Anti-ageing foods ripe for growth

Anti-ageing foods are set to grow significantly as the worldwide elderly population expands and people seek to improve quality of life, confirmed speakers at a recent seminar organised by the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE).

With a two-fold increase in the world's elderly (65 and over) predicted between 1998 and 2025, it is not surprising that the market for anti-ageing foods - which at present is small and fragmented -will see increased levels of activity and opportunity for innovative small- to medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the drinks sector, those attending the seminar heard.

"The desire to delay effects of ageing, act and feel younger, and remain healthy in old age are anti-ageing drivers for change in the market place, and are evident as a key trend in the supplements sector,"​ said Fiona Angus, business manager of nutrition at Leatherhead Food International. She added that cognitive function, eye health, joint health and skin health/appearance are already established as key categories of anti-ageing foods in the Japanese market.

While there is a lack of good anti-ageing foods market data, market growth is expected, driven by stronger evidence of efficacy for eye and joint health products, such as lutein and glucosamine respectively. These categories are likely to see most activity in terms of product development and consumer acceptance, said Angus.

There are however barriers to growth in skin health, still considered to be the domain of the cosmetic industry, and the public scepticism about ingredients on the market for cognitive function will hold back this category.

Jacqueline O'Connor, principal investigator for the NICHE group involved in the EC 5th Framework-funded Zenith project, investigating the role of zinc in healthy ageing, also highlighted some difficulties in nutrition research. Although "older people are potentially a more vulnerable sub-population owing to their low dietary zinc intake",​ zinc status is difficult to measure and its measurement must be accompanied by a measure of micronutrient status.

O'Connor stressed the importance of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the project, and drew attention to innovative approaches for the collection of data for taste acuity, mood, cognitive function, physical performance, pro- and antioxidant status, immune function, inflammatory and nutritional markers, protein turnover and bone health. The study is due to be completed in March 2005 and will provide dietary advice on zinc status for ageing Europeans.

Another NICHE investigator, Chris Gill, currently involved in the EU Crownalife project, investigating age-related changes in gut microflora, reported: "Preliminary work on gut flora of the elderly is confirming a significant fall in number of bifidobacteria (putative health-promoting bacteria in the gut) and an increase in unidentified bacteria compared with younger adults."​

The next stage of the Crownalife project is to investigate ways of restoring healthy microflora in the elderly; the most likely route is the use of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics. The results of a randomised, double blind human intervention study involving 40 participants, aged between 63 and 99, over a period of 20 weeks involving a synbiotic (10g Raftilose Synergy1 and 1g lyophilised 3 x 10 11 Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010) or placebo (10g maltodextrins) treatment are expected in June 2004, said Gill.

Gill concluded that the project will result in recommendations for consumers and industry, and technical implementation for those involved in functional foods for the elderly.

Pat Morrissey, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork, Ireland, and co-ordinator of the Healthsence project spoke of the physical changes induced by age which threaten nutrition in the elderly.

"Elderly consumers have reduced sensitivity to odour and mouthfeel, experience more difficulty in breaking down and swallowing food, lose interest in food and food-related activities, and may be less motivated to seek variety in the diet, leading to consumption of a monotonous diet, reduced energy intake and deficiency in essential nutrients."​

Work on the HealthSense project, which is targeted with providing information for policy makers, R&D and consumer groups who support the elderly on foods appreciated by older people, is nearing completion with a series of publications expected in 2003/2004.

The NICHE​ seminar took place on 27 May 2003.