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.
Also read → How food can promote healthy ageing
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 chal