The New Look of Healthy Aging: Active Aging

Highlights:

• Active aging helps consumers maintain their strength and mobility. 
• Ingredients like phosphorous, creatine, and turmeric are crucial in active aging products. 

Appealing to Older Active Lifestyle Consumers

Products to support healthy aging continue to be in demand and range from nutrient-dense beverages to functional foods to dietary supplements. However, with older consumers more active than ever and many with no desire to slow down, products that can support active healthy aging can be even more appealing.

Developing messaging around active healthy aging can connect with those who want to maintain a physically active lifestyle as they age but know their nutrient needs are changing. Active aging products combine ingredient knowledge from both the healthy aging and sports nutrition categories for total support. As people age, physical activity becomes even more significant as it’s linked to maintaining independence as well as social interaction.

For more information on appealing to active Boomer consumers, check out our digital Concept Lookbook.

Key Benefits of Active Aging

While active aging products can impart a wide range of health benefits, the core focus is on helping consumers maintain mobility and strength as they age. Optimum mobility is strongly dependent on having healthy bones and joints. While the most well-known bone health ingredients may be calcium and vitamin D, phosphorous and magnesium are also essential.

As active consumers age, they’re not only more prone to bone loss and brittleness, but they’re also more likely to experience joint inflammation, which can lead to stiffness and pain. This is why active aging products may also include ingredients targeting joint health, such as curcumin (from turmeric) along with piperine (from black pepper) for improved curcumin absorption and bioavailability.

Muscle Strength

Maintaining muscle mass, and ultimately muscle function and strength, is another key part of active aging. This makes dietary protein one of the most essential nutrients for active aging since it’s necessary to maintain existing muscle mass and support new muscle protein synthesis after exercising. 

In addition, researchers are beginning to explore the potential of other ingredients, such as creatine monohydrate and omega-3 fatty acids, for producing muscle benefits in older people. Research shows creatine may allow for exercising at higher workloads which then can increase muscle mass and strength,^1,2 whereas omega-3s may have the ability to enhance the rate of muscle protein synthesis.³

Active Aging Products in the Market

With the active aging space still relatively new, very few brands are selling targeted active aging products. One example in the market is Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Fit 40 line “for active individuals 40+.” This line includes a pre-workout product, a post-workout product, and a joint support supplement.

The Fit 40 Training & Performance Booster includes 3 grams of creatine, 2 grams of beta-alanine, calcium, and vitamin D in a fruit punch or cherry limeade ready-to-mix (RTM) beverage powder, while Protein for Muscle Recovery contains 30 grams of protein from whey and 4 grams of l-leucine in a low sugar, chocolate protein RTM beverage powder. Ingredients in the Fit 40 Active Joint Health supplement capsules range from turmeric and black pepper extract to collagen to vitamin C.

High-Quality Ingredients for Active Aging

The new area of active aging reflects an important shift in how people think about aging and is a key opportunity for food and supplement companies. For companies interested in tapping into this emerging segment, our portfolio of innovative nutritional and functional ingredients—like our CreaBev creatine with enhanced stability for both RTM and RTD beverages—has everything you need to get started.

Contact us to learn more about CreaBev, our range of dairy and plant-based protein and custom premix solutions, and other essential nutrients for active aging.

References

1. Oikawa, S.Y., Brisbois, T.D., van Loon, L.J.C., et al. Eat like an athlete: insights of sports nutrition science to support active aging in healthy older adults. GeroScience (2021). 
2. Devries, M.C. & Phillips, S.M. Creatine supplementation during resistance training in older adults—a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2014). 
3. Oikawa, S.Y., Brisbois, T.D., van Loon, L.J.C. et al. Eat like an athlete: insights of sports nutrition science to support active aging in healthy older adults. GeroScience (2021).