Results are revealed from Consumer Research Survey on Healthy Aging in UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Solae, a world leader in soya ingredients, recently conducted a healthy ageing consumer research study across the 5 largest countries in Europe, revealing heart, energy and muscle as the top-ranked concerns for consumers.
The study shows that 40-50% of consumers aged 45-74 are concerned about Heart, Energy and Muscle. Nearly 70% of the age 45-74 consumers rate their diet healthful. The older the consumer, the more likely they are to rate their diet as healthful. Thirty percent believe they are not meeting their nutritional needs and women express more health concerns than men.
“Just getting older” was the main reason Europeans first became concerned about most health conditions. For trustworthy nutrition information, European consumers claim to consult a doctor most, followed by magazines and newspapers.
“The health benefits received through food is increasingly becoming more important to consumers. A lifestyle that contributes to health while aging may help extend the lifespan, as well as provide more enjoyable years of life. Our study results point to an opportunity for food manufacturers to focus more on healthy ageing foods and take opportunity of the fact that 2012 will be the European Year of Active Ageing” said Reinhart Schmitt, Managing Director, Solae Europe.
The elderly population, who are 60 years of age or older, exceeds 650 million people worldwide. This is the fastest growing age group, with an ever-increasing life expectancy — 80 plus years in developed countries and now increasing in developing countries, as well. By 2050, it is anticipated that this age group will jump to more than 2 billion people globally.
People of this age are taking a more active role in overall health and wellness, choosing active, healthy lifestyle to preserve health and vitality as they age. “Educating adults on the importance of choosing adequate and appropriate levels of macronutrients, like protein, in their diet is a critical component of healthy aging”, said Reinhart Schmitt. Establishing healthy lifestyle behaviour early in life is one factor that can contribute to healthy aging. Protein intakes decline for both males and females as they age and this may indicate that protein adequacy is compromised for a majority of older adults. Evidence supports the benefit of increasing total protein intake, the percent of calories from protein and possibly the amount of protein consumed at one time.
The survey helps Solae and the company Solae works with to better understand consumer’s attitudes towards their health and nutrition as they grow older. It includes examples of brands offering products to support healthy ageing and ways in which companies can market functional foods successfully.
About Solae
Solae is a world leader in developing soy-based ingredients for nutritious, great-tasting products. Solae provides solutions that deliver a unique combination of functional, nutritional, economical and sustainable benefits to our customers. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the company was formed through a joint venture between DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Bunge (NYSE: BG) in 2003. Solae is a recipient of 2011 Ethisphere's Ethics Inside Certification and was recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" in 2011. For more information, visit www.Solae.com, or follow the company on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/SolaeLLC, Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SolaeLLC, and LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/Solae-LLC.
For More Information, Contact:
Isabelle Ardevol:
iardevol@solae.com
+41 22 717 64 31
+41 79 799 64 31
Visit Solae at stand 3H19
