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INGREDIENTS
Why we need to give our gut the care it deserves
In the last decade, there has been a significant shift in health concerns for consumers. The winds of change have begun to blow, and more people are now prioritizing daily living and ageingi instead of worrying about life-threatening acute conditions. This is further exacerbated by our rapidly ageing population, where 1 in 4 people in Asia is expected to be aged 60 years and older by 2050ii.
As a result, consumer awareness concerning the importance of nutri- tion for healthy ageing is climbing up by the day. COVID-19 has also added to the readiness of consumers to make diet and lifestyle changes that will last beyond the pandemiciii. For ex- ample, in a recent HealthFocus Inter- national surveyiv conducted on behalf of BENEO, 85% of those aged 50 and older have shown a willingness to take charge of their health, and a key way of doing this is through changing what they eat and drink.
It has long been known that healthy eating, healthy living and healthy age- ing are all strongly related to each oth- er. As diet impacts metabolism at ev- ery stage of life, there is a need to pay attention to what is being consumed — no matter a person’s age.
The link between gut health and pos- itive ageing
As we grow older, the stability of our microbiota composition goes down. There is a lower diversity of bacteria and an increase of potentially harmful bacteria groups also occur.
Constipation, too, becomes more common as people age, with 1 in 4womenand1in6menaged65+ struggling with this conditionv. Thus, the benefits that nutrition can offer in terms of supporting gut health and strengthening the inner defence sys- tem is increasing in interest to older consumers. In fact, 50% of older con- sumers are extremely or very con- cerned about gastrointestinal/diges- tive problems, while 56% are worried
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It has long been known that healthy eating, healthy living and healthy ageing are all strongly related to each other.
about their immune healthvi.
Healthy nutrition goes beyond en-
suring the consumption of the right vitamins and minerals. It also encom- passes eating a good balance of car- bohydrates, along with appropriate amounts of protein, good fat sources, as well as foods and beverages that support the gut microbiome.
The starter pack for optimum diges- tive health
Even though all dietary fibres are non-digestible, they differ in the way they function in the large intestine. When the fermentation of fibres al- lows a selective increase of healthy microbiota, they are classified as pre- biotic fibres. Gut friendly foods, such as pre and probiotics can be support- ive in nourishing the gut microbiota as a person gets older. Research has shown that microbiota-support us- ing gut-friendly foods or food supple- ments not only promotes a person’s digestive health but can also improve their frailty indexvii.
Prebiotics, such as BENEO’s Orafti® Inulin, Orafti® Synergy1, and Oligofruc- tose chicory root fibres, play a role in selectively promoting the growth of good bacteria. The beneficial effects of BENEO’s prebiotics have been proven in more than 50 human intervention studies. They are the only plant-based prebiotics, and consumption of just 5 grams per day of inulin or oligofruc- tose results in a significant increase in bifidobacteria, therefore supporting a person’s digestive health and over-
Christian Philippsen, Managing Director, BENEO, Asia Pacific
all well-being, while helping to keep their inner defence system in good shape. These prebiotic fibres also have fat mimicking and sugar replacement properties, making them ideal to be in- corporated into elderly food and drink products to create healthier versions while increasing the fibre content.
Taking the next step towards the healthy ageing aspiration
The demand for nutritional food and drink choices will only continue to rise, and food manufacturers will be pressed to source for functional in- gredients that support healthy ageing more than ever.
The good news? There isn’t much sourcing to be done, since many of these ingredients are already eas- ily available and readily supplied. The market is well-positioned to embrace the positive ageing trend, and all we need is for food manufacturers to take that leap.
(Author: Christian Philippsen, Managing Director, BENEO Asia Pacific)
iSource: Health Focus International, Global Trends Study 2010-2020, *Global Total: Includes core trended countries – Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Germany, UK, Russia, India, Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Philippines How concerned are you about the follow- ing (extremely/very concerned – top 2)
iiUnited Nations ESCAP, Social Development Division. 2016 Popula- tion Data Sheet. 9 September 2016 revision
iiiHealth Focus International, 2020 BENEO Healthy Ageing consumer research
ivHealth Focus International, 2020 BENEO Healthy Ageing consumer research
vGallegos-Orozco JF, Foxx-Orenstein AE, Sterler SM, Stoa JM. Chron- ic constipation in the elderly. The American journal of gastroenterol- ogy. 2012 Jan;107(1):18. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325863/pdf/0610152.pdf
vi
Health Focus International, 2020 BENEO Healthy Ageing consumer
research
viiBuigues C, Fernández-Garrido J, Pruimboom L, Hoogland AJ, Navarro- Martínez R, Martínez-Martínez M, Verdejo Y, Mascarós MC, Peris C, Cauli O. Effect of a Prebiotic Formulation on Frailty Syndrome: A Randomized, Dou- ble-Blind Clinical Trial. Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Jun 14;17(6):932. doi: 10.3390/ ijms17060932. PMID: 27314331; PMCID: PMC4926465.
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