Eat Like a Woman, there has been little progress in the US introducing nutritional solutions embracing gender differences, other than reproductive differences. There is a gaping hole in the market that no one is addressing. It will take years before medical textbooks incorporate these gender differences,” she asserts.

However, speaking to experts in the field, it seems that the knowledge may be finally permeating out.

Does NPD address the gender gap?
Blaž Gorjup, PharmaLinea’s Chairman & Founder, tells NutritionInsight that gender-specific products are in demand with the company’s clients.

“These types of products mainly focus on micronutrients and are developed to address specific deficiencies or gender-specific physiology, such as urinary tract, fertility or pregnancy products. These are products fit for medical detailing and recommendation by professionals,” he highlights.

While Dr. Derek Timm, Technical Sales Director at Taiyo shares that the company is increasingly “recognizing that every person’s body will process food and supplements differently based upon their unique profile, including their gender profile.” 

“Females have higher nutritional needs of nutrients such as iron, and conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are more frequent in women compared to men. With this knowledge, savvy marketers can target these real issues and merge them with excellent marketing,” he explains.

This understanding has translated into solid NPD action. Taiyo offers Regular Girl, targeted toward women – who suffer more regularly from digestive issues than men. The product is a finished supplement product for digestive health, made with 5g Sunfiber soluble prebiotic fiber powder and 8 billion CFU of probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis powder. The product is tasteless, odorless, without texture and dissolves easily into any cold beverage or food.

They also offer SunActive Fe, which was developed to help promote optimal absorption of iron while preventing the adverse gastrointestinal side effects of many forms of iron. This is particularly geared toward women due to not only the commonality of digestion issues but the fact that standard iron supplements tend to have a bad metallic taste and can exacerbate an upset stomach, notes Timm.

Companies are also innovating in the probiotic space, spawning products that are designed especially with women in mind. Lallemand is seeking to tap into this space by offering health solutions specifically for women, utilizing formulations with probiotics from the Lactobacillus species. 

“Women have specific needs and well-being issues which are linked to their biological makeup and lifestyle. Hence we are seeing a real market need for tailored solutions adapted to different women’s profiles such as active women, seniors, teenagers and mothers-to-be,” Elodie Aragon, Product Manager, Lallemand Health Solutions Canada, tells NutritionInsight.

Vaginal discomfort in women is prevalent, while urinary tract discomfort is 30 times more likely to occur in women than in men.

“In the case of probiotics, we are focusing on intimate health, gut health, stress, natural defenses, beauty from within, healthy pregnancy and healthy aging with probiotics based formulations and documented strains,” she says.

“Combining probiotics with selected vitamins and minerals that are keys to women’s well-being in relation to specific needs allows [formulators] to best answer each woman,” she adds.

A range of delivery formats have been used, including orodispersible sticks that can be taken at any time of the day without water, chewing tablets – both containing Probicap protected probiotic strains, as well as the classic capsule form containing probiotics and vitamins.

Israeli supplements manufacturer Anlit is also targeting women’s health with the launch of a Feminine Probiotic chewable supplement, which contains cranberry extract and six different strains of beneficial live probiotic bacteria that work synergistically to support genitourinary tract health. 

Anlit’s R&D team incorporated the required level of active cranberry extracts, while also managing to avoid the traditionally sour taste the ingredient offers. The six active strains of probiotic bacteria included in the supplement maintain a balanced pH level that hinders the development of harmful bacteria and prevents personal discomfort. Additionally, the product is vegetarian-friendly, kosher, halal and GMO-free. 

As general statements concerning human health and nutrition are being swept aside to make room for more personalized considerations, advice and approaches, the space of women’s centric products, advice and research will continue to grow.

By Laxmi Haigh