Seize opportunities in the health and wellness sector

World population is aging, which means that Living longer is essential for many sectors, with health being the most obvious, but also in areas like housing and finance. Homo sapiens evolved over millions of years to survive. We’ve come a long way since the Stone Age, but the truth is, our bodies haven’t. We are created to hunt and gather, but now we live in silence and are accustomed to cities.

While life expectancy increased paradoxically The people, generally, They are less healthy and lessThe rate of obesity in adults has increased dramatically. Even worse, childhood obesity is on the rise, too. We know this is linked to long-term health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, which can affect adult health and public budgets.

Healthcare expenses are on the rise as a result of the increase in related illnesses:

• DiabetesLinked to obesity and sedentary lifestyles, type 2 accounts for 90% of diabetes cases and leads to most of the disease growth.
• cancer: The number of new cases will double in high-income countries (40%) and increase by more than 80% in low-income countries by 2030.
• chronic diseases Lifetime: 1 in 10 adults in the United States has a chronic disease.
• Cardiovascular disease They are responsible for 31% of the deaths, a third of them from the age of 70.

As a result, healthcare costs have outpaced global inflation by + 5% in the past decade, which is about 9% of OECD GDP on average, as of 2019.

Governments are responding with policy drastic measures that may have been speeded up since the emergence of Covid-19. For example, ensuring affordable medicines are available, and promoting digital healthcare and healthy eating. The Clear Label campaign that has gained momentum in recent years is perhaps the most visible to us as consumers.

The change takes place at very different periods and rates from a demographic and political point of view. However, the direction of the road is clear. The effect of these trends will be profound and disturbing for dormant headlines, however Very favorable for companies that are at the forefront of sustainability priorities.

An older population who lives longer will require better treatments for a number of increasingly common diseases. Oncology has attracted major investments, but there appears to be a clear winner: AstraZeneca, The global pharmaceutical company, Her research and development focused on areas such as lung cancer and pancreatic cancerWhere a new generation of drugs is launched, ahead of the competition.

However, cancer treatment also depends on: Radiation therapy, in which Elekta Has a leadership position. Elekta is one of only two radiotherapy equipment manufacturers in the world and uses its market access technology to offer innovative and accessible linear accelerators (or LINACs).

But as the pressure on health care systems increases, hospital visits must be more efficient and cost-effective. Philips, the world leader in ultrasound and image-guided therapy-Helps hospitals reduce costs and improve diagnostic quality by providing equipment such as image-guided cardiovascular therapy, which allows early intervention, minimizes invasive surgery and reduces hospitalization time.

Novo Nordisk He has the best and most innovative drugs for diabetic In the market and promoting the treatment of obesity, which is not yet recognized as a disease, but which, due to its importance, is in our view a significant potential market in the long term.

The feed It is naturally the solution to prevent many diseases. The search for cleaner, healthier, nutritious and natural foods has accelerated in recent years and we have seen the proliferation of new products on the market. Specialty ingredients companies, such as Irish Kerry Group Or the German SymriseProvides solutions to some of the complex challenges faced by food manufacturers.

Climate change affects our health and well-being and threatens to increase its occurrence. It can be said that our global food system is not only not sustainable from a health and nutrition point of view, but also from an environmental and climate point of view. Consumers are beginning to understand that lifestyle decisions have a major and direct impact on the environment, and this has been a major driver of movements such as ‘plant-based’.