Formulating for Females

I am woman, hear me roar.” Australian pop star Helen Reddy’s female empowerment song from the 1970s still resonates today, even in the food and beverage industry. The opportunities in women’s health—a market that historically has not been well or fully addressed until recently—are growing as research increasingly focuses on female concerns that vary with age and life stage, as well as how nutrition can play a role in these areas in terms of health promotion.

The U.S. government has also made women’s health research, including nutrition, a national priority. In March 2024, President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation, which noted that “for far too long, scientific and biomedical research excluded women and undervalued the study of women’s health. The resulting research gaps mean that we know far too little about women’s health across women’s lifespans, and those gaps are even more prominent for women of color, older women, and women with disabilities.”

The E established the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to accelerate research that will provide the tools needed to prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. A key aspect of this initiative was the announcement of a new National Institutes of Health–wide effort to invest $200 million in 2025 specifically for interdisciplinary women’s health research.

Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the number one killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), cardiovascular disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined, and yet many women still don’t recognize that cardiovascular disease is their greatest health threat.

In addition, heart health should be top of mind for women of all ages and life stages. Among females 20 years and older, nearly 45% are living with some form of cardiovascular disease and fewer than 50% of women entering pregnancy in the United States have good heart health. Research has also shown that pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, and eclampsia, may be linked to heart disease and stroke risk later in life. And even though going through menopause does not cause CVD, the approach of menopause marks a point in midlife when women’s cardiovascular risk factors can accelerate. For example, according to the AHA, menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats have been linked to an increased risk for high blood pressure, a major risk factor for CVD.

An overall healthy diet plays a role in good cardiovascular health. AHA recommends a diet that emphasizes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables; whole grains; healthy sources of protein (mostly plants, such as legumes, and nuts; fish and seafood; low-fat or fat-free dairy; and lean poultry); liquid non-tropical vegetable oils, such as canola, corn, olive, soybean, and sunflower oils; minimally processed foods; minimized intake of added sugars; foods prepared with little or no salt; and limited or no alcohol intake.

Other nutritional ingredients have been shown to potentially affect heart health in a beneficial way:

1. Dietary fiber has been linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as lowered risk of inflammation and CVD. In a cohort study of 4,125 patients, higher total fiber and cereal fiber intakes were associated with lower levels of various inflammatory markers and lower risk of CVD, and the findings suggested that inflammation mediated approximately one-sixth of the association between cereal fiber intake and CVD (Shivakoti et al. 2022).
2. Phytosterols/plant sterols have a long-standing relationship with helping to lower cholesterol levels. With a molecular structure similar to cholesterol, they compete for absorption in the body, ultimately decreasing cholesterol absorption.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, triglycerides, elevated cholesterol, and inflammation.

Pregnancy

Nutrition during preconception and during pregnancy is important for both the mother and developing fetus. According to the American Pregnancy Association, five important prenatal nutrients are folate, iron, calcium, vitamin D, and iodine.

This past June, Nestlé expanded its maternal health offering to support motherhood, meeting nutritional needs of women under the Materna brand. According to the company, during pregnancy, one-third of women worldwide experience anemia due to iron deficiency, and studies show that, in North America, 20% to 60% of women do not meet their daily required intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce risk of preterm births. Some of their nutritional solutions highlight nutrients that may be beneficial during this stage of life for women.

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The Materna DHA supplement focuses on omega-3s during preconception, pregnancy, and lactation. Omega-3 intake, particularly DHA and EPA, before and during breastfeeding has been associated with neurological development of the fetus, reduced risk of preterm birth, and possible reduction of postpartum depression symptoms (Amza et al. 2024). Nestlé’s Materna multivitamins contain a 20-plus micronutrient blend, including folic acid. Another product, Materna G-Balance, is designed to help pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes control their blood glucose levels with a specific blend that contains myo-inositol, which helps process insulin.

Menopause

New research is uncovering that women have different nutritional needs associated with each stage of menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Perimenopause, which starts at different ages in women, is the time during which the body makes a natural transition to menopause and during which a woman can experience menopause-like symptoms. When a woman has gone through 12 consecutive months of no menstrual cycles, she is in menopause. Menopause symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, mood changes, and sleep problems. Postmenopause refers to the time after menopause. Although menopausal symptoms are milder or non-existent, a postmenopausal woman may be at increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

In a recent study, researchers reviewed the importance of nutrition in menopause and perimenopause (Erdélyi et al. 2024). Some of the important nutrients the authors noted were vitamin D, calcium, vitamin C, B vitamins, and protein intake. Vitamin D, calcium, vitamin C, and protein are important for bone health and strength. B vitamins play a role in the processing of carbohydrates and the functioning of the nervous system. Researchers are also looking at the gut microbiome and menopause, opening the door to probiotics and prebiotics.

Researchers also reviewed some herbal products commonly used for menopausal symptoms (Kenda et al. 2021). They found that black cohosh and red clover were consistently shown to help reduce menopausal symptoms in clinical studies, but also noted that there is limited data available on the use of some plants for alleviating symptoms of menopause and gynecological disorders.

A number of supplements, nutrition bars, and drink mixes address these stages of life for women. Mixhers, a women-owned company that makes dietary supplements to help women with hormonal health, makes ready-to-drink stick packs targeting women’s specific concerns like PMS, libido, and menopause. They contain vitamins and minerals and a variety of botanicals, including black cohosh, maca, pomegranate extract, fenugreek extract, milk thistle root extract, dong quai root extract, and chaste tree berry extract. Hot Flash Tea from Tea Botanics includes black cohosh, as well as gamma-aminobutyric acid, oolong tea, wild yam root, and echinacea.

Brain Health

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more women are affected by Alzheimer’s disease than men. Almost two-thirds of Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women. Originally it was thought that more women are affected by Alzheimer’s and other dementias because on average, women live longer than men. But now, research is looking at whether this could also be due to biological or genetic differences.

Make Time Wellness supplements address women’s brain health concerns, like cognition, postpartum brain fog, and overall healthy brains. The powdered supplement that can be added to water or smoothies uses curcumin for mood and brain health, MCT oil for brain energy, acetyl-L-carnitine for cognitive function, and omega-3s for brain support.

Like with other health concerns, a balanced healthy diet is important for brain health. Fish, berries, and whole grains are three whole foods that may be beneficial for brain health, in part due to nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. Emerging research is also calling out the gut-brain axis, putting the focus on healthy gut microbiomes.

Skin and Hair Health

Concerns about healthy skin and hair are not just associated with aging. Hair loss can occur in younger women due to stress and biological factors, and healthy, moisturized, smooth skin is important for all ages.

Collagen has been shown to benefit not only skin health, but also nail strength and joint and bone health for women. Collagen is a component of skin, bones, and cartilage. Collagen and collagen peptide supplementation is believed to help in collagen production, affecting skin elasticity and hydration, bone and joint health, and healthy hair and nails. In a study of 100 healthy adults, researchers demonstrated that low-molecular-weight collagen peptides supplementation can inhibit human skin wrinkling and enhance hydration, elasticity, and whitening properties (Seong et al. 2024).

Lycopene is an antioxidant that has been shown to offer sun protection. In a meta-analysis, scientists found that supplementation with tomato and lycopene could reduce skin erythema formation and improve the appearance and pigmentation of the skin, thereby preventing light-induced skin photodamage and skin photoaging (Zhang et al. 2024). The authors stated that lycopene-rich products could be used as endogenous sun protection and may be a potential nutraceutical for sun protection.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to benefit skin health, too. In a dermatological review, researchers concluded that omega-3 fatty acids are a reasonable supplement that may benefit people wanting to improve inflammatory skin conditions and UV photoprotection (Thomsen et al. 2020).

The Research Roar

The call for more research and products for women’s health is growing. It will be interesting to watch this market evolve as women’s concerns and needs are addressed.ft