Ensuring that customers get the right amounts of the essential macro and trace minerals that are easily absorbed by the body with limited side effects is the key to efficacy and adherence.
Most of us aren’t aware how important minerals are to sustain good health. In fact, minerals are vital to support normal growth and development and perform functions such as regulating heartbeat, synthesizing hormones, and building bone, skin and muscle. Our bodies can’t make their own minerals, so it is essential to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and supplement when necessary.
There are two types of minerals—the major minerals (also known as macrominerals) and trace minerals, also referred to as minor minerals. We require larger quantities of macrominerals—calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur—and only trace amounts of minerals like zinc, iron, manganese, iodine and selenium.
As we age, the need for additional nutrients (including minerals) increases. “Aging also tends to reduce absorption of nutrients, forcing us to take in higher amounts and better forms in order to assure adequate nutrition,” explained Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA, senior education manager at NOW Foods in Illinois. “This may be related to lower stomach acid levels inhibiting bioavailability of nutrients from foods. The tendency of many seniors to cut back on meals, for reasons such as loss of taste, smell or interest in cooking, may also increase the need for supplementation of essential nutrients, including minerals.” A recent analysis published in the journal Osteoporosis International showed that supplementing with calcium and vitamin D reduced the risk of total fractures in older adults by 15 percent and the risk of hip fractures by 30 percent.
“There is a rising need for mineral supplementation as a result of changes in farming practices,” said Jennifer Weinhardt, BS, MS, research and development specialist at Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation in Texas. “A paper written by the Nutrition Security Institute in 2006 describes that in the U.S. and throughout the world, topsoil mineral content has been depleted,” she continued. This depletion is due to a change in farming practices such as the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers and rotating food crops to help maintain soil fertility. “Research shows that mineral content comparison from soils today and those from 100 years ago have been depleted by 85 percent of their mineral content,” Weinhardt explained. As a result, the need to obtain minerals in supplement form is greater than it has been in the past.
According to Levin, minerals are a fairly stable market with a few dramatic swings. “According to industry data, the market for minerals has grown roughly 5 percent per year for the last two years, and minerals represent about 7 percent of the U.S. Dietary Supplement market,” he shared.
Sabine Anderson, vice president at Florida-based Nutrexin USA concurred. “We have seen an increase in traditional physicians going toward a more holistic and integrative approach with patients. Many are now suggesting natural supplement treatments before or in addition to the traditional pharmaceutical approach.”
Clint DeWitt, co-founder of Nevada-based Coral LLC, offered a broader perspective. “Globally the market for natural minerals is growing amazingly fast. This also includes third world countries as their soils are so depleted in minerals that their need is great.”
Market Trends
A number of research studies have shown that the majority of Americans are magnesium deficient. According to the Nutritional Magnesium Association, magnesium insufficiency is associated with a number of diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, migraine and depression. Today’s consumer is more educated about health and wellness than ever before, but many are unaware that our soils are lacking the necessary minerals that once satisfied our ancestors’ dietary needs.
Levin stated that magnesium is the fastest growing mineral in the minerals segment, with a growth rate of 16 percent. “Magnesium perhaps was overlooked for its importance in human nutrition in the past and is now catching up as consumers become more aware of its benefits,” he said.
Andreas Koch, vice president of marketing at Natural Vitality in Texas, noted the promotion of calcium intake on many food and beverages on our grocery store shelves. “Though calcium is important,” he stated, “an uneven balance of too much calcium and not enough magnesium is not what nature intended. Re-balancing with magnesium supplements to offset a higher calcium intake has grown the market demand for calcium positively.”
According to DeWitt, women are the major buyers of mineral supplements, although he noted that women appear to be educating the men in their families as well. “Baby Boomers are increasing their knowledge on using health supplements in general as they are feeling the effects of inefficient diets for decades as well as the positive effects of taking health supplements,” he stated.
Weinhardt pointed to data from a report titled “Global Market Study on Mineral Supplements: Pharmaceutical to be the largest segment by 2020” by Persistence Market Research that showed expected growth of the global mineral market to be $14.5 million in 2020, up from $7.3 million in 2013.
Advancements in Mineral Supplementation
While not a recent advancement, Weinhardt contended that mineral chelation is the best advancement with regard to mineral supplementation that has stood the test of time. “Because minerals are bulky elements and not easily absorbed by the body,” she said, “the best way to absorb them is to take them in the form of an amino acid chelate.”
Bluebonnet uses Albion Minerals, whose patented process replicates the body’s natural chelation process using amino acids. “This process attaches a bulky mineral to an amino acid, dipeptide or tripeptide, and forms it into an amino acid chelate (AAC), which is then absorbed via active transport in the small intestine,” explained Weinhardt. “AACs are the product resulting from the reaction of a metal ion with amino acids at two or more separate sites to form coordinate covalent bonds creating an aromatic ring structure. This produces a stable and tolerable compound that is easily absorbed and strong enough to survive the pH of the gut, but weak enough to be utilized once absorbed. Once absorbed they are essentially whole food nutrition since you not only have the benefit of the minerals but also the amino acids.” And, like other Bluebonnet products, their mineral supplements are kosher-certified, gluten- and soy-free, 100 percent vegan and non-GMO (gentically modified organism) verified.
Plant-derived minerals are also a welcome advancement in the mineral market. While minerals typically come from rocks, the human body isn’t designed to absorb nutrients this way. Natural Vitality’s Plant-Sourced Minerals, available in liquid and capsule form, deliver more than 70 plant-based trace minerals that are easily absorbed and digested by the body. The supplements are vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO verified.
New Products & Formulations on the Market
Anemia affects approximately one-third of the world’s population with the most prevalent cause being an iron deficiency, particularly in women of childbearing age. Unfortunately, the absorption of iron from supplements is extremely low due to the production of a hormone known as hepcidin. New to the U.S. market in spring of 2015, Nutrexin USA introduced their plant-based Bio-Active Iron, which is more readily absorbed than traditional iron supplements and formulated with gentle ingredients to be easier on the stomach. “Our formulas are designed to address whole body health issues and provide the body with the right blend of vital nutrients and support needed to begin healing itself,” Anderson explained.
New to Natural Vitality’s best-selling product line in the natural products industry is a Natural Calm bath product. Koch described the product as a “unique combination of premium Natural Calm magnesium and pristine Brazilian gourmet sea salt.” The food-grade ingredients provide a relaxing, mineral-rich spa treatment that customers can experience in their own homes.
NOW Foods’ most recent addition to the mineral category is NOW Liquid Magnesium with Trace Minerals. Their natural mineral concentrate is sourced from the Great Salt Lake and Levin explained that it is produced by using a proprietary solar evaporation process, which removes 99 percent of the naturally occurring sodium while preserving the remaining trace minerals in their bioavailable ionic forms.
Coral LLC’s newest product are CellEnergy H2 capsules (visit http://cellenergyh2.com for more information,) a combination of “above-sea” coral with magnesium, furamic acid and malic acid that when digested produces a therapeutic dose of molecular hydrogen. Molecular hydrogen has anti-aging benefits and works to reduce joint inflammation and muscle soreness. The use of “above-sea” coral appeals to environmentally conscious consumers and bears the “Friends of the Sea” certificate, a non-profit dedicated to conservation of the marine habitat.
Retailer Perspective
And what are customers looking for with regard to mineral supplements? According to Dr. Eliezer Ben-Joseph, host of Natural Solutions talk radio and owner of El Paso, TX-based Health Naturally, one of the largest comprehensive naturopathic outpatient facilities in the United States, many consumers coming in to the store know what they are looking for while many do not know or even the right questions to ask he and his staff.
“I have had a radio show for 19 years and am known in the community,” he said, “so people come in to ask questions.” While top sellers include well-known minerals like magnesium and calcium, other supplement products Ben-Joseph talks about on his radio show do well in sales also. “Our store is set up by body system so the customer can see what each product is for,” he continued.
As far as advising customers with questions about minerals, Ben-Joseph stated that he and his staff do not diagnose customers or tell customers that minerals cure any specific ailments or diseases. His staff is well trained, and they encourage questions from customers. The store also displays an information wall where customers can freely take handout information on different vitamins and minerals, as well as information about common mineral deficiencies.
Retailer Support
According to DeWitt, the key to effectively supporting retailers is education, education, education! “We strongly believe that staff training will help increase sales and also help customers better understand the benefit of [our] products.” He encourages retailers to take full advantage of the educational programs that his company offers, which includes staff training, event support, and merchandising programs including discounts, samples, literature, and assigned sales support.
NOW Foods offers mineral brochures to retailers to provide to their customers which describes the function of each macromineral, as well as key trace minerals. NOW also offers a convenient online retailer portal where retailers can place orders, gain access to labels and marketing maters, as well as access NOW’s Product-ology online training courses. Their training program designed exclusively for their retailers offers fun and interactive lessons to educate sales staff about nutrition ingredients so they can better support customers in their stores.
Weinhardt contended that retailers can immediately generate interest in mineral supplements across every demographic by providing end caps and displays focused on branded materials such as the Albion line, as well as focusing on clean labels, another important factor in determining what the consumer ultimately purchases. VR
For More Information:
Bluebonnet Nutrition Corporation, (281) 240-3332
Coral LLC, (800) 678-9884
Natural Vitality, (866) 416-9216
NOW Foods, (800) 999-8069
Nutrexin USA, (888) 245-7223
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