Women and health: the untapped opportunity

The current lack of clinical research and data for women’s health conditions has left a significant gap in the understanding of how women respond to different solutions and how different conditions can present in women.

Such a gap equals an opportunity, which new data point to an untapped market potential for female nutrition. But more work is needed to address the full range of women’s health requirements.

Although there has been a tendency to treat women as a homogenous group, there really is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to female nutritional targets, points out Monica Maria Olivares, RDA director women and infant health at Kerry.

Women experience distinct physiological and hormonal changes across their lives, from adolescence, reproductive age, pregnancy and lactation to perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause.

“Each of these life stages comes with its own unique nutritional and health needs,” Olivares notes. “For example, 80% of osteoporosis cases occur in women, and the risk factors develop in adolescence when there is a high requirement for calcium to achieve maximum bone density. There is also growing interest in a more holistic approach, acknowledging that women’s emotional wellbeing and mental health needs also change in tandem with life stages.”

We can expect to see this trend accelerate in the near future. As Olivares at Kerry adds, at birth, women’s life expectancy is longer than men’s but, throughout their lives, women run a greater risk of nutritional deficiencies. This can result in chronic conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke, yet most research into these diseases has historically been carried out on men.

“We are left with a situation where it typically takes women four years longer than men to be diagnosed with over 700 different diseases,” she continues. “So it’s vital that we expand our understanding of how nutrition can support health and wellbeing in women. There’s a real need for more clinical research targeted at female-specific conditions and the nutrients that can target these issues. For example, the evidence base is growing for phytoestrogens, compounds found in some plants with similar structure to oestrogen and popular for relieving menopause symptoms.”

Science-led

As the female nutrition category gains momentum, food and beverage products grounded in science are set to flourish, say sector specialists at Sagentia Innovation.

According to Mintel data, the most active segments of female nutrition have shifted. The nutritional focus of products is also expanding beyond prenatal, post-pregnancy, and weight loss to encompass women’s holistic needs.

Key aspects of women’s health that can be targeted with nutritional solutions ranging from joint health to cognitive function. Digestive health, weight and fitness, and energy needs are well-served by existing female nutrition solutions. However, there could be unmet needs and high demand for products that address other aspects of female health from a nutritional perspective.

Ankita Singal-Sareen, senior consultant at Sagentia Innovation, believes female nutrition is set to become a mainstream food and beverage category. She says products grounded in scientific evidence are most likely to generate interest, trust, and loyalty.

“The specific role of nutrition in female health is finally gaining attention,” Singal-Sareen explains. “Much of the available data about nutrition and health is centred on male physiology, but it’s increasingly clear that women stand to benefit from tailored approaches. Targeted nutrition could support women across various life stages and the associated physiologic, neurologic, and hormonal variabilities.”

The emerging field of precision nutrition will also play an increasingly important role, notes Olivares. Precision nutrition explores personal responses to specific nutrients based on characteristics including health history, race and, of course, gender.

“We already know there are noticeable differences in how the microbiome and gut motility differ between females and males, for example,” the director says of precision nutrition’s capability. “Better understanding of gender-based differences will optimise nutritional interventions to support women’s health.”

New wave

Singal-Sareen notes that major players in the female nutrition space include leading nutrition, consumer health and pharmaceutical companies. However, she suggests there is untapped innovation potential and expects a new wave of food and beverage products combined with services that diagnose female nutritional needs to offer tailored support.

Ingredients, however, will play a role in supporting female specific conditions. Kerry’s ProActive Health portfolio offers science-based nutritional solutions to support critical need states over a woman’s lifespan. These include Caronositol Fertility, an extract ingredient combining a patented ratio of myo-inositol & D-chiro-inositol to support hormonal and metabolic balance in women’s reproductive cycles. One of the main causes of female infertility is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), with a global prevalence of 5-18%. Caronositol Fertility supports the hormonal balance during reproductive cycle, the oocyte quality and favours the embryonic implantation favouring the pregnancy in these women. At the same time Caronositol fertility improved other symptoms related to hormonal disbalance such as hirsutism or acne.

Mastitis – inflammation of the breast – is a painful condition affecting around 15% of breastfeeding mothers, typically within the first four to 12 weeks. It can make lactation difficult and, in some cases, mothers feel so unwell that they stop breastfeeding before they had intended to. Hereditum® LC40® Breastcare supports breast health during lactation and has been clinically shown to help prevent premature cessation of breastfeeding due to mastitis. It includes Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716, the first patented probiotic strain isolated from women’s breast milk.

Some of women’s most common health concerns are related to perimenopause, menopause and the post-menopause years, explains Olivares.

“As oestrogen levels fall, this can result in a wide range of sometimes debilitating symptoms. Innovation in women’s health has increased the opportunities for products with ingredients that can help women successfully negotiate these life stages,” she adds. “Kerry’s Luprenol, for example, is a hops extract standardised on 8-prenylnaringenin, which has been identified as the most powerful phytoestrogen. Around 100 times more potent than soy isoflavones, it rapidly alleviates common symptoms such as hot flushes, insomnia and mood disturbances.”

More work is needed to address the full extent of female nutritional needs, promote holistic health, and potentially contribute to risk reduction for chronic disease. Further fundamental and clinical research will generate female-specific data, especially for younger women, and across a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

“Science-led developments in female nutrition will help fill these gaps, and we anticipate that they will accelerate over the next 12 months,” concludes Ankita Singal-Sareen, senior consultant at Sagentia Innovation.