As the world’s population gets older, healthy ageing becomes a greater priority.
As older consumers become a larger proportion of the population, it’s more important than ever that industry meets their needs through food.
Manufacturers must make foods with these consumers front of mind, targeting them more extensively through both the composition of the food itself, and through marketing.
Ingredients are an important part of healthy ageing. For a myriad of reasons, including declining nutrient absorption and reduced food intake, older consumers need certain ingredients more than younger ones.
What ingredients are these, and why are they so important to older consumers?
1. Protein
Protein is, of course, an essential nutrient for all consumers. But older people actually need more protein than others.
A high-protein diet is necessary to preserve muscle mass, strength, and functional independence, explains Shavina Patel, consultant dietician and clinical nutritionist, reducing the risk of frailty and falls.
Older consumers lose the capacity to absorb key nutrients as they age, says Isabel Medina, food scientist at El Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), a Spanish research council. Therefore, they must eat more of nutrients such as protein.
Interest in high-protein products is already shifting from predominantly focusing on health and fitness to a broader preoccupation with lifestyle. Older consumers provide a growing market for high-protein food.
2. Vitamin B12
Deficiency in Vitamin B12 is commonly associated with vegetarianism and veganism, as the vitamin is commonly found in meat and animal products. Yet it remains crucial for older consumers, as absorption declines with age, increasing risk of deficiency.
Vitamin B12 is important for making red blood cells, as well as keeping the nervous system healthy.
It also supports memory and mental capacity. “In my practice, I often find that deficiency can link to a patient’s state of mind, including confusion, anxiety, and memory loss,” says nutritionist Patel.
Foods rich in Vitamin B12 include red meat, poultry, eggs, and fortified tofu.
3. Calcium
Older consumers are at greater risk of conditions such as osteoporosis, which weakens bones and makes fractures more likely.
Therefore, calcium intake is particularly important for them. It helps to maintain bone density and adequate intake is vital for preventing fractures.
It is found extensively in dairy foods such as milk and cheese, as well as leafy vegetables like kale and okra, and even bread.
4. Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids, found extensively in fish, are important for several reasons, explains Patel. They support heart health, they support cognitive function, and they may help reduce inflammation.
For cognitive health in particular, Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to be important. Studies have shown that dementia patients often have fewer Omega-3 fatty acids in peripheral blood tissue than people who do not have it. Some Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with reduced rates of dementia.
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) recommends two portions of fish each week, one oily.
5. Dietary fibre
Intake of dietary fibre is important for all age groups, supporting heart health, digestive health, and blood sugar control, among many other things.
However, many older adults fall below daily requirements, says Patel, due to reduced appetite, dental issues, and a diet with limited variety. Therefore, intake is particularly important for them.
Fibre is also important for older adults to help improve digestive health in particular. Many older adults struggle with constipation, due to low physical activity, inadequate diet, or the use of medication. They not only need fibre, but a variety of fibre types in their diet.
Fibre is found in abundance in fruits, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholegrain bread. Market opportunities exist in this area as well, in particular for fibre-enriched breads and breakfast cereals.
6. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for all consumers, but in particular older adults. It supports bone health, muscle function and immune response, all key for these consumers.
Older consumers are more vulnerable to deficiency, due to increased time indoors, says Patel, away from Vitamin D-providing sunlight. They also have reduced skin synthesis, the skin’s ability to produce Vitamin D.
Because of these things, consumption of Vitamin D through foods is more important.
Along with, of course, exposure to sunlight, Vitamin D can be found in oily fish, red meat, egg yolks and some fortified cereals. Guidelines from England and Wales’ National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also suggest supplementation for older adults.
7. Leucine
Leucine is an amino acid present in nearly all proteins, although particularly those of animal origin.
Leucine “plays an important role in maintaining muscle mass and strength” as people age, says specialist dietician Nichola Ludlam-Raine.
In particular, it helps to reduce the risk of sarcopenia, which is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that usually occurs with ageing.
Good sources include foods with high protein, such as dairy foods, eggs, fish, meat, soya and legumes.
8. Potassium
Potassium is important for muscle function and heart health, and it also regulates blood pressure.
It is commonly found in bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and dairy foods.
However, getting adequate potassium can pose a problem for older consumers. “Many older adults do not meet recommended intakes, particularly if fruit and vegetable intake is low“, says Ludlam-Raine.
One study found a link between low potassium levels and an increased likelihood of mortality in older consumers, independent of overall health status.
9. Magnesium
Magnesium is important for the production of energy, as well as muscle and nerve function and bone health. As with many other ingredients, older adults are at more risk of deficiency than the general population.
“Older adults may be at greater risk of low intakes due to reduced appetite, medications or poorer absorption“, says Ludlam-Raine.
One study suggests that sleep and cognitive disorders are common in consumers with low levels of magnesium.
Common sources of magnesium include nuts, seeds, wholegrains, beans and green leafy vegetables.
10. Water and other fluids
Finally, and perhaps most self-evidently, water is vitally important for older consumers, alongside other fluids.
“Older adults often have a reduced thirst response, cognitive impairment, or dependence on others for care, and may take medications that cause fluid loss”, says Patel.
“Dehydration is a common cause of hospitalisation in this age group and is linked to urinary tract infections, falls related to hypotension, confusion, and kidney impairment.”
Products that aid hydration, such as electrolyte drinks, present a potential opportunity in the healthy ageing market.
A growing market
The market for elderly nutrition is growing. By 2032, it’s expected to reach $43.1bn (€36.8bn).
These ingredients, while important for all consumers, are particularly necessary for older people, and therefore particularly relevant to this growing market.
To make the most of the market, manufacturers must frame these things around healthy ageing, promoting benefits such as bone health and muscle function alongside strength and fitness.
As the number of older consumers grow, the food industry must reframe itself around them to thrive.
Free broadcast: Learn more about healthy ageing in food
Keen to better understand nutrition, longevity and vitality? Don’t miss our Positive Nutrition session dedicated to healthy ageing, broadcast 13 May.
Speakers include experts from NIQ, Nestlé, Blue Zone Kitchens, Bulletproof, Danone, Olipop and more.
