5 global health priorities creating opportunities for nutritional supplement innovation

Summary 

• Our comprehensive 25-country Global Health Concerns Study surveyed over 20,000 adults to understand the health priorities driving consumer behavior worldwide. 
• Five universal health concerns emerged: energy/fatigue (affecting 67% of consumers), vision health (67%), mobility (65%), healthy aging (64%), and gut health (64%)¹—all areas where nutritional supplements can make a meaningful impact. Importantly, while immunity remains an important and lasting priority, it ranked just below these top five concerns, highlighting continued but evolving opportunities for innovation.
• Discover how these priorities create opportunities for evidence-based nutritional solutions, from cellular energy formulations to clinical longevity innovations that address consumer needs.

Surveying over 20,000 respondents across 25 countries, our Global Health Concerns Study revealed six core health anxieties that unite people worldwide, each affecting 64-67% of respondents globally. These concerns represent genuine opportunities for human nutrition scientists and nutritional product developers to address relevant health challenges that matter to consumers. 

In this article, we’ll examine each priority—energy and fatigue, vision health, healthy longevity (plus disease prevention), mobility, and gut health—exploring the consumer behaviors driving demand, the scientific solutions available, and the innovation opportunities for dietary supplement manufacturers looking to address genuine health needs with evidence-based products.

1. Energy solutions: The world's most common health concern

Energy and fatigue concerns affect 67% of global consumers, making this the most widespread health challenge worldwide. Among those experiencing energy issues, 52% report frequent fatigue, 45% struggle with low physical strength, and 37% experience diminished mental energy. Moreover, only 48% report satisfaction with current solutions—indicating that existing energy-focused products are failing more than half of consumers who try them.

This satisfaction gap reveals a massive unmet need for science-based human nutrition approaches that go beyond the caffeine buzz and short-lived energy boosts—like those fueling cellular energy production. Energy generation can be supported by several ingredients. B-vitamins support mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis—a molecule that stores and transports chemical energy within cells.² Iron supplementation addresses one of the most common nutritional deficiencies causing fatigue, particularly in women of childbearing age, and makes energy-boosting benefits more sustainable and long-term.³ Although they don’t fuel cells directly, adaptogenic compounds, like ashwagandha, help regulate cortisol and support cellular stress adaptation, creating sustainable energy restoration without the crash associated with stimulants.⁴ Formulations which include these ingredients can demonstrate superior efficacy in boosting energy through targeted mechanisms rather than generic energy claims. 

2. Vision health: Addressing digital lifestyle challenges with proven science

Global digital device usage averaging six hours and 37 minutes a day has created new vision health needs,⁵ with 67% of consumers now concerned about eye health. Among parents, 44% worry about children's screen exposure, while 38% specifically seek blue light protection. When it comes to supplements, only 49% report satisfaction with current vision health solutions.

The existing dissatisfaction indicates opportunities for human nutrition innovations that address digital-specific challenges—such as blue light exposure and screen-related eye strain—rather than only traditional age-related vision concerns. Our FloraGLO® lutein research demonstrates how supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids can support to fill this gap, as they concentrate in the eye's macula where they absorb high-energy blue light and function as antioxidants.⁶ While dietary sources like dark leafy greens provide lutein, achieving beneficial levels through diet alone requires consuming 6-8 servings daily⁷—making supplementation the more practical solution.

3. Mobility health: High engagement meets innovation opportunity

one and joint concerns drive action like no other health category. Of the 65% of consumers globally who worry about mobility, 71% are taking steps to find solutions, which is higher than any other group. As with prior health concerns, the significant gap between engagement (71%) and satisfaction with current solutions (51%) indicates strong market demand for more effective human nutrition approaches.

The industry is shifting beyond basic calcium supplementation toward sophisticated, multi-ingredient formulations that address the interconnected mechanisms of musculoskeletal health. Consequently, dietary supplement manufacturers will need to rely on partners with strong expert services, who can help them overcome application challenges typical to multi-ingredient formulations and develop new products that are safe, compliant, and high-quality.

4. Healthy aging: Consumers seek to live better for longer

Consumers increasingly understand that aging outcomes can be influenced. Among the 64% concerned about healthy aging, 68% are taking steps to address it. Within that group, 56% focus on mobility preservation, 56% emphasize health expectancy over lifespan, and 46% target metabolic health optimization. This proactive mindset extends to disease prevention later in life too. Globally, 67% of consumers are concerned about preventing age-related diseases, and 68% are already taking steps to do so. However, only 53% of those acting feel satisfied with their current prevention strategies—pointing to a clear opportunity for more effective supplement-based solutions. 

Research into blue zones confirms that diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fish support exceptional longevity.⁸ However, modern Western diets often lack these nutrient-dense foods, while aging creates additional challenges: reduced appetite, medication interactions, and metabolic changes that make optimal nutrition increasingly difficult to achieve through diet alone.⁹

This nutrition gap creates clear opportunities for targeted healthy longevity supplements that address aging at the cellular level—targeting cellular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and microbiome disruption. The landmark 2025 DO-HEALTH trial validates this approach, demonstrating that daily Quali®-D cholecalciferol (2000 IU/day), life’s®OMEGA omega-3 fatty acids (1g/day), and exercise interventions slowed biological age by 2.9-3.8 months and achieved a cumulative reduction in invasive cancer risk among healthy adults aged 70 and older¹⁰ evidence that accessible human nutrition strategies can measurably impact biological aging markers and help mitigate disease instances in later life, creates opportunities for premium wellness dietary supplement products. 

5. Gut health: A pathway to overall wellness

The gut microbiome plays a fundamental role in maintaining health across the entire lifespan—supporting gastrointestinal (GI) health, immunity, mental well-being, and more. And consumers know it. 76% recognize the link between good gut health and overall wellness and 68% are interested in digestive health maintenance even when not suffering from specific issues.^11,12 A further 64% in our survey said that gut health is a priority for them. 

At dsm-firmenich, we’re reimagining the innovation landscape for gut health and more. By combining deep scientific expertise, multi-ingredient solutions, and rich consumer insights, we’re working to unlock the full, holistic potential of the gut microbiome. One emerging opportunity is vitamin B2, a nutrient showing exciting promise. It has prebiotic-like effects, shown to stimulate growth of beneficial bacterial species, support bacterial metabolism, and provide protection from oxidative stress.¹³ However, with traditional supplementation, very little vitamin B2 is successfully delivered to the colon (part of the large intestine), where the vast majority of the gut microbiome is found.¹⁴

Humiome® B2 could be the solution to this challenge. Humiome® B2 with Microbiome Targeted Technology™ (MTT™) is a food-grade and environmentally-friendly multi-unit particle system, designed to deliver around 90% of vitamin B2 directly to the large intestine.¹⁵ Upon reaching the large intestine, Humiome® B2’s vitamin core dissolves to directly support bacterial metabolism, foster resilience, and protect against oxidative stress.

Bringing progress to life through consumer insights

These five global health concerns represent areas where current solutions consistently underperform, as satisfaction rates ranging from 48-53% across all categories indicate that consumers are actively seeking better solutions. This creates clear opportunities for human nutrition scientists and health nutrition product developers to deliver meaningful improvements. 

Our insights and marketing services provide the first awareness of these emerging market developments, helping you understand consumer and market trends before the competition. 

As your innovative, purpose-led, end-to-end partner, dsm-firmenich combines unrivaled market insights with comprehensive ingredient portfolios and innovation platforms to help develop wellness dietary supplement solutions that address these satisfaction gaps.