Walking the floor at any industry trade show lately proves that “Women’s Health”—including everything from sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy, and relief for menopause symptoms, to bone, gut, immune, and mental health—is trending up. What’s more, there is consistent crossover with lifestyle categories like stress, energy, and sleep. Right now, women’s health is the name of the game.
 
The uptick in interest in new ingredients and new women’s health formulations is both fascinating and welcome, because historically women have been underserved with regard to dedicated formulations and evidence-based research.
 
Cultural taboos also quieted marketing related to women’s issues deemed private, such as menstruation and menopause. Shining light on women’s health creates countless opportunities for growth in our industry because there are many ingredients that can offer benefits.
 
We are now riding a wave of positive momentum to promote gender parity, close research gaps, and prioritize women’s health. 

Menopause Is Hot

Long marginalized and demeaned by silly stereotypes, menopause is finally having a moment that will last, thanks to Gen Xers refusing to stay silent on the matter and outspoken medical professionals championing open conversations.
 
Numbers don’t lie: More than 2 million U.S. women reach menopause each year, with millions more in perimenopause expanding the cohort. Hot flashes are just one piece of the puzzle in terms of what happens when hormones dwindle. A 2023 study from the Mayo Clinic estimated $1.8 billion per year in workforce loss due to symptoms.
 
Lawmakers are taking notice and have pushed for more research in this area, as evidenced by the Menopause Research Act of 2022. Menopause-specific support is even edging into company benefit offerings.
 
Hormone therapies are not recommended for everyone, and regardless, many consumers prefer natural alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs when possible. That opens the door for the natural products industry to research and develop ingredients and menopause-specific products that can help mitigate the physical and mental effects.
 
Some botanical ingredients with menopause-related benefits have withstood the test of time. Black cohosh, for example, is used today for the same reasons the Native Americans used it centuries ago: to counter hot flashes, mood swings, and irritability. It is even currently approved in Germany for menstrual discomfort as well as menopausal symptoms.
 
Menopause symptom relief is an area where dark pigmented berries can shine as well, courtesy of their potent antioxidant capacity. A 2018 study found a correlation between higher dietary intake of antioxidants and reduction in symptoms like hot flashes, sleep problems, anxiety, and difficulty concentrating in postmenopausal women.
 
Berries also contain anti-inflammatory properties from their high content of flavonoids and polyphenols. Emerging data has highlighted the association between hot flashes with heightened systemic inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease. This makes functional foods and supplements that combat excess inflammation even more important.

Beyond Menopause

While menopause is certainly predominant in the women’s health field, there are many other aspects of women’s health that merit focus. Take urinary tract health, for instance. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) plague many women in various stages of life. Cranberry has developed a mainstream reputation as being the go-to natural option to help stave off persistent and recurring infections. This is due to the anti-bacterial-adherence quality of the proanthocyanidin actives in cranberry.
 
Bone health is another known category related to aging women and the risk of osteoporosis. And it’s another case of berries for the win. A review article that explored the relationship between high-polyphenol berries and age-related bone loss concluded that high berry intake was associated with higher bone mass. Preliminary studies have even shown that berries like blueberry increased osteoblast differentiation, a marker of bone health.
 
You can’t talk about women’s health without discussing cardiovascular health. According to the CDC, heart disease is still the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and it can affect women at any age. Dietary interventions as well as healthy lifestyle choices can help to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
 
One opportunity for supplement formulation involves an unsung hero: aronia berry. While not widely known, the heart health benefits of aronia make it a worthwhile addition to any heart health product. A meta-analysis on aronia extract concluded that daily supplementation for 6-8 weeks significantly reduced systolic blood pressure as well as total cholesterol, which are important factors involved with cardiovascular health. 

Women’s Health = Gut Health

The relationship between gut health and women’s health has been getting a lot of attention recently. While there are numerous studies on the profound role of the gut as it relates to everything from inflammation to mood, the research was lacking on female cohorts and female-specific conditions. As such, researchers have been targeting this data gap and exploring the potential role of the gut microbiota and its dysbiosis in various diseases and conditions women face.
 
Everything from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), to female cancers, to postmenopausal obesity and even cognition impairments and osteoporosis, can be linked back to gut health. This makes sense because the conditions all relate to hormone levels (particularly estrogen) and one of the principal regulators of circulating estrogens is the gut microbiome.
 
Since bidirectional interactions between hormones and the microbiome have been observed, modulating the gut microbiome to impact estrogen levels provides exciting opportunities for future therapeutic applications. 
 
The goal to modulate hormone levels to healthy levels at least in part lies with improving the state of gut microbial diversity. Targeted probiotic strains, and fiber or prebiotic ingredients that have been shown in studies to support microbial diversity in the gut all have a place in a women’s health formula.

Women’s Health Research

The only way to continue advancing our understanding and interventions for women’s health is to prioritize female-specific research. Men and women inherently have different biological and physiological systems and responses, and data on males cannot simply be extrapolated to women with an assumption of similar results. Without a doubt there is a real need for more research on women.
 
Luckily, we are taking positive steps forward. In November of 2023 the White House announced the first-ever Initiative on Women’s Health Research with the clear goal to “fundamentally change how our nation approaches and funds women’s health research.”
 
The Initiative will engage the federal government and public and private sectors to fund women’s health research, close research gaps, encourage innovation, improve education, disease prevention and treatment options, and more.
 
Organizations like Women in Nutraceuticals (WIN) have answered the call to contribute to this cause from within the industry. WIN’s mission is to support gender parity across a variety of platforms, including growing the number of women in science and research. A recurring theme within the science subcommittee is the need for more research on women and how to build a network of resources to help make this happen.

Conclusion

We stand at the threshold of a new era in women’s health — one characterized by increased awareness, advocacy, and innovation. The recognition of women’s unique health needs and the concerted efforts to address them mark a significant shift in both culture and scientific endeavors.
 
As evidenced by initiatives like the Menopause Research Act of 2022 and the Initiative of Women’s Health Research, there is growing recognition about the importance of dedicated research and resources for women’s health. These efforts aim not only to bridge existing gaps but also to pave the way for more inclusive and effective healthcare solutions.
 
The natural products industry has been challenged to innovate with functional ingredients that support women’s health, from menopause symptom relief to gut microbiome modulation. By working collaboratively with stakeholders and advancing female-specific research, we elevate women’s health and empower women to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.
 

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About the Author: Melanie Bush is vice president of science and research at Artemis International. With more than 15 years of experience at the company, her responsibilities span several departments including quality assurance, R&D, and technical sales support. She enjoys spearheading new research in the field of dark berry extracts and communicating the ever-evolving science of berry phytonutrients.