Formulators Are Keeping Cognitive Health Top of Mind

Seventy-two percent of consumers recognize that emotional and cognitive well-being is just as important as physical health if they are to stay fit and active later in life, according to a report from FMCG Gurus.¹

After a few years of uncertainty partly due to the pandemic, rising prices and changing work-life dynamics, consumers are increasingly seeking out nutritional solutions that support emotional wellness and cognitive focus.

In 2023, as compared to 2021, a greater number of consumers are looking for cognitive health support through a variety of product categories, including nutritional supplements, functional beverages and food.¹

Lifestyle factors that bi-directionally exacerbate each other related to cognitive health include stress, poor sleep and fatigue. Collectively these issues negatively impact mental focus, reaction time and memory.

These lifestyle issues and health concerns represent a significant market opportunity for brands to develop products that help consumers address a range of cognitive-health needs.

Formulating for Different Demographics

One pressure on manufacturers is to develop formulas that provide their marketed benefits, especially as there are so many assertions and media reports online that can make consumers more skeptical than need be, whether from the AARP (“Experts: Supplements for Brain Health Have No Benefits”) or Harvard (“Don't buy into brain health supplements”) or from typical mass-media stories.

Fortunately for brand marketers with formulas featuring effective science-backed ingredients, cognitive health is one area where consumers will quickly know whether the product works . . . or does not. When consumers see or can feel marked improvements, then that takes away the skepticism and builds greater confidence in the product. In addition, finished-product manufacturers also have the ability to further communicate their product’s credible benefits and spotlight the efficacious ingredients contained within them at the retailer level through vehicles such as shelf-talkers and third-party literature provided to customers.

Another challenge formulators must contend with is the wide spectrum of demographics, each with unique and specific cognitive need states. Examples of these varied consumer groups include students that must stay focused to prep for an exam, professionals who may struggle with the brain fog from balancing competing priorities at work and home, aging consumers focused on maintaining healthy memory, or athletes and gamers who must maintain quick mental reaction time for performance.

For this reason, it is incumbent upon brands to develop product formulations that can deliver on these unique cognitive needs through selecting flagship ingredients with strong science supporting their benefits. Further, the addition of complementary ingredients to deliver on multiple facets of cognitive function can also make the formula more appealing to a wider range of consumers with varying health goals.

Short & Long-Term Approaches to Cognitive Health

Consumers have opportunities both short and long-term when it comes to supporting good cognitive health. Taking a long-term view, there are proven approaches to maintaining and improving cognitive health, starting with a healthy diet, one which features healthy fats, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. This well-rounded approach to nutrition can provide specific nutrients and compounds—such as omega-3 fats, vitamin B12, vitamin E, zinc, iron, polyphenols—which are essential for cognitive and neurological health.² But to address dietary shortfalls as well as to support optimal cognitive performance, many consumers will complement diet with dietary supplements in an effort to support cognitive health, see faster improvements, or to deliberately target a specific area of cognitive function.

This has driven the rise in supplements that offer more acute cognitive benefits. However, this space has historically been dominated by ingredients like caffeine and guarana, which offer some form of cognitive boost, but also come with the potential side effects of jitters, elevated heart rate, and potential crash after consumption. Formulators can rest assured that there are certain science-backed branded ingredients that support all of the demographic areas mentioned above, but without the negative side effects of stimulants.

One such proprietary ingredient is Nutrition21’s nooLVL®, a non-stimulant cognitive health ingredient that enhances performance, fights mental fatigue, and keeps the brain sharp.*

What makes nooLVL an unparalleled standout among performance ingredients? For one thing, nooLVL works FAST - within 15 minutes! In addition, it helps users feel energized safely without negatively affecting heart rate or blood pressure.* Multiple clinical studies on NooLVL show that it boosts focus, concentration, and memory.*

To help formulators better understand the cognitive health trend, N21 has developed a white paper, “Staying Sharp: Cognitive Solutions to Spark Focus.”

Click here to download a copy of this white paper.

For more information about our cognition- and focus-supportive ingredient solutions, please reach out to your Nutrition21 representative or email us at: info@nutrition21.com.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References:

1. FMCG Gurus. Cognitive Health Trends in the USA in 2023. December 2023.
2. Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute. Cognitive function in depth. February 2011. Available at: https://bit.ly/3PaOrW3