Immune System Management Becomes More Important in the COVID-19 Era

Source=DSM

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of self-medication, where individuals take care of their own health, is gaining attention. In particular, interest in foods fortified with nutrients is increasing.

According to the 'Immunity Market' research report published in April this year by the global nutrition science company DSM, consumption of nutrient-fortified food and beverages is recognized as an effective and easily implementable way to boost immunity in daily life, and it was found that 60% of consumers worldwide are already consuming nutrient-fortified food and beverages.

Since the start of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, as the boundary between daily life and work has disappeared, 66% of people selected fatigue as one of their concerns. This has naturally led to increased interest in nutrient-fortified food and beverages that are effective for fatigue recovery.

According to the report, nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, D, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and probiotics are effective in boosting immunity. Consuming a combination of various nutrients optimizes the immune system and helps recovery after viral infections. In particular, the nutrients most commonly associated by consumers with immune enhancement are vitamin C (79%) and vitamin D (62%).

Prior to publishing the report, DSM conducted a survey of 12,000 people worldwide to gain a deep understanding of the immunity market and released the '2020 Consumer Immunity Panel' (DSM Consumer Immunity Panel 2020). According to the survey results, 65% of people globally have concerns about immunity, and 55% responded that nutrient intake helps build a healthy immune system.

According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) comparing the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits between 1975 and 2008, vitamin A in apples decreased by 41%, vitamin C in bell peppers by 31%, calcium and vitamin A in broccoli by 50%, and iron in mustard greens by 88%. In particular, vitamin C has an average loss of 20%, and vitamin B2 an average loss of 38% during the process from harvest to table, posing a risk of nutrient loss.

Moreover, middle-aged and elderly people have difficulty sufficiently absorbing nutrients even when consuming the same amount of food due to decreased digestive absorption capacity, requiring special nutritional management. According to the 2018 National Health Statistics, 18.5% of elderly people (aged 75 and over) in Korea suffer from nutritional deficiencies, which is about one in five.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.