Formulating healthy aging products

Supplement and functional food formulators should focus on the specifics of healthy aging for all age demographics.

Sandy Almendarez, VP of Content

April 20, 2020

2 Min Read
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The desire to stay young is baked into the human psyche. As most things in life, it can boil down to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for survival. In a stark and scary sense, getting older means getting closer to death, and consumers will pay attention to products that can help them stay heathier to prolong the lives they find so precious.

Aging results from the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This damage leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease and ultimately, death. Researchers have characterized aging as a progressive loss of physiological integrity, leading to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death (Cell. 2013;153[6]:1194-217). This deterioration is the primary risk factor for major human pathologies, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Proportionally, more people are facing advanced ages. According to data from 2019 World Population Prospects, in 2018, for the first time in history, people aged 65 or above outnumbered children under five years of age globally.  By 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9%). By 2050, one in four people living in Europe and North America could be aged 65 or over. The number of people aged 80 years or over is projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050.

The deep desire to look better and healthy presents ample opportunity to the natural products sector to offer products that satisfy consumer demands. However, it’s important that brand formulators undertake this responsibility with great care by ensuring they use tested, efficacious doses of ingredients that have proven track records of success.

Considerations for healthy aging product developers:

  1. Brands should not be creating products for “healthy aging” specifically.

  2. Don’t think “anti-aging.”

  3. Pay attention to all demographics.

  4. Healthy aging of the planet matters, too.

  5. A personalized nutrition approach to healthy aging products may pay dividends.

Learn more about each of these considerations in the full article in Natural Products Insider’s Healthy aging: Outward vitality – digital magazine.

About the Author

Sandy Almendarez

VP of Content, Informa

Summary

• Well-known subject matter expert within the health & nutrition industry with more than 15 years’ experience reporting on natural products.

• She cares a lot about how healthy products are made, where their ingredients are sourced and how they affect human health.

• She knows that it’s the people behind the businesses — their motivations, feelings and emotions — drive industry growth, so that’s where she looks for content opportunities.

Sandy Almendarez is VP of Content for SupplySide and an award-winning journalist. She oversees the editorial and content marketing teams for the B2B media brands SupplySide Supplement Journal and SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal, the education programming for the health and nutrition trade shows SupplySide Connect New Jersey and SupplySide West, the education program SupplySide Fresh for industry newcomers and community engagement across the SupplySide portfolio. She is a seasoned content strategist with a passion for health, good nutrition, sustainability and inclusion. With over 15 years of experience in the health and nutrition industry, Sandy brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as a content-focused business leader. With specialization in topics ranging from product development to content engagement, creative marketing and c-suite decision making, her work is known for its engaging style and its relevance for business leaders in the health and nutrition industry.

In her free time, Sandy loves running, drinking hot tea and watching her two kids grow up. She brews her own “Sandbucha” homemade kombucha; she’s happy to share if you’re ever in Phoenix!

Awards:

Speaker credentials

Resides in

  • Phoenix, AZ

Education

  • Arizona State University

Contact:

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