| Great demographic changes are occurring as the | | | | health and wellness industry. |
| baby boomers reach their golden years.. | | | | Increasingly, baby boomers are turning to |
| Since we arrived on the scene in 1946, we have | | | | nutritional supplements to maintain optimal health, |
| been the source of significant trends in most | | | | combat ageing and prevent degenerative |
| industrialised nations. When the baby boomers | | | | diseases. The decision of many baby boomers to |
| were infants, companies marketing baby food and | | | | take their health into their own hands and benefit |
| nappies grew substantially. As the baby boomers | | | | from nutritional supplements isn't wishful thinking. |
| grew up, they spawned other economic trends. | | | | It is based on scientific research. |
| These include: | | | | In a report titled The Benefits of Nutritional |
| 1950s - substantial growth in toy production and | | | | Supplements, The Council for Responsible Nutrition |
| building of primary schools. | | | | (based in Washington, D.C.) reviewed over a |
| 1960s - rise of fast food chains and the music | | | | decade's worth of scientific research measuring |
| industry (as baby boomers became teenagers) | | | | the health benefits of multivitamins and other |
| 1980s - real estate booms (as more baby | | | | nutritional supplements. They found that nutritional |
| boomers entered the market) | | | | supplements can promote health and help prevent |
| 1990s - discount superstores (as early baby | | | | disease among the discerning baby boomers. |
| boomers reached peak spending years). | | | | Annette Dickinson, Ph.D. and author of the report, |
| Although baby boomers make one-third of the | | | | said, "The critical mass of science now building |
| developed world's population, we control | | | | around the material impact of supplementation on |
| two-thirds of the wealth. The first baby boomers | | | | adults in mid-life is extremely positive." |
| are reaching retirement age but we don't want to | | | | "The data underscores the opportunity baby |
| "grow old gracefully" as our parents did. We want | | | | boomers have to significantly improve both their |
| to feel young, stay fit and be active. We want to | | | | short and long-term health outlook with very |
| keep a youthful appearance. In other words, we | | | | simple lifestyle changes. Like not smoking and |
| don't want to grow old. Despite this, some of us | | | | getting regular exercise, supplement use in now |
| are beginning to suffer from degenerative | | | | being shown to have a dramatic, positive effect |
| diseases and we want intelligent solutions to our | | | | on health."The first baby boomers, born in 1946, |
| health problems. | | | | are just entering their sixties and are expected to |
| A growing number of baby boomers are turning | | | | live at least another 20 years on average. The |
| to nutritional supplements to help stay young and | | | | last baby boomers, born in 1964, are only in their |
| active, and prevent the degenerative diseases | | | | early forties and are expected to live into their |
| that plagued our parents. The high disposable | | | | eighties. As more and more baby boomers |
| income of baby boomers, combined with our | | | | recognise the health benefits of nutritional |
| growing concerns about health, is the foundation | | | | supplementation the use of vitamins will continue |
| for the continuing trend in the growth of the | | | | to grow for a long time to come". |