Women’s health is a broad area covering
preventive health care for all major body functions, including bone,
circulatory system and urinary tract. Women are prone to some diseases, such as
osteoporosis, osteoarthritis (OA), anemia, menstrual health disorders, obesity,
depression and fibromyalgia. Statistics prove women are also more prone than
men to certain autoimmune conditions such as lupus and hypothyroidism.
Historically, management of women’s health has been through traditional means,
including usage of herbs and dietary control. Rediscovering the importance of certain
dietary components in maintaining women’s health has led to the rapid growth of
women’s health ingredients. The market for women’s health ingredients is expected
to grow at a healthy pace, ranging between 9.3 percent and 9.5 percent in the
two largest markets—Europe and North America.
The major ingredients positioned for
women’s health include iron, calcium, vitamin D, folic acid, soy isoflavones and cranberry extracts. These functional ingredients are positioned for use in
dietary supplements, foods and beverages. Ingredients such as cranberry are currently
hot, with an expected growth of 5.5 percent over the next seven years. The
marketing efforts surrounding cranberry extracts, combined with efforts of some
companies to blend the extracts with probiotics for a holistic effect, has
contributed to the growth prospects. Some other ingredients such as iron and
calcium have been around for a long time and are mainstays of the overall
market for women’s health ingredients. Together, iron and calcium are estimated
to contribute a whopping 72 percent of the overall revenues of women’s health
ingredients in the United States.
Strong factors drive the total market for
women’s health ingredients. The most significant of these is the increasing
prevalence of female-specific health issues. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) reports approximately 14 percent of women older than 18
are considered to be in poor health. The prevalence of obesity among men and
women is a key indicator that female-specific health problems are due to
extraneous factors. While 40 percent of the men were considered overweight in
2007, only 28.6 percent of women registered as being overweight. The calorific
value of diet or exercise is not the only factor that influences the health
status of women. This has driven the need for specific dietary components that
can enhance women's health. Iron is significant in combating anemia symptoms,
while calcium can help prevent osteoporosis and arthritis.
Supplementing diets with specific
functional ingredients is a key trend in the women’s health market. The second
strong argument in favor of a growing women’s health ingredient market is
escalating health care costs. A significant 15 percent of the adults between
the ages 16 and 84 were reported to have delayed or not received health care
due to increased costs in 2009. In such a situation, it has become imperative
for consumers to modify their dietary composition to include functional
ingredients that can act as cost-effective insurance against expensive medical
intervention at a critical stage. Most ingredients poised for greater growth in
the women’s health ingredient portray this image. For example, even in the
absence of a united verdict from regulatory authorities regarding the effect of
cranberry extracts on urogenital health among women, this ingredient is being
consumed widely. While French authorities approved cranberry claims, the
European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) opinion on label claims was not
favorable.
Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. recently
entered the fray with an announcement of a more comprehensive proanthocyanidin
(PAC) measurement technique, which is likely to be released in six to 12
months. This is an evolution that is natural to a new ingredient such as
cranberry. For the more established ingredients such as iron, calcium and
vitamin D, the emphasis is on increasing uptake to required levels rather than
to encourage initial consumption. Scientific evidence abounds for the beneficial
effects of these ingredients on the overall health of a woman. Even soy
isoflavones, which are a relatively small revenue contributor to the overall
market, have a significant body of scientific evidence supporting their role in
cancer prevention and menstrual disorder maintenance. The third significant
factor driving the market therefore is the large body of scientific evidence
available to the consumers.
In this positive condition, the only factor
that acts as a significant damper on the overall revenue prospects for this
market is price. Again, established ingredients such as iron and calcium have begun
to be looked upon as commodities, with little or no differentiation among
offerings by manufacturers. Their prices are expected to drop in the future.
Cranberry prices are evolving with major players hoping to keep the
international pricing transparent with auctions and are currently steady. Soy
isoflavones seem to trend toward an increase in prices in the future. Vitamin D
prices are also expected to increase. Both ingredients are witnessing a
positive pricing trend due in part to the competitive nature of the
manufacturing base.
The market looks rosy for women’s health
ingredients. Significant savings on health care can be achieved by a rational
use of functional ingredients in the diet. This has been conveyed to consumers.
Product differentiation and greater marketing efforts will enhance individual
competitors and give them a secured position in the market.
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