February 19, 2025 – US consumers are proactive about their health, across all ages. For them, healthy aging is a combination of various aspects of holistic health. They strive for wellbeing to have energy for daily tasks and activities throughout life. Innova’s 360 research into healthy aging trends analyzes supplement and food and beverage launches in the US. This highlights health trends in the US with claims including immune health, gut health, heart health, brain health, and energy.
Consumer Healthy Aging Trends
Consumer health trends research displays that 3 in 5 consumers in the US are proactive about their health. Consumers ages 25 and older in the US follow targeted nutrition plans to prevent health concerns. Healthy aging is the third top physical concern of consumers in the US. The top two physical concerns are weight management and heart health, similar to global consumers. Health concerns vary with age. Young consumers prioritize healthy skin. While consumers aged 25-44 give importance to heart health and energy/stamina. Those aged 45-54 focus on digestive or gut health concerns, while those 55 and above are most concerned about healthy aging, heart health and bones and joints.
Health trends show that the top mental concern of consumers is stress and anxiety. Boomers are more concerned about memory and mental agility and sharpness than other consumers. While Generation X, aged between 45-54, were concerned with tiredness and fatigue.
These health concerns are reflected in their purchasing preferences. They often desire and purchase balanced nutrition products. They actively look for vitamins and magnesium as functional ingredients in food and beverages, aligning with current trends in US healthcare.
Supplement Trends
In the US, supplements with healthy aging claims exceed launches of food and beverages with similar claims. Healthy aging claims feature in three-quarters of launches. Apart from supplements, 2 in 5 clinical nutrition launches and 1 in 20 food and beverage launches carry at least one healthy aging claim. Immune health is the leading claim across product launches in the US. Other top claims include digestive or gut health, heart health, brain health, and energy. These consumers preferences shape healthy aging trends and consumer health trends in the US.
Immune Health Trends
Supplements, soft drinks, and dairy account for over 85% of immunity claims. Immune health claims lead in supplement category launches. Leading subcategories in supplement with immune health claim are botanical and herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals, and probiotics. The top subcategories with immune health claims in food and beverage are juices and nectars, reflecting current health trends.
Food and beverages, and supplements use different key functional immunity ingredients. Botanical is the leading ingredient, and zinc is a classical ingredient for immune health in food and beverages. Healthy aging supplements in the US increasingly use mushrooms and collagen with immune health claims.
Gut Health Trends
Supplements lead in the US market for launches with gut health claims, followed by soft drinks. Health trends in the US indicate that top supplement subcategories include botanical and herbal supplements, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals. Leading food and beverages subcategories with gut health claims are soft drinks, dairy, and bakery.
Trend research on gut health shows that botanical ingredients support gut health. In food and beverages, green tea and kombucha ingredients continue to grow in digestive health claim launches. Tocopheryl acetate and flaxseed show stable growth in launches. In supplements, consumers prefer soluble fiber from established botanical ingredients for gut health.
Heart Health Trends
Consumer health trends reveal that cereals, snacks, and soft drinks are leading food and beverage subcategories with active heart health claims, accounting for only 13% of total launches. US regulation in food and beverages limit heart health claims only to fiber and saturated fat reduction, resulting in minimal innovation. In contrast, 4 in 5 heart health launches are supplements. Leading subcategories include botanical and herbals, vitamins and minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Energy and Brain Health Trends
Categories with energy claims show 18% growth in the US over the past year. Supplement leads category launches with energy claims, followed by food and beverages, including soft drinks, hot drinks, and dairy. Concentrates provided in smaller-volume packaging boost the growth in supplements. Energy drinks, iced tea, energy bars and meal replacement drinks are the primary subcategories in food and beverage products. Botanical and herbal ingredients drive growth, followed by caffeine and tea components in this category, reflecting health care trends in the US.
Supplements lead the category launches with brain health claims, followed by food and beverages. Energy drinks and coffee in food and beverage are primary targets for innovation in enhancing consumers’ brain health or mood. Tocopheryl acetate is a top nutraceutical ingredient used in healthy aging food and beverage and supplement launches promoting brain health.
Leading Healthy Aging Claims
Products in the US address other major consumer health concerns, including weight management, bone health, muscle health, and sleep enhancement. Health care trends in the US show that supplements lead in the US market related to all these claims than food and beverages. Supplements with fruit and vegetable concentrates are on the raise for weight management, muscle health, and bone health claims. Launches with sleep enhancement claims use botanical and herbal ingredients.
What’s Next in the Health Trends in the US?
In health trends in the US, collagen appears as key ingredients in most US launches. Known for its multifaceted benefits, collagen supports mobility, bone and joint health, muscle health, and more. As plant-based lifestyles gain prominence, consumers may look for alternatives to animal-based collagen. Marine ingredients like spirulina and chlorella can gain recognition for their health benefits, while functional mushrooms may continue to be prominent in products designed for healthy aging. The demand for products that offer multiple health benefits in a single package can grow. Concentrates can become a popular format, as they reduce the need for high-volume or multi-pill supplements, making it easier for consumers to achieve balanced nutrition. As more consumers increasingly use supplements, brands are likely to focus on plant-based or marine alternatives for the majority of products.
This article is based on Innova’s Now & Next in Healthy Aging in the US report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
