The importance of being immunised

▻ As 2020 is eventually coming to its wrap-up, it is safe to say it has been a tough year. Like most crisis, however, despite all the fearful setbacks it is dragging along, the pandemic is also reshaping our daily routine and, thus, our consumptions. The coronavirus outbreak has raised a renewed interest in immunity boosting solutions, requiring the market of ingredients for food supplements and healthcare products to adjust to this new demand.

Perception has always driven the markets. At present times, consumers’ perception is developing a reawakened sensibility towards the soundness of their immune system. People are looking for immunity. In July 2020, when interviewed about how COVID-19 impacted on their daily habits, 47% of US interviewee, 67% of Indonesians and 64% of Indians were regularly adding immune-boosting foods to their diet. Likewise, in France and Germany, respectively 33% and 37% of interviewee decided to increase their consumption of immune system-supporting foods as a consequence of coronavirus. In the past few years, North America was reported to be largest market for immunity boosting food products and Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the close future. Still, recent trends show general positive repercussions on the ingredient sector worldwide. 

The market for immunity boosters is so wide and multifaceted, it’s easy to get bit disoriented by its rapid popularisation. The topic has aroused the interest of the public to the point that, this past year, Immune boosting has become a trending research on Google and, between April 15th and May 15th 2020, the hashtag #immunebooster saw a sharp 46% increase on Instagram posts. 

In this ocean of scattered information and fake news, the risk of running up against a storm of scientifically unsound ideas is pretty high, as the biomedical jargon surges as the easiest way to confer a widespread commercial credibility. 

Still, net of a necessary dose of some due caution, there are two concepts we must keep in mind. First, a strong immune system actually is a key factor in prevention and treatment of COVID-19. And second, a wide range of food supplements legitimately deliver a strong reinforcement to our health, as they ensure our body has all the tools to be resilient and develop an appropriate immune response.

Sino LifeScience, as a stakeholder in the health and wellness community, wants to raise the pragmatic awareness that ingredients can help consumers to proactively take care of their health. In the pandemic era, vitamins, minerals, botanical ingredients and hyaluronic acid supplements are among those which increased in popularity the most, being rightfully beneficial to our health. 

Not only hyaluronic acid provides a natural skin barrier in cosmetic applications, it also represents a biological building block supplier when used as a food grade. As a matter of fact, hyaluronic acid is now being considered one of the key players in the tissue regeneration process, a fine regulator of inflammatory responses and a natural building block with antioxidative properties. Recent researches have observed the trigger-like role of hyaluronic acid in the activation of innate immunity: it is a crucial component of the danger-signalling process which includes the recognition of endogenous peril indicators. Moreover, it has been demonstrated HA, trough specific receptors, modulates inflammation response, cellular migration and recruitment, and angiogenesis.

Whether used a building block provider or a natural skin barrier, SynoHyal is a small but safe and concrete contribution to consumers’ healthiness. By highlighting the consumers’ need for a preventative approach to health, COVID-19 has show us once again the importance of perception and how the health and wellness community must be ready to face this new challenge.