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With seismic demographic change underway, there’s a growing focus on preventative health and healthy ageing.
New findings have emerged exploring probiotics’ ability to help mitigate age-related health issues, including cognitive decline. Could these functional foods be the next big opportunity for F&B product development teams?
Most people are already aware that we have an ageing population. We’re all living longer – in 1980, life expectancy at birth in the UK was 70.8 for men and 76.8 for women. Now, it’s around 79 and 83 respectively.
Combined with slowing fertility rates – which have fallen from 2.93 children per woman in 1963 to 1.44 according to the most recent data – our population age structure is drastically shifting.
The sheer scale of this demographic change might take you slightly by surprise. Recent data shows that 19% (11 million) of people in England are aged over 65 – already an unprecedented percentage. By 2065, it’s projected to rise to 26%.
Across the EU, latest figures show 21.6% are aged over 65, up from 16.4% in 2004. By 2100, this is forecast to rise to 32.5%.
2065 and 2100 might sound a long time away, but these trends are already accelerating. Functional food for older adults is a space that F&B product development and R&D teams should be occupying now.
Those growing older across the UK show a very high level of health consciousness – 74% aged 50–65 worry about staying healthy as they age.
Health-seeking behaviour increases with age, which translates into dietary and supplement choices. 68% of UK adults aged over 65 take a food supplement.
Gut health awareness, in particular, has grown. It’s shifted beyond simply treating digestive discomfort to being understood as having a central role in systemic health, affecting immunity, mood and cognition.
Recent findings have emphasised the importance of a balanced gut microbiome for healthy ageing, in particular cognitive health. The key to maintaining vitality in older age may lie in the gut.
When we get older, the gut microbiome undergoes a number of changes and microbial diversity declines. Beneficial strains like Bifidobacteria are reduced.
This is called dysbiosis and is often accompanied by ‘inflammaging’. This is a state of chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation associated with age-related diseases.
Probiotics show promise in helping to arrest (and potentially even reverse) this trend. Specific probiotic interventions can restore gut balance and reduce inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).
Phenyllactic acid (PLA), a bioactive compound produced by probiotic lactic acid bacteria, is emerging as a key for healthy ageing – research indicates that PLA can modulate the gut microbiota. This can strengthen intestinal integrity and mitigate age-related physical decline.
The gut-brain axis and cognitive health is a particular area of interest, with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s increasingly linked to gut dysbiosis and inflammation.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has attracted attention when it comes to supporting cognition in older age. This is a neurotransmitter that reduces neuronal excitability. GABA levels typically drop as we age, which correlates with cognitive decline. Crucially, some probiotics strains have the genetic capability to synthesise GABA.
Other studies have suggested that probiotic supplementation, particularly when combined with selenium, can provide improvement in cognitive function scores in people with symptoms of cognitive degeneration.
Specific strains of bacteria have been highlighted for their ability to produce the compounds mentioned above, GABA and PLA, and for their general neuroprotective properties. Key strains recommended include:
Needless to say, incorporating these strains into probiotic products is a potentially lucrative marketing and growth avenue for functional food and drink producers.
₁ Prolactys® Healthy Ageing Support white paper
The probiotics market across Europe was worth $14.72 billion (£11 billion) in 2024 and is projected to reach $23.05 billion (£17.5 billion) by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 7.8%. Will your brand get involved?
Our Food & Beverage division is a leading supplier and distributor of bulk probiotics, as well as a range of other quality ingredients, for leading food and drink producers across the UK and Europe.
If you’re considering adding some new functional foods to your product lines, such as probiotics for healthy ageing, contact our experts for advice and guidance.