The Menopause Health Market: Where New Opportunities and Challenges Meet

When discussing the broad landscape of women's health, female menopause is undoubtedly a focus of attention. It is predicted that by 2025, the global female population will break the one billion mark, this huge number not only marks the growth of the female population, but also indicates the birth of a huge market segment or dietary supplement target market.

Menopause, as a natural and indispensable chapter in a woman's life journey, has a profound and extensive influence. Statistics show that about 95% of women will enter perimenopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and this transition has a profound impact on the quality of life of hundreds of millions of women around the world. Further, the World Health Organization's forward-looking projections reveal even more shocking data: By 2030, more than 1.2 billion women worldwide will enter menopause, and in China, the number will exceed 200 million, accounting for about one seventh of the country's population. It is particularly noteworthy that more than 80% of women will experience various discomfort and diseases closely related to menopause at this stage, which not only highlights the severity of women's health challenges, but also indicates a blue ocean of opportunities and challenges in the market.

Menopause: Diverse areas of health concern

Menopause, the major turning point in a woman's life when estrogen changes, usually quietly strikes between the ages of 45 and 55. When a woman has not had a menstrual visit for 12 consecutive months (excluding pregnancy), the arrival of this biological stage is confirmed. Menopause, a natural physiological evolution process, during which the physical symptoms are complex, according to GenM in-depth research predicts that women during this stage may experience up to 48 different symptoms, ranging in degree from mild to severe.

Hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations, these physical discomforts come like a flood; Mood swings, depression, let the soul cast a shadow; Sleep disorders, dark spots, wrinkles, dry skin, all tell the traces of age; The increase in weight and the slowdown of metabolism are more troubling for many women. What's more, symptoms vary significantly between individuals, and some women may be able to get through it easily, while others may be at risk of long-term health risks such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, which can seriously affect their daily quality of life.

Bone health: the cornerstone of guardianship

In menopause, the reduction of endogenous estrogen upsets the balance of bone remodeling (bone resorption over bone formation), leading to a rise in osteoporosis and its associated risk of fracture. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficient calcium intake exacerbate this trend. Therefore, menopausal women need to pay special attention to calcium and vitamin D supplements to maintain bone health.

A systematic review based on randomized controlled trials (RCTS) has revealed the benefits of calcium and vitamin D supplementation: they can significantly improve vitamin D nutritional status in postmenopausal women and reduce serum levels of bone absorption markers, thereby providing a solid line of defense for bone health.

In addition, vitamin D does more than that. Many studies have shown that low serum vitamin D levels are also closely related to a variety of metabolic conditions in menopausal women. A cross-sectional study of 778 postmenopausal Korean women found that those with low vitamin D levels faced an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, specifically metabolic disorders associated with elevated blood pressure and high triglyceride levels.

Skin Health: The Guardian of youth

With the increase of years, the structure and function of the skin also quietly change. Among them, there is a close relationship between the loss of skin collagen and the lack of estrogen during menopause. Collagen peptide, the hydrolyzed product of collagen, brings new hope to women's skin with its unique effects.

A number of clinical trials have confirmed that ingestion of collagen peptides can effectively alleviate the skin moisture loss and collagen content reduction under UV irradiation, thereby increasing skin moisture, improving skin elasticity, and giving women's skin a youthful glow. At the same time, collagen peptides also play an important role in maintaining bone health in menopausal women. As one of the key components of bone formation, it provides solid support and protection for bones.

In a 12-month study, researchers gave postmenopausal women a dietary supplement consisting of collagen peptides, calcium and vitamin D. The results showed that participants who took collagen peptide supplements had a significantly lower rate of overall bone density loss than those who took calcium and vitamin D alone.

Lipids and cardiovascular health: an issue that cannot be ignored

Changes in lipid metabolism and accumulation of excess adipose tissue during menopause may lead to abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The omega-3 fatty acids as the human body's essential polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly important at this moment. It cannot be synthesized by the human body and can only be obtained through food (e.g. fish oil, Marine animals, etc.). Omega-3 fatty acids have shown remarkable efficacy in regulating lipid metabolism: they can promote the excretion of neutral or acidic cholesterol, inhibit the synthesis of lipids and lipoproteins in the liver, thereby reducing plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and increasing high density lipoprotein (HDL) content.

A randomized controlled trial in postmenopausal women further confirmed the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids: oral supplementation of 900 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day significantly reduced BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, and serum triglyceride levels. At the same time, relevant clinical results also show that intake of omega-3 fatty acids can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by affecting coagulation, vascular health, blood pressure, plaque stability, inflammation and other risk pathways, and protect the cardiovascular health of menopausal women.