Solutions for natural immune support

The new opportunity in immune health

Consumers continue to take a proactive approach to health improvement with immunity as a leading priority. The best medicine is preventative, and perhaps the prime example of this principle is our own amazing immune system.

Not surprisingly, consumer interest in immunity is at an all-time high, and as a result demand for supplements, ingredients and foods with immunity-supporting properties is accelerating¹.

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  Prompted by consumer demand, the number of product launches featuring immune health claims has risen for several years in a row². The market for supplements with immunity propositions has also grown significantly, with US sales increasing by 25% in 2020³. These trends look set to accelerate in the wake of COVID-19.

  At the same time, consumers are becoming more educated and discerning in what they buy to support their immunity. They will actively seek out scientific substantiation – in fact, almost half say they regularly research ingredients to help decide on their best options⁴.

  This will lead to significant new opportunities for growth, as our increasing understanding of the human immune system leads to new solutions with scientifically validated benefits.

  • In 2019, 53% of consumers stated that they wanted to improve their immune health, but this rose to 70% in 2020.
  • 60% of surveyed consumers state they have become more conscious about their immune health as a result of COVID-19⁵.
  • There has been an annual growth of +13% for new F&B products carrying an immunity claim between 2016 and 2020⁶.
  • 40% stated they used more fortified drinks, whereas 16% stated that they used more supplements to improve their immune health⁵.
  • 27% of consumers think supplements are important to immune health. Peak interest is found among Millennials and younger Generation X ⁷.
  • There were far more launches of supplements with immune health claims compared to food and drinks in 2020⁸.
  • 32% of global supplement launches tracked by Innova Market Insights in the 12 months to the end of March 2021 were launched with an immune health positioning, up from just under 26% over the previous 12 -month period⁶.

^{1Nutraingredients, May 2020; 2Mintel GNPD, April 2020; 3Nutrition Business Journal, April 2020; 4FMCG Gurus, 2020.
5FMCG Gurus, 2020; 6Innova Market Insights, 2021; 7Innova Trends Survey, 2020; 8New Hope Network, August 2020;}

The human immune system

The human immune system is a breathtakingly sophisticated and complex triumph of evolution.

Our body seeks to maintain a state of physical and biochemical harmony and balance (called ‘homeostasis’), but this desirable state is constantly being threatened by invasion from disease-causing microbes such as bacteria and viruses.

These can enter our bodies through what we eat, through our skin (especially via wounds) and via the air that we breathe.

The immune system consists of dozens of different types of agents – specialist cells and biochemicals – whose sole job is to track down, identify and kill these pathogens.

At the same time these agents must ignore friendly bacteria and, of course, avoid over-reaction – attacking the body and its organs by mistake.

Dairy, health and immunity

For centuries, dairy, health and immunity have gone hand in hand. Dairy products provide protein that helps to build and maintain muscles, but are also packed full of vitamins and minerals that support the immune system.

Because the creation of immunity begins at birth, milk has a central role, and so it isn’t surprising to find that many of the ingredients within dairy can help maintain a healthy immune system^1-3.

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  Dairy can both help our immune system to stay active, but also prevent it becoming hyperactive⁴. Both human⁵ and cow’s milk⁶ have been shown to contain antigens, immune modulators, prebiotics⁷ and antimicrobials.

  An important component of cow’s milk, whey protein is known to be a high-quality protein source for muscle protein synthesis, as it contains all nine essential amino acids, has a high leucine level and is easily digestible.

  In addition, many of the components in whey protein, including lactoferrin and immunoglobulins, have been shown to play an active role in supporting immunity⁸.

^{1Meyer et al., Ann Nutr Metab 2006;50(3):282-9; 2Olivares et al., J Dairy Res 2006;73(4):492-8; 3Ebringer et al., Folia Microbiol (Praha) 2008;53(5):378-94; 4Perdijk et al., Front Immunol 2018;9:143; 5Hosea Blewett et al., Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 2008; 54:45-80; 6van Neerven et al., J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;130:853–8; 7ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics); Gibson et al., 2017; Substrates that are selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit; 8Ng, Tzi Bun, et al., Applied microbiology and biotechnology 99.17 (2015): 6997-7008.}