Globally, health and wellbeing has shifted from a focus on physical health and nutrition to also include cognitive and mental wellness. In fact, the cognitive health market is expected to continue to experience significant growth of over 19% CAGR through 2024¹. This shift in consumers’ health concerns to a more holistic and preventive approach has resulted in demand from consumers for solutions for emotional wellbeing including ways to improve sleep and protect their cognitive health for future years.

This shows the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19 and the impact that high levels of uncertainty can have on the mental wellbeing of consumers. In many instances, these feelings of uncertainty will be intensified by irrational thoughts and fears which in turn will further impact on cognitive health.

When analyzing health in a pandemic/post-pandemic environment, context is important. COVID-19 has certainly accelerated cognitive health problems across the globe. It is important to highlight that even before the pandemic, cognitive health was still an area of focus for consumers. Over the last three years, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of people suffering from cognitive health problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to diverse mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other trauma- and stress-related disorders. It is understood that excessive or long-term stress may negatively affect mental health. Thus, it is not surprising that as stress levels rose during the pandemic, mental health simultaneously worsened.

Over the last three years, there has been an increase in the proportion of consumers who are struggling to stay alert, focused, and maintain concentration. At the same time the proportion of people saying that they suffer from stress or poor sleep health has increased considerably. Consumers recognize that stress and poor sleeping habits are detrimental to their health, so they are willing to take action to improve their mental wellness. In the long-term, consumers want to stay fit and active and are adopting the notion of healthy aging. Linked to this, they see good cognitive health as a central focus and want to minimize the risk of long-term health problems such as dementia. A healthy brain is essential to how we move, feel, learn, and communicate, as well as how we make decisions, solve problems, and regulate emotions.

As consumers are adopting a prevention over cure approach, nutraceuticals are increasingly being utilized to support cognitive health and mental well-being.  There is also supporting science on how some nutrients such as amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3FAs), vitamins, minerals and some botanicals can enhance cognitive functions and prevent decline.

However, to meet consumer demands, ingredient-led claims and scientific evidence in formulations will be crucial for future developments of nutraceutical products that can enhance several cognitive functions, with consumers wanting reassurance over product efficacy.

Lubrizol solutions for cognitive health and mental wellness include a wide offering of branded botanical and mineral ingredients with value-add and scientific support for improved cognitive health:

^{(*) Products currently under development}

To summarize, the shift in consumers behavior when it comes to cognitive health and how Lubrizol’s science-backed nutraceutical ingredients provide a multi-functional holistic approach to address the different needs of cognitive and mental wellness.
 

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^References:

^{1. Global Brain Health Supplements Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2017 to 2025 from Research and Markets.}