A couple of years ago, we looked at women’s health in great detail, delving into some of the health issues women face during different life stages. Download our white paper on women’s health here. Since June is International Men’s Health month and has Father’s Day, we thought we’d honor the old boys by checking out what’s happening in the field of men’s health. 

You’d think that since the basis of most modern medicine is based on the study of the male body, there’d be a lot of information on men’s health. But the reality is that issues related to the topic still have a long way to go. Plenty has been said about the impact of enforcing traditional gender roles on women, but this kind of gender-based stereotyping has also had an impact on men, making them less prone to open up about their physical and mental health struggles. 

Before everyone cancels us, no one is saying that women’s health isn’t important or less important, just that there is great inequity in research and solutions across the board.

For example, we took a look at how many research papers have been published specifically on health from the perspective of gender. And it was quite surprising: there are nearly 16X more research papers on women’s health (since the late 1800s till today) compared to men’s health. Overcompensation, methinks…

Source: PubMed

Men in general have a lower life expectancy than women and have been found to have worse health outcomes. Mortality and morbidity have been found to be significantly higher in men compared to women around the world. In addition, men were found to be at greater risk of developing chronic lifestyle-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses, and obesity, among others.

Leading causes of death among men compared with the whole population, US, 2018

Rank	Disease	Share of men of all ages	Disease	Share of total population of all ages
1	Heart Disease	24.3%	Heart Disease	23.1%
2	Cancer	21.6%	Cancer	21.0%
3	Unintentional Injuries	7.4%	Unintentional Injuries	6.1%
4	Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease	5.2%	Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease	5.5%
5	Stroke	4.3%	Stroke	5.3%
6	Diabetes	3.3%	Alzheimer’s Disease	4.3%
7	Alzheimer’s Disease	2.6%	Diabetes	3.1%
8	Suicide	2.6%	Kidney Disease	1.8%
9	Influenza & Pneumonia	2.0%	Influenza & Pneumonia	1.7%
10	Chronic Liver Disease & Cirrhosis	1.9%	Suicide	1.7%

As the body of research that looks into these specific health issues grows, there is also an increasing awareness within society and among men about addressing them. We looked at how topics on health related to men have evolved within the media landscape of food and drink, and the trends were very interesting.

Growing interest in men’s health

Among consumers themselves, there has been pretty steady interest in men’s health, with growth over the last couple of years. Over the 12 months to April 2024, consumer interest in the topic grew by 18.5%.

The industry has been a lot less interested overall in men’s health, until mid-2022. But interest has spiked by 106.3% over the last 12 months, as businesses wake up to the opportunities in men’s health. 

Consumer and industry interest in men’s health topics in food and drink

Source: Spoonshot Trendwatch

At present, practically all F&B products addressing men’s health are supplements. The men’s health supplements market was worth US$40 billion in 2022 and is expected to cross US$54 billion by 2029, according to estimates from Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence.  

The supplements market covers different health areas that focus on vitality, muscle strength, prostate health, sexual health, balding, sperm count and motility, among others. 

• Changes in consumer demographics and behavior have been a great driving force for this market. Younger consumers have shown greater willingness to talk about and address these issues compared to their older counterparts.
• There is also just greater access to information and awareness as well as more research-driven solutions, something that consumers are increasingly gravitating towards across the board. 
• The pandemic too has had a positive impact on this market as overall awareness of health and wellness has grown.

Areas of opportunity for men’s health

Boosting testosterone levels

A decline in testosterone levels is normal as men age, but studies have shown that this drop is happening at a younger age and at a faster rate. Between 1999 and 2016, testosterone levels declined in adolescent and young adult men in the US. Around 10-40% of adult men exhibited testosterone deficiency, with a prevalence of 20% among men aged 15-39 years, according to a study in Urology Times. This is thought to be a result of the growing prevalence of lifestyle-related chronic conditions, like obesity, as well as lower activity and nutritional levels. 

Health food brand Olly launched in September 2023 a supplement for men called Mighty Mojo, which is said to support testosterone production and sexual health. This supplement includes Tongkat Ali and pine bark extract, both of which are said to support testosterone levels, as well as Resveratrol, a polyphenol that provides antioxidant support.

Source: Olly

A study of healthy young men in India and the US found that a proprietary supplementary blend of pomegranate and cocoa extracts could increase the total and free testosterone levels as well as strength measures. The study found marked improvements in grip strength and mid-upper arm circumference after 56 days of supplementation. This may be a safe way for men to increase their testosterone levels and improve the effects of aerobic exercise. 

Source: Spoonshot 

This combination offers a number of health benefits including hormone balance, reducing the risk of urogenital disease (male), reducing the risk of cancer, musculoskeletal health, gut health, improving mental health, supporting the immune system, and others.

Prostate health

A study in the UK found that certain nutritional compounds found in broccoli could reduce the risk, rate, and severity of prostate cancer by accumulating in the prostate and protecting its cells. Clinical trials indicated that the sulfur-based compounds reduce the number of genes involved in cancer progression. In general, cruciferous vegetables have shown a positive correlation with reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer as well as slowing down the cancer.

Another ingredient known to support prostate health and reduce the incidence of age-related prostate diseases is tomato. Cooked tomatoes, which increase the bioavailability of the red-colored beta carotenoid lycopene, are especially beneficial. Lycopene’s bioavailability is further increased by the presence of fats, extra virgin olive oil in particular. A study that developed a whole tomato food supplement that included olive waste water was found to increase survival from prostate cancer in mice models. 

Source: Spoonshot 

Given the popularity and ease of availability of these ingredients, this combo may prove to be a simple and cost-effective solution for general prostate health for men.

We’ve just touched the surface of some of the potential ingredients and ingredient combinations that could help address some of the pressing concerns of men across the world today. While many of the extracts from these ingredients are still in the research stages to prove efficacy, there is enough proof to show that the whole ingredients themselves are quite effective in supporting specific areas of men’s health. This indicates significant potential for food and drink products that are not just limited to supplements. 

With high demand from consumers themselves for natural solutions for men’s health issues, such research could help inform product development for this sector. Over the next decade, we expect to see the growth of an entire industry and claims that are beneficial to men to attain their healthy aging goals in a more natural and science-backed manner.