Dr. A. Elizabeth Sloan09.01.12
Reducing the risk of serious diseases later in life, maintaining proper mental function and mobility are the highest health priorities associated with aging. “Retaining mental sharpness as I age” is the #1 health concern consumers are “extremely/very concerned” about. Not surprisingly, concern increases with age—7 in 10 aged 50+ are “extremely concerned” vs. 6 in 10 aged 40-49, according to HealthFocus.
Moreover, “maintaining the ability to continue with normal activities as we age” ranks 5th among all health concerns—63% of those aged 50+ are “extremely/very concerned” vs. 57% aged 40-49 per HealthFocus.
A little more than one-third (36%) of those aged 50+ are trying to manage/cope with an issue related to memory/mental health, according to the Hartman Group’s “Re-inventing Health & Nutrition” (Hartman, 2011). Six in 10 believe supplements are effective for preventing or delaying the onset of normal age-related memory loss per the “2010 Gallup Study of Nutrient Knowledge & Consumption.”
Improving memory, followed by retaining mental sharpness, tops the list of desired mental performance benefits tied to aging. The need for long-lasting mental energy appears to be a somewhat secondary benefit, just ahead of improved concentration, mood and reduced feelings of stress/anxiety, which appear to be of about equal interest.
Contrary to popular belief, many of the largest mental health disorders—anxiety, depression and mood swings—skew toward much younger adults, according the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH).
Market Potential
According to Sloan Trends’ TrendSense model, mental and healthy aging has been a very large and fast-accelerating market for the past decade, having reached “Mega Market” status around 2004-5. With an enormous scientific database and extremely high levels of research activity/Medical Counts, despite the small fall off, this market will remain strong and steady for years to come.
Health aging and memory is a strong and stable Level 2 mass market opportunity, on a par with omega 3s and vitamin D. While memory has been a viable mass market opportunity for the past 15 years, it is the acceleration in research activity since 2007 that has rapidly propelled this market forward. The acceleration was likely jump-started by the National Institute on Aging’s aging issues campaign in 2007, which drew researcher and media attention and provided funding for anti-aging research.
Omega 3s tied to mental/brain health have recently become a mass market opportunity once again after giving way to heart and other omega 3 health linkages over the past five years. Among specialty channel/health food shoppers and very health conscious/condition-specific consumers, antioxidants continue to be associated with improving memory.
Circulation and increasing blood flow to the brain sit squarely in the Popularization Phase when tied to brain health. As such, it is currently a highly marketable opportunity among specialty channel/health food shoppers and very health conscious/condition-specific consumers.
While very much a serious worry for older consumers, Alzheimer’s disease does not appear to be a viable market opportunity at this time, perhaps because of the lack of believability that a product could have an impact on this serious condition. More than five million suffered from Alzheimer’s in 2011, according to the American Alzheimer’s Association.
