Ageing well: Trends and new products

WHAT are the common health issues among consumers today? It seems many of them are typical and of course based on habits, interests, and demographics. Going by a recent survey of over 25,000 consumers in 23 countries, some health concerns have changed in order of significance among respondents. Results of this survey owned by Royal DSM were presented at Vitafoods Europe 2019 held from 7-9 May in Geneva, Switzerland.

The DSM Global Health Concerns study 2019 is a follow-up to the company’s survey in 2017. While in 2017 consumers were most concerned about weight, this time around, the pressing issue is energy levels/tiredness (EMEA, 67%). The second most important health issue is protection against disease later in life (64%), and then eye health (62%).

About 70% of respondents who were parents with children under 16 years old said their top three concerns in order of importance were children’s immunity, the quality of nutrition especially for picky eaters, and protection against diseases later in life.

The latest survey which was also conducted to quantify awareness and attitudes towards dietary supplement usage, shows that there is a significant increase in usage in the EMEA region compared to previous research (37% in 2019 vs 28% in 2017), with products primarily taken to boost health in general (56%), improve the immune system (46%) and increase energy levels (41%).

While the results of these surveys are mostly from the EMEA region, they are not uncommon in other parts of the globe. The busy lifestyles characteristic here in Asia can take a toll on energy levels, while the region’s growing elderly population should also indicate an interest in protection against disease later in life.

For active seniors

According to Valio, older active adults are a big business potential and an opportunity for innovation. In a press report it said, “With the right innovations supporting healthy ageing with nutrition, the food industry can make their products desirable for ageing adults, just as the beauty and personal care industry has done.” The Finnish dairy company offers Valio Eila™ NUTRI F+ lactose free formulated milk protein powder under its ageing nutrition.

“Valio Eila™ NUTRI F+ lactose free formulated milk protein powder fulfills the key needs of older adults. In addition to containing essential nutrients, it also gives a full taste and texture, helping Valio’s customers to formulate their products. It works in several applications, like milk powders, special nutrition drinks, dairy drinks, nutritious food and dietary products”, says Minja Miettinen, Senior Research Manager, PhD, Research and Innovations at Valio.

Organic ingredient boosts heart health

Hypertension, compromised blood circulation conditions and coronary artery diseases are common among ageing individuals.  According to Eevia Health, its new organic certified ingredient, Fenoprolic® 70 Organic addresses these issues. The ingredient contains 70% procyanidins (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) to be included as an ingredient in dietary supplement formulations. The product is a natural extract from pine bark and is better, cleaner and cheaper than any serious alternative.

The company’s research efforts are focused on cardiovascular indications. One is to document the protection of endothelial cells of the inner walls of blood vessels. Oxidative damage to endothelial cells is an important factor in cardiovascular disease. Eevia Health plans to initiate a new study to document if Fenoprolic® 70 Organicalso increases the activities of intracellular antioxidant enzyme systems in the endothelial cells. Fenoprolic® 70 Organic may also inhibit negative signaling functions of macrophages and in several ways improve the vascular function.

The new product is made from the company’s own cold processing approach and allows production of high concentrations of low-molecular weight oligomeric proanthocyanidin extracts using green chemistry techniques. The resulting product out-performs other pine bark extracts on most parameters, for instance purity. It specifies less than 10% of pollutants compared to other pine bark extracts.