Digital trends: Women's health tops the charts

The report from the global AI platform for the the food and beverage industry states that hormonal health and menopause are the topics showing the biggest growth in social discussions YoY (%). 

In fact, discussions around food and beverage for hormone health are up more than 50% YoY and discussions around food and drink for menopause are up by more than 40%.  

What’s more, consumer discussions around hormone health have increased 118% over the last 2 years. 

Fourth in the ranking for best YoY increase is the more general term ‘women’s health’, followed by 'sex drive', 'muscle function', 'leaver health', 'brain health' and 'blood sugar'. 

Jacques Botbol, chief marketing officer at Tastewise, explains that this rise in discussions around women’s specific health issues has transpired as a result of the removal of social and conversational taboos in recent years. 

He explains that this data comes specifically from online conversations in America but the the trends are mirrored in Europe.

Digging into which specific ingredients are taking the biggest share of social discussions on women’s health, the data reveals that collagen is 14 times more relavent than "the brenchmark" (the usual level of talk about collagen in the broader food and beverage category(. 

Other trending ingredients related to women's health include chia, beetroot, turmeric, and several seeds. 

Surprisingly, given wider trends, the firm reports that some topics that have witnessed a YoY reduction in social discussion include ‘hair and skin’ and ‘sleep improvement'. 

Also on the slow down are the topics ‘immune system’, ‘weight management’ and ‘fitness’. 

Botbol explains that shifting topics of discussion exemplify the increasingly sophisticated nature of consumers’ health concerns as they look at more specific health areas and the mechanisms behind symptoms.  

Weight loss discourse shifts 

According to the social discussion analysis, discourse around weight loss has shifted and is no longer just a physical or appearance-centric pursuit. 

The firm's analysts believe recent mainstream discussions around weight loss medications like Ozempic​, reflect a shift in how society perceives and addresses weight-related concerns.  

“This aligns with the declining emphasis on ‘weight loss’ as a standalone claim," says Botbol. "Instead, consumers now seek vitality, self-care, mood enhancement, and holistic well-being. This shift denotes a significant departure from mere ‘weight loss goals’ reflecting a broader, comprehensive health and wellness pursuit. 

“Food and beverage customers are at the crossroads of this shift, where weight loss as a singular goal loses traction, giving way to a more comprehensive health perspective.” 

As such, the data reveals that words which have seen a YoY increase in use within social discussions include ‘vitality’, which is up 626%, and 'self-care', up 131%. 

“The narrative now centres on achieving overall well-being, where weight management becomes a part of the larger picture rather than the sole focus, indicating a dynamic shift in health-related aspirations,” Botbol explains. 

As weight goals shift, so does consumer behaviour and the market analysis shows that nutrient-rich foods are now more popular than low calories options.

Digging into which specific ingredients are trending within weight management discussions, the report finds that interest in polyphenols is up 51.3% YoY, interest in protein powder is up 12.1%, and whey protein is up 9.6%.