| Top Women's Health Issues |
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From the time a woman hits puberty until she’s finished with menopause, hormones have a lot of say; some days, they’re screaming. Hormones affect mood and health, and those two aspects of a woman affect everything from how she close she wants to snuggle with her spouse to how much work she can pound through at the office.
“Women have unique nutritional needs compared to men because of key biological differences," said Sarah Sullivan, marketing manager, DSM. These differences include a slower metabolism than men, which means her diet allows for fewer empty calories, so those foods she eats better be nutritious. Osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases are more likely to occur in women than men. And then there are the obvious differences of menstruation, pregnancy, nursing, menopause and breast health.
And it’s not like she has a lot of time to sit around contemplating why she feels certain ways and which research studies show a nutrient helps with a specific female problem. She’s busy. She has to pick up Tommy at soccer practice in a half an hour, has to create a stellar sales presentation by Monday morning and has to prepare dinner for the in-laws on Friday.
Men are also busy, but there’s something different about a woman and her focus on natural health. She can fit time in her stressful schedule to read the latest headline about vitamins, and she certainly looks at labels. She can definitely find the time to make sure she is as healthy as possible to meet all the demands in her life. And she’s willing to turn to supplements to help achieve her health goals.
“We’ve seen studies showing women make up to 85 percent of health product purchases," said Dean Mosca, president, Proprietary Nutritionals Inc. “Consequently, the women's health market continues to be abundant with excitement. Crafting a product or a product line that addresses their health and wellness concerns, based on solid science, at the right price points and with the right marketing messages, is a winning prospect."
Plus, as Paula Nurnberger, marketing manager, PL Thomas, noted, “Women tend to immediately endeavor to address a health issue and also have a more preventive mindset than do men."
As the population ages, women are becoming more focused on prevention. "There is a greater interest in products that address issues experienced by older women, such as for post menopause," said R.V. Venkatesh, managing director, Gencor Nutrients. "As life expectancy grows, this is likely to increase. There are also more products being developed specifically for women for better quality of life, such as libido and energy products."
With women’s focus on health, it’s no wonder the amount of media designed to get their attention. Health is a popular topic on talk shows, news segments and magazines directed toward women. Unfortunately for this industry, the media seem to love to promote studies that show how harmful supplements can be, with rarely a mention of the millions of research papers showing their benefits.
Within the last year, two big studies were published and subsequently covered by mainstream media that showed supplements may harm women. Despite the politics behind the studies, many in the industry feared women would throw away their calcium and multivitamins for good.
Next: "Multivitamins Increase Mortality"
