The different profiles of seniors and their need to age well
By 2030, there will be nearly 1.4 billion people over the age of 60 worldwide (1). With longer Life expectancy, advances in healthcare and changes in lifestyles, the “senior” category includes several sub-categories of consumers. Seniors include both people with an active lifestyle in terms of leisure and sometimes even work, as well as elderly people who may be sick or dependent.
Active seniors may be retired or non-retired young seniors who want to stay in shape as long as possible. To do this, they will take steps to ensure that they prevent deficiencies or other health problems. For this consumer group, it is essential that they continue to enjoy an active life, whether playing sports, being with family or going on holiday. Their concerns will therefore be geared towards healthy aging and this is where senior nutrition comes in – with foods that strengthen the body.
With aging, different health problems can develop, as well as a decrease in physical abilities, even up to the loss of independence. This loss of autonomy may, in some cases, be accompanied by a risk of undernutrition. At this point, clinical nutrition comes into play as well as the need for manufacturers to offer foods with a higher concentration of nutrients.
In all cases, food provides support for people who want a healthy aging lifestyle. This is the major consideration of senior nutrition.
Healthy aging and maintaining mobility
Fighting muscle loss and sarcopenia with protein supplementation
As we age, our bodies experience loss of muscle cells on the one hand and accelerated degradation of muscle proteins on the other. This inescapable phenomenon is called age-related sarcopenia.
From the age of 50, there is an increased risk of being affected by this muscle loss. It is possible to lose up to 50% of our muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 80.
Sarcopenia, which affects men more frequently than women (2), has two main consequences:
- Decrease in muscle mass
- Loss of muscle strength
This can have multiple consequences, such as impaired ability to walk, increased risk of falling, and vulnerability to trauma, all of which affect people’s quality of life.
In short, it is important to enable consumers to buy products tailored to their needs and to educate them about a healthy aging lifestyle.
Healthy aging: an active lifestyle and exercise
Maintaining regular physical activity for as long as possible and establishing appropriate nutrition helps control the pace of muscle degeneration. This allows consumers to age well while maintaining their mobility and autonomy.
It has been scientifically proven (3) that so-called fast proteins – especially certain milk proteins, and those from whey in particular – have postprandial bioavailability that affects the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis. That means supplementation with fast proteins provides a beneficial effect on the decrease of muscle mass through stimulated protein synthesis.
Many food manufacturers and nutrition professionals have committed to helping their consumers to healthy aging. Eurial I&N is also committed to this strategy, offering proteins adapted to the nutritional needs of people who want to age well.
Why choose Eurial I&N ingredients for healthy aging products?
Aging is often accompanied by a decrease in appetite and therefore a decrease in the quality of the diet. It is therefore necessary to offer products that are appropriate in terms of quantity and quality as well as stimulating the appetite of the senior population. The idea is not to change the eating habits of seniors but to offer everyday products that meet their needs.
Healthy aging and eating with enjoyment
The taste and texture of a product must be taken into account so that the organoleptic qualities of the proposed solutions are optimized for eating pleasure. By enriching everyday products with protein, we allow seniors of all profiles to age well without upsetting their consumption habits.
Our nutrition range is made up of whey proteins and native milk proteins directly derived from skimmed milk and which can be used to formulate healthy aging products. Thanks to our very specific process, which uses a membrane filtration technology that preserves the original quality of the raw materials, Eurial I&N, an expert in specialty ingredients, is an ideal partner for specialized nutrition.
Our nutritional solutions integrate perfectly with multiple applications – such as protein-fortified soups, high-protein yoghurts and high-protein desserts – to create appetizing and tasty finished products.
An ideal product line to help seniors healthy aging
Our nutrition range features quality proteins that are ideally suited to meeting the nutritional needs of seniors as well as providing the necessary functionality to deliver products that taste great. Eurial I&N offers many ingredients for you to create recipes for seniors:
- EuriNutri™ 80 NS: a soluble native protein, directly derived from milk and with an excellent amino-acid profile and neutral taste
- Eurimilk 60.1: milk proteins that allow protein enrichment and products with smooth texture
- EuriNutri™ 85: an ideal protein for drinks and ambient high-protein creams (UHT)
Eurial I&N is a trusted partner in the formulation of products for healthy aging nutrition thanks to its R&D team, who are dedicated to the creation of high-quality product concepts for the food industry. Contact us to learn more about senior nutrition and its daily applications.
- (1) Population Study 2030 – United Nations – New York 2015
- (2) Find more information on sarcopenia at: https://www.toutsurlasarcopenie.fr/
- (3) Boirie Y, Dangin M, Gachon P, Vasson MP, Maubois JL, Beau frère B. “Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 1997;94(26):14930-5.
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