The future of bone health: A deep dive into emerging trends, innovations and ingredients

29 Feb 2024 --- The challenges of a growing aging population can be felt across the globe, and experts point out that more and more consumers are looking to prepare for the effects at younger and younger ages. At the same time, bone strength and health are emerging as major concerns in the healthy aging space, driving innovation in the category.

Innova Market Insights’ data suggest that global supplement launches with bone health claims saw a 7% growth from 2022 to 2023, according to Innova Market Insights. Vitamin D3 emerged as the top ingredient, featuring in 45% of new products and highlighting a growing focus on bone health in the supplement industry.

Nutrition Insight sits down with experts from Aker BioMarine, Balchem, Gnosis by Lesaffre and Tirlán to better understand the ingredients, trends and innovations growing the bone strength and health market.

Xavier Berger at Gnosis by Lesaffre highlights that MenaQ7 has been shown to support bone and heart health.Xavier Berger, the market manager for mobility and joint health at Gnosis by Lesaffre, reveals that consumers of all ages, particularly those leading active lifestyles, increasingly prioritize bone health, driven by awareness of its importance across the lifespan and economic factors.

This trend is expanding the market for bone strength products in the healthy aging category, with a shift toward supplements and functional foods rich in vitamin K2 as MK-7.

“A recent online survey conducted by the market research firm Ipsos of 2,500 consumers aged 18-80 from China, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US showed that inflationary pressures impacted consumer behaviors in the health and wellness space,” Berger reveals. “Price was selected as the top factor behind purchasing decisions, with 41% of respondents indicating that their food and nutrition choices are impacted by inflation.”

He further notes that, while health and well-being remain crucial, the focus has shifted toward products offering multiple health benefits for financial efficiency. Significantly, a majority of consumers prefer products backed by scientific evidence and proven results.

Thomas Repstad, the global technical marketing manager for product marketing at Aker BioMarine, states that with the increasing focus on extending people’s “healthspan,” or the part of people’s lives spent in good health, there’s a growing interest in solutions for healthy aging, especially concerning bone health and strength.

He explains that lifestyle diseases can often be managed with proper exercise, diet, and nutritional supplements like krill oil.

“In fact, Superba Krill oil was recently used in two studies that examined krill oil’s effects in aging populations,” Repstad underscores. “Published in Clinical Nutrition, scientists concluded that krill oil significantly increases muscle function and size in healthy older adults over 60. Another breakthrough study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded that krill oil improves knee pain, stiffness and physical function in adults 40 to 65 years old with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.”

A hero ingredient
According to Berger, Gnosis by Lesaffre’s MenaQ7 is one of the hero ingredients for bone health. The clinically validated vitamin K2 as MK-7 supplement has been shown to support bone and heart health by activating specific proteins to optimize calcium use — binding calcium to bones for strength and preventing arterial calcification.

He underscores that, in over 22 published human clinical trials, MenaQ7 has been proven to support bone health. Studies show that daily doses enhance bone mineral content, density and strength in various age groups, from children to postmenopausal women.Aker BioMarine touts the bone strength supporting omega-3s, phospholipids and other nutrients in its Superba Krill oil.

Moreover, he says that focusing on bone health is crucial globally, especially for women and children, due to their unique nutritional needs. Children need adequate calcium for robust bone growth, and adults over 40, particularly postmenopausal women, face significant vitamin K deficiencies. Supplementing with MenaQ7 K2, as studies suggest, supports stronger bones in these groups.

“Aside from having the first and best clinically validated vitamin K2 as MK-7 for bone and heart health, Gnosis by Lesaffre ensures MenaQ7 meets the highest quality standard,” Berger stresses. “We are the only European K2 as MK-7 of natural origin produced in-house with no intermediaries or brokers.”

“We guarantee a reliable supply chain tightly controlled from the raw material to the broad range of powder and oil. A reliable supply chain is also a warranty for the traceability of K2, from manufacturing to distribution.”

Vital for bone health
According to Lindsay Cole, the sales & business development manager for North America at Kappa Bioscience AS, now a Balchem company, K2Vital also stands out as a leading vitamin K2 MK-7 supplement known for its exceptional stability and bioavailability. Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in calcium metabolism, enhancing the body’s ability to deposit calcium into bones, thereby improving bone mineral density and strength.

Additionally, it supports cardiovascular health by preventing calcium deposition in arteries, thanks to its efficient activation of Matrix Gla protein and osteocalcin for bone building and maintaining healthy circulation.

She further notes that formulating with vitamin K2 requires attention to its quality and stability, as not all K2 supplements maintain the claimed potency. Research involving over 400 tests on 267 consumer products found that only 16% had at least 90% of the advertised vitamin K2, Cole reveals, noting that this highlights the challenge of ensuring vitamin K2’s stability in formulations.

Balchem spotlights its vitamin K2 offerings, K2Vital and K2Vital Delta, for their exceptional bioavailability, versatility and stability.

“To help consumers achieve stability, for optimal bioavailability and efficacy in the body, we have developed an innovative vitamin K2 solution, K2Vital Delta, the first double-encapsulated vitamin K2, for stability in most environments,” explains Cole. “Thanks to its unique design, K2Vital Delta enables manufacturers to create blended supplements and explore new formulations with minerals while still meeting label claims.”

Cole adds that a recent study revealed that K2Vital Delta exhibits superior stability in products containing calcium, L-arginine and magnesium compared to standard, unprotected vitamin K2 formulations and that three months after production, many products featuring unprotected vitamin K2 barely met their label claims, whereas those containing K2Vital DeltaA consistently met or closely approached their label specifications.

Powerful proteins
Gwen Gould, the senior marketing manager for dairy ingredients at Tirlán, spotlights that maintaining a balanced diet with sufficient calories is crucial for preventing diseases like osteoporosis and sarcopenia, with essential nutrients including calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and protein being essential for bone and muscle health.  

She adds that Tirlán’s milk and whey Proteins, including its Solmiko and Solago milk proteins and its Promiko whey protein, are recognized for their high quality. Dairy protein, a “complete” source containing all essential amino acids, achieves a protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of 100, underscoring its significance for human health.

Gould further reveals that the Diet and Exercise in Frailty (DEFRAIL) study, conducted with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), the Waterford Institute of Technology and the University Hospital Waterford, investigated the impact of resistance exercise and Solmiko Advanced Milk Proteins on frailty. 

Participants engaged in resistance training three times weekly and consumed milk fortified with Solmiko daily for eight weeks. Most showed significant improvement in frailty scores, suggesting protein supplementation is critical in enhancing overall health in frail individuals.

“Protein is essential for growth, repair and maintenance of good health,” Gould emphasizes. “Protein is required across all life stages, but as protein is essential for cell and tissue growth, adequate amounts are essential during periods of growth or increased demand such as childhood and adolescence, pregnancy and breastfeeding and protein demands also increase during aging.”Tirlán says that its advanced milk and whey proteins offer complete proteins, amino acids and sets the standard for bone health.

Omega-powered osteo health
Repstad at Aker BioMarine points out that krill oil, which is rich in omega-3s, phospholipids, choline and astaxanthin, offers comprehensive health benefits. For bone health, its omega-3 content, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), can modulate body inflammation, reducing osteoclast activity that breaks down bone and helps preserve bone strength and integrity.

He notes that other studies have shown that women with higher bone mineral density had greater intake of EPA and DHA compared to those with osteoporosis and the krill oil’s EPA and DHA, known for their efficient bodily absorption, were particularly noted for supporting joint health and reducing knee issues in mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis cases.

“Aker BioMarine’s flagship ingredient for human health is Superba Krill oil and the real ‘X’ factor in this ingredient is its phospholipid advantage,” says Repstad. “Around each cell and membrane, we have phospholipids that help maintain the cell’s strength, flexibility” and integrity. Phospholipids are also naturally found in krill oil, making them more easily absorbed by the body to deliver total body benefits at a cellular level. This means you get more of the beneficial omega-3s in a form that your body can use efficiently.”

“At Aker BioMarine, our science pipeline is always full as we are continuously exploring and conducting new science on the health benefits of krill oil,” he concludes. “Currently, we are focusing on healthy aging and have new studies targeting various health areas. We are aiming to deliver 5 billion doses of health-promoting nutrients by 2030, helping to contribute to the improvement of general health and support efforts in alleviating lifestyle diseases across the board.”

By William Bradford Nichols