Innovative solutions to meet women’s evolving health needs [Interview]

Women are increasingly taking a proactive approach to health and wellbeing, with a growing focus on diets and supplementation that support different life stages and lifestyles. “Within dietary supplements, women’s health is one of the fastest growing segments,” says Paula Limena, vice president of marketing at ADM’s global health and wellness division.

“Consumers are increasingly seeking support for specific areas of wellbeing, and this is driving market granularity. This is certainly the case with women’s health.”

Innovation backed by science

In fact, over 70% of women globally say they are taking a long-term approach to health. This covers each stage of life, from adolescence to adulthood, through menstrual phases, pregnancy, menopause, and post-menopause. While increased awareness is driving supplement growth, Limena suggests that the full extent of this is still under-estimated.

“Women’s health mixes with other areas such as skin health and beauty-from-within,” she explains. “So, the [compound annual growth rate] CAGR for women’s health from 2018 to 2023 was 7%, while from 2021 to 2023, it increased to 17%. However, these figures do not include growth in the beauty-from-within segment, which clearly blurs into women’s health.”

This helps to underline the massive potential for growth in this market segment. A key challenge however has been the historic lack of clinical evidence to back women’s health products. This is beginning to change, and ADM is at the forefront of driving this change, with a number of ongoing clinical trials related to dermatology in menopause; cognitive and emotional processing in menopause; and other health areas.

“We are seeing increasing advocacy, in part because women are now more comfortable talking about issues such as the menopause,” says Limena. “This in turn will help to drive more demand. This is important, as 81% of consumers want products that are backed by science.”

This, says Limena, is where ADM comes in. “We focus on the science,” she says. “Our ingredients are backed by science, and products are supported by clinical trials.”

Tailored ingredient solutions

One common thread throughout a woman’s life is the growing body of evidence for gut microbiome-supporting solutions like prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.

These solutions, coupled with on-trend ingredients can deliver nutrition products tailored to specific needs.

One of ADM’s solutions in this space is its clinically backed BPL1 (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT8145) strain. BPL1 probiotic and postbiotic targets factors relevant to metabolic health. Emerging evidence also suggests that BPL1 – in combination with diet and exercise – may help support weight management, a healthy body mass index (BMI) and metabolic health pathways. The heat-treated postbiotic version of BPL1 can survive tough formulation environments, enabling it to be incorporated into a range of functional food and beverages.

“We know that microbiome modulation plays a role in weight management,” says Limena. “We can suggest to manufacturers combinations of our heat-treated BPL1 for a range of formulations, perhaps by combining with our Novasoy product, or vitamin E.”

ADM’s Novasoy is a soy isoflavone concentrate that delivers high levels of genistein. Plant oestrogens like soy isoflavones are considered selective oestrogen receptor modulators, which have specifically demonstrated benefits for women experiencing menopause, such as reducing the number and frequency of hot flashes and helping maintain healthy bones.

Another solution is ADM/Matsutani LLC’s Fibersol, a prebiotic fibre that delivers the benefits of fibre while promoting healthy gut bacteria. This product is backed by clinical evidence. A study has shown that Fibersol may increase appetite regulating hormone GLP-1 when consumed at 10 grams with a meal in healthy individuals. Increasing prebiotic dietary fibre intake can be beneficial, especially for women as they look for solutions to address potential weight gain during menopause.

“These are just some of the ingredients we are proposing at ADM,” says Limena. “It all depends on how brands are looking to differentiate themselves, and growing demand for solutions tailored to meet individual needs across women’s life stages.”

Portfolio of ingredients and expertise

At Vitafoods Europe, ADM aims to demonstrate how it works with brands to identify and bring to market effective product solutions. This working relationship runs from conceptualisation right through to the final consumer product.

“We not only have expertise in ingredient development, quality, traceability and sustainability – we also have application knowledge,” says Limena. “We have the portfolio of ingredients and expertise to support industry needs. For example, we recently created a sipping broth with pre-, pro- and postbiotics. We can also deliver gummies, as well as day-to-day beverages and ready-to-drink applications.”

Looking forward, Limena notes that innovations in weight management are evolving. “Women are not only concerned about losing weight, but are also increasingly focused on body composition,” she says.

“This is the next big chapter for the industry, because we know how important it is to build muscle at different life stages. Just look at how the collagen and protein markets have grown in the past years. So, I predict that body composition is going to be a big focus in the future.”

ADM is the Vitafoods Europe Conference Gold Partner under Immune and Gut Health. ADM’s vice president of medical affairs, Dr Richard Day, will be giving a presentation at the Vitafoods Europe Conference Theatre on Wednesday 15 of May at 1:40pm. He will present exciting new research on novel ES1 probiotic and postbiotic in adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This communication is intended for B2B use and no statements are meant to be perceived as approved by regulatory authorities.