Wellbeing has never been more all-encompassing, spanning beyond physical health and becoming increasingly inclusive of mental and emotional state. With 75% of global consumers now recognising the link between good cognitive health and their overall welfare [1], they are looking to take a proactive approach to enhance their cognitive performance.
With two thirds of global consumers now interested in cognitive health products [2], the demand for functional foods and nutritional supplements that carry claims around cognitive function has never been greater. How can you ensure that your products are ready for the cognitive health market, and have the scientific evidence to back it up?
Why are consumers looking for cognitive health products?
With the number of seniors growing on a global scale, the need to directly target the ageing process has never been greater – particularly when it comes to declining cognitive function. However, the audience for cognitive products is growing far beyond this market, with younger consumers also looking for ways to improve their cognitive function.
The pandemic played a huge role in this, with people realising that all aspects of their health needed to be functioning properly in order to ensure overall wellness. What’s more, the rise in working from home, and increased screen time, caused a spike in the demand for brain performance nutrition – with consumers looking to improve focus and drown out the distractions of home working life.
What are consumers looking for from cognitive health products?
Shoppers are looking for products that they feel good about buying, and that offer results that they can be confident in. The most successful products in the cognitive space have been those that are clean-label, sustainable and traceable. This comes as no surprise, given the increased awareness of, and attention to, ingredients lists on food products – with 63% of consumers stating that they have become more attentive to ingredients lists over the past year [3].
Not only do consumers want natural products, but ones that are able to provide them with the tangible results that they are looking for – this means including ingredients and nutrients that come with proven health benefits.
Essential iodine for cognitive health
Iodine is an essential nutrient for the production of thyroid hormones. Since the brain is a major target organ for thyroid hormones, iodine deficiency disorders such as hypothyroidism can have a significant impact on cognitive function. Hypothyroidism can affect various aspects of cognition, including general intelligence, attention, concentration and memory [4] – all areas which consumers are looking to improve through nutrition.
What’s more, iodine deficiency disorders such as hypothyroidism can have a significant impact on mood. Research demonstrates that hypothyroidism is associated with an increased risk of depression [5] and more recently, it has been concluded that low iodine levels may contribute to the development of anxiety and depression, independent of thyroid function [6].
The natural solution
A natural and cost effective way of adding approved health claims around cognition to products is through the use of PureSea® seaweed ingredients. Only 100mg is needed per serving to provide a good source of iodine, allowing for the use of six approved health claims surrounding supporting normal:
- Cognitive function
- Energy-yielding metabolism
- Growth of children
- Thyroid function
- Skin health
- Functioning of the nervous system
When it comes to adding a source of iodine to products in order to make approved health claims, the only natural and plant-based source is seaweed. PureSea® seaweed ingredients are sustainably wild-harvested and measured every batch for iodine levels, evidencing safe and consistent levels over many years of production. In addition to this, every batch is uniquely DNA authenticated to ensure full and transparent traceability.
PureSea® is available in a range of formats, allowing ease of use in a variety of applications.
Click here to view the full range, or contact us.
[1] Greater demand than ever for cognitive health products. Nutraceutical Business Review. 2021.
[2] Cognitive focus: new opportunities in functional beverage markets. Vitafoods Insights. 2022.
[3] FMCG Gurus (2022) Top ten trends for 2022.
[4] Samuels, M.H. (2014) Psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of hypothyroidism. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, 21(5).
[5] Thvilum, M., Brandt, F., Almind, D., Christensen, K., Brix, T.H. and Hegedüs, L. (2014) Increased psychiatric morbidity before and after the diagnosis of hypothyroidism: a nationwide register study. Thyroid, 24(5), pp. 802-808.
[6] Turan, E. and Karaaslan, O. (2020) The relationship between iodine and selenium levels with anxiety and depression in patients with euthyroid nodular goiter. Oman Medical Journal, 35(4).