Report: Vitamin Supplement Market Expected To Increase By 60 Percent By 2020 Go SCRC! Tut
Wed, 02/25/2015 - 10:38am
Andrew Szal, Digital Reporter, Manufacturing Business Technology
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A new report expects the global market for vitamin supplements to jump from $37.4 billion in 2013 to nearly $60 billion by 2020.
The analysis by New York-based Persistence Market Research predicted Vitamin D supplements would lead the growth in the industry over that span. The report expects increasing geriatric populations, particularly in Asia, to bolster demand for Vitamin D, a result of decreasing ability to absorb nutrients from food, loss of appetite and lower exposure to sunlight.
The Asia-Pacific region, already the largest market for vitamin supplement products, will see an increasing elderly population drive supplement demand in that region, particularly in China and India.
In the North American market, the report expects increased consumer awareness of health issues and rising health care costs to influence supplement demand, while in Europe, the supplement market should be bolstered by the incidence of chronic diseases, among other factors.
The report expects the Asian share of the vitamin market to increase further, while the market shares of North American and Europe will see modest declines by 2020.
The report also examined market forecasts for multivitamins, along with vitamins B and C and other supplements, and evaluated results by the type of supplement application and by the type of consumer. The multivitamin segment accounted for nearly half of the market share as of 2013, with a slightly smaller share projected by 2020.
It is estimated that up to 85 percent of people have insufficient levels of vitamin D and are unaware of their deficient state. While conventional media and medicine promote sun avoidance, doing so can actually put your health in grave danger and cause vitamin D deficiency.
The Role of Vitamin D in Disease Prevention
A growing body of evidence shows that vitamin D plays a crucial role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. There are about 30,000 genes in your body, and vitamin D affects nearly 3,000 of them, as well as vitamin D receptors located throughout your body.
According to one large-scale study, optimal vitamin D levels can slash your risk of cancer by as much as 60 percent. Keeping your levels optimized can help prevent at least 16 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, ovarian, prostate, and skin cancers. Moreover, vitamin D can build your defenses against cancer by:
Enhancing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which can replicate and cause cancer)
Slowing down the production and spread of cancer cells
Helping in the differentiation of cells (cancer cells are not differentiated)
Preventing the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones (this can help stop the progress of benign tumors into cancerous ones)
Vitamin D can also help reduce the risk of other conditions as well, including type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness), and Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin D also exhibits its infection-fighting abilities in the treatment of tuberculosis, pneumonia, colds, and flu. It can also improve seizure control in epileptics.
While scientists refer to vitamin D as a vitamin, it is actually a steroid hormone obtained from sun exposure, food sources, and supplementation. Common types of vitamin D are vitamin D2 and D3. Compared to D2, vitamin D3 is 87 percent more effective, and is the preferred form for addressing insufficient levels of vitamin D.
The Vitamin D Epidemic in the United States
Today, many Americans are found to be in a serious deficiency state. Over 95 percent of senior citizens in the US may possibly be deficient, along with 85 percent of Americans. The late winter average vitamin D level was found to be about 15 to 18 ng/ml, which is far below optimal levels.
Cases of vitamin D deficiency are also seen more frequently in individuals (of all ages) that have increased skin pigmentation, including those whose ancestors are from Africa, the Middle East, or South Asia.
This deficiency problem also applies to people who often use sun protection, or those who spend more time indoors than outdoors. Regardless of skin pigmentation, deficiency can be even worse if they live in northern latitudes, as there is very little sun exposure (I'll discuss this in a bit).
The Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 Connection
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