“I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.”
- Maya Angelou
Phenomenal Woman
The contagious title, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” has become a cliché depiction of the differences between a man and a woman. Granted, the book discusses relational matters, but the title does hold some truth applicable to men and women’s health in that physiologically, men and women are from different planets. Women exclusively experience menstrual cycles, pregnancy and menopause, just to name a few. And because of the diverse health issues facing women—from breast cancer to menopause—the women’s health market is multifaceted.
“Women tend to understand the needs of their bodies better than men,” said Mitch Skop, senior director of new product development, Pharmachem Laboratories. “Whether the questions go to the pros and cons of estrogen therapy or prenatal nutrition, women have always been at the forefront of health and wellness.”
Even though women are taking an active (and proactive) role in their health, their market is full of confusion, debatable research and misinformation. Current research is fueling debates over the age women should start getting mammograms, the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and many other female issues.
“The recent news about a recommendation that women don’t need annual mammograms until after age 50 sparked an intense national debate that proves women are serious about their health and are intent on taking preventive measures—not only for breast health, but in all areas,” said Dean Mosca, president, Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. “And this is very good news for the naturals industry.”
Natural is looking better and better compared to the conventional arena, as there are many side effects to pharmacological and conventional approaches attempting to tackle women’s health issues. “The market for women’s health products that incorporate natural ingredients is growing dramatically,” said Bob Green, president, Nutratech. “This is primarily due to the negative side effects from traditional medicines. Just consider the well-publicized complications surrounding HRT. But also, there is a general consumer trend toward all things natural.”
Some issues women face are not as publicized as breast cancer or hot flashes; nonetheless, they need tackling. “For example, the current market for iron supplements is served by pharmaceutical/over-the-counter (OTC) companies that offer iron supplements based on old iron sources and outdated formulations,” said Scott Hagerman, president and CEO of Chemi Nutra. “The majority of these products are not well tolerated, causing stomach upset, heartburn and constipation, and often ending in withdrawal. Many, if not most of the population who are in need of an iron supplementation lack even basic knowledge of iron deficiency. These facts are especially interesting when considering that essentially every pregnant woman and every person clinically diagnosed with iron deficiency and anemia are given a prescription for an iron supplement.”
Brazilian research found pregnant women supplementing 15 mg/d of Ferrochel® (from Albion), an iron bis-glycinate chelate, was significantly more effective, in spite the lower dose, compared to 40 mg/d of ferrous sulfate, commonly used to treat iron deficiency.1 The effect of supplementation was evaluated by measuring hemoglobin, transferrin saturation and serum ferritin at the beginning of the study (less than 20 weeks pregnancy) and at 20 to 30 weeks and 30 to 40 weeks thereafter. A total of 73 percent of the Ferrochel-consuming group and 35 percent of the ferrous sulfate-consuming group were considered to have taken the treatment adequately. The decrease in levels of all the measured parameters was significantly less pronounced in the group consuming Ferrochel, in spite of the lower treatment dose. Iron depletion was found in 30.8 percent of the women treated with Ferrochel and 54.5 percent of the women that consumed ferrous sulfate. Of the factors responsible for non-compliance, taste was reported in 29 percent of the ferrous sulfate consumers, with no complaints from the Ferrochel group.
Sifting through the many ailments and issues women face is not an easy task. The multifaceted women’s health market is driving upward, but, on its way up, it’s seeing many changes. “Originally, the women’s health category was focused on female-specific health concerns like menopause and bone support, but we’re seeing a growing understanding of the issue of obesity and being overweight as an underlying risk factor in numerous women’s health concerns,” Green said.
Hagerman agreed, adding, “Nutrition science and medical discovery have brought about much more information on women’s health issues in the past one to two decades.”
FDA is also making waves as it changes the face of the dietary supplement industry as a whole, including the women’s health market. “We’ve seen much more FDA scrutiny of the market, particularly for weight-control products, which has been long overdue,” Skop said. “Products that promise miracle weight-loss results are being pulled from the shelves, and we’re seeing our industry do a better job of calling to task unscrupulous marketers.” Skop also noted the recent emphasis on clinical studies and substantiated product claims and the continual focus of safety and efficacy. “This is important to mention because it affects women,” he said. “Women will become highly skeptical. Although they are very willing to try something new, they don’t like pie-in-the-sky, unfulfillable promises.”
