What is driving healthy ageing and longevity trends? Summary
- Healthy ageing focuses on staying healthy longer while longevity targets lifespan
- There is no dietary difference between healthy ageing and longevity goals
- Younger consumers increasingly adopt longevity trends due to lifestyle concerns
- Gender gap in health interest has narrowed with men now equally engaged
- Post-pandemic normalisation of wellness drives demand for health-focused diets
Healthy ageing and longevity are two substantial trends in the food and beverage space. Consumers are consistently gravitating towards foods that help them live for longer, and stay healthier as they do so.
But as two distinct trends with similar goals, how can manufacturers distinguish between the two?
Same diet, different goals
There is no difference, from a dietary perspective, between healthy ageing and longevity, says Michael Hughes, head of research and insight at market research company FMCG Gurus.
Nevertheless, the diets are often framed differently. Longevity is based around the goal of reaching a certain age, regardless of health.
Healthy ageing, meanwhile, focuses on the desire to increase the period in which one is healthy, and avoid illnesses associated with age such as cancer or dementia.
Essentially, longevity is a focus on reaching old age, while healthy ageing is focused on staying healthy upon getting there.
“We’ve never been healthier, if you measure health by how long you live”, Hughes points out. But such a measure doesn’t tell you all you need to know.
“There’s no such thing as a longevity diet“, Hughes adds. Longevity is instead a motivator, borne out of a concern for long-term health that has always existed.
“What’s constantly evolving is the challenges and how people look to achieve those results. That’s the only difference.”
Demographics and diet
The longevity trend, despite being largely concerned with ageing, is not just popular among older consumers.
Younger people are increasingly recognising their often poor levels of health, says Hughes. “Certain health problems that were once more synonymous with older people are now becoming more common among younger people.“
Many young people believe that their lifestyles – often sedentary and over-reliant on ultra-processed foods – can lead to potential health problems further down the line. Older consumers, who were raised when different lifestyles were prevalent, are potentially less worried about these things.
This means that it is often younger people who are, seemingly paradoxically, most attracted to the longevity trend.
In terms of gender, both men and women are becoming more concerned about health.
Whereas once men were considered less likely to care about health than women, says Hughes – so much so that brands such as Pepsi Max and Coke Zero were released due to a belief that men would not buy a product using the word ‘diet’ – now such a divide is less prominent.
In conclusion, there’s no difference for men and women under the age of 65.
Why are the trends popular?
“Consumers are recognising their diets are not as healthy as they should be”, says Hughes.
They are increasingly understanding that barriers to healthy living, such as stress, uncertainty, perceptions of time scarcity, and the lack of affordability, are on the rise.
Because of this, there has been a gradual normalisation of the health and wellness market, particularly in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consumers are realising that, while certain factors may be outside their control, a lot of it they can fix through diet.
For both those concerned merely with longevity, and those focused on healthy ageing, it is this revelation that is driving them.
For more on healthy ageing, don’t miss our Positive Nutrition broadcast series, particularly the ‘Healthy ageing – nutrition for longevity and vitality’ session, broadcast on May 13. Find out more here.
