From man-cations to man-bags, men are capturing every corner of the consumer products market, and health products are no exception. According to the Natural Marketing Institute’s (NMI) “Health & Wellness Trends Survey,” nearly 50% of men surveyed in 2009 claimed to be the primary grocery shoppers in their household. And they are buying everything from supplements to grooming products to male-inspired diaper bags (for the stay-at-home dads)—even “guy-liner.”

“From supplements to cosmetics, men now have a choice of their own skin care products, hair care products, supplements, vitamins and more,” said Steve Siegel, vice president, Ecuadorian Rainforest (ER), Belleville, NJ. “This trend is a result of manufacturers realizing that women aren’t the only ones that are concerned about their health and beauty.”

However, despite the eagerness to shop for their households and nurture their newfound identities, men are underserved to some degree when it comes to their health, especially when compared to women.
 
Giving Them the Attention They Deserve

Coinciding with Father’s Day, June is “Men’s Health Month”—a time when many families should reflect upon and appreciate the men in their lives, according to the Men’s Health Network (MHN). Men’s Health Month is celebrated across the U.S. with screenings, health fairs, media appearances and other health education and outreach activities. The purpose, MHN says, is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

MHN is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men and their families with health prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities and patient navigation.

While men may encounter fewer health issues because of their gender throughout their lives, MHN points out that their life expectancy is still six years shorter than women and they continue to suffer higher mortality rates for the top causes of death (i.e., 1 in 2 men will die from cancer vs. 1 in 3 women).
 
Further, although rates of prostate cancer are comparable to breast cancer rates in women, MHN claims Federal funding for breast cancer research is significantly higher. For example, in 2007, breast cancer received almost two thirds more funding ($127.5 million) from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program as did prostate cancer ($80 million dollars). During the same year, breast cancer received more than twice as much funding ($707 million) as did prostate cancer ($305 million) from the National Institutes of Health (a 231% difference).

Compared to women, who benefit from numerous female-focused health organizations (e.g., Women’s Health Council, Office of Women’s Health, Society for Women’s Health Research, National Center for Excellence in Women’s Health, Global Alliance for Women’s Health, and many more), men are relatively deficient in this area. That’s why for several years MHN has been an avid supporter of creating an “Office of Men’s Health” at the government level.
“There is an ongoing, increasing and predominantly silent crisis in the health and well-being of American men. Due to a lack of awareness, poor health education and a paucity of male-specific health programs, men’s health and well-being are deteriorating steadily,” MHN explained. “The deterioration of men’s health is best illustrated by the life-expectancy gap. In 1920, the life expectancy difference between men and women was one year but by 1990 that had increased to over five years with men having a higher death rate from each of the leading causes of death.”
 
MHN believes an Office of Men’s Health could develop strategies, coordinate research activities, recommend public policies, engage in public-private partnerships, and take other actions that would encourage men to engage in healthy lifestyles, promote awareness and early detection of diseases that adversely affect men, and search for answers to the perplexing problem of the deteriorating condition of men’s health.
 
Taking this objective one step further, Representatives Barron Hill (D-IN) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) introduced H.R. 2115 in April 2009. The “Men and Families Health Care Act of 2009” would establish an Office of Men’s Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This office, according to MHN, “would mirror the existing Office of Women’s Health, established in the early 1990s, which has improved the quality of life for women nationwide.”

“The goal of this bill is to raise awareness about men’s health issues, and ways we can prevent and detect men’s health problems. The Office of Men’s Health will bring this issue to the Federal stage and result in more men getting the treatment they need, which will save lives,” said Congressman Murphy. “For too long the health needs of men have gone unaddressed. This bill will help men’s health take its rightful place in our Federal government’s healthcare priorities.”

Health Concerns: Battle of the Sexes

The good news for the natural products market is that more than a third of men used some form of alternative medicine during the last year. In terms of their health, NMI’s “2009 Health & Wellness Trends Survey” found that men are looking to prevent the following conditions vs. women: heart disease, 31% (vs. 33% of females); cancer, 29% (vs. 35% of females); high blood pressure, 28% (vs. 30% of females); high cholesterol, 27% (vs. 30% of females); obesity/overweight, 25% (vs. 38% of females); diabetes, 22% (vs. 25% of females); arthritis, 21% (vs. 30% of females); and vision/eye health, 20% (vs. 27% of females).
 
As far as the health issues they are currently managing, the NMI survey found that men were most interested in weight loss—39%, compared to 56% of women. Some of the other issues they claimed to be managing were: cholesterol, 31% (vs. 28% of females)—this was one of the few categories where there were not “significantly” more females managing this condition; hypertension/HBP, 26% (vs. 26% of females)—this was another category where there were not “significantly” more females managing this condition; joint pain, 24% (vs. 34% of females); acid reflux/heartburn, 23% (vs. 26% of females); and seasonal allergies, 22% (vs. 36% of females). The issues affecting less than 20% of male population were: stress, 17% (vs. 29% of females); lack of energy, 15% (vs. 28% of females); and depression, 10% (vs. 18% of females).
 
Despite their concerns, men actually face far fewer health issues compared to women. According to the Mayo Clinic, the list is surprisingly short—including heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury. And most of these health threats are largely preventable.
When asked what they would like to get more of in their diet, the NMI survey showed that 60% of men prefer antioxidants, followed by vitamins and minerals (59%), fiber (57%), omega 3s (53%) and whole grains (52%).

As for what nutrients they are currently using, 53% of men pointed to multivitamins/minerals. The next popular nutrient category was omega 3s, which only 20% of men said they were using, along with vitamin D (18%), calcium (17%), antioxidants (14%), B vitamins (14%) and glucosamine/chondroitin (12%).
 
Stuart Reeves, PhD, director of research and development, Embria Health Sciences, Ankeny, IA, reinforced these findings. “According to NMI’s HWTD, men are more likely to be taking dietary supplements for heart health, cholesterol, energy, diabetes and sports nutrition than their female counterparts,” he said, adding, “Ingredients such as antioxidants, niacin, ginseng, ginkgo, DHA, plant sterols and saw palmetto are more commonly purchased by men than women.”

Go Condition-Specific

A common misconception about the men’s health category is that it must be heavily dependent on women as either purchasers or influencers, said Cheryl Sturm, director of marketing, Embria Health Sciences. “According to the latest data from NMI, 42% of men now take condition-specific dietary supplements,” she said. “The same study points out that men are more likely than women to choose the highest quality of brand/product regardless of cost and are more likely than women to be utilizing products that can improve their athletic performance than for reasons associated with general overall health.”
 
She went on to suggest that marketers would do well to expand their thinking to create a broad range of men’s health products across a number of condition-specific categories, much as they have done for women’s health products in the past.

And where do men shop for these products? “According to NMI, men are likely to purchase products from a variety of sources, but are more likely than women to purchase healthy and natural products from warehouse/club stores, convenience stores and specialty/gourmet outlets,” Ms. Sturm said.
 
In addition, she said, “Men appear to be slightly more likely than women (but not significantly) to purchase healthy products and services online.

R.V. Venkatesh, managing director, Gencor Nutrients, Inc., Anaheim, CA, shared his perspectives on the specific health issues affecting men. “A lot of people are looking for products for ‘andropause,’ especially the Baby Boomers,” he said. “Testosterone and other hormone boosters seem popular and the sports nutrition segment is seeing growth too.”
“Andropause” or “male menopause” is a name that has been given to a menopause-like condition in aging men in which hormone production decreases gradually. Compared to female menopause, the changes in men as a result of falling testosterone levels are more subtle, usually resulting in changes in sexual function, energy level or mood.

Focusing on heart disease, the number one killer of both men and women, Scott Larkin, vice president of marketing and sales, LycoRed, Orange, NJ, said, “Cardiovascular health is definitely important—I think that ties into anyone selling in this area.” Lycopene is a featured ingredient in cardiovascular health products, along with those that support blood pressure and prostate health.
 
‘How’s It Hanging?’

Always top of mind, there is one particular organ that a man wants to make sure remains healthy at every stage in his life, and that is his penis. And thanks to the constant stream of erectile dysfunction (ED) and BPH advertisements, penis and prostate health are now on everyone else’s mind too.

NMI’s 2010 “Healthy Aging/Boomer Survey” indicates that nearly 7% of men are currently managing or treating “sexual dysfunction.” ED, a form of sexual dysfunction, according to experts, is rooted in the brain for some men. For others, certain health issues like diabetes, alcohol use, age and certain medications may be the culprits.
 
Still, more than 18 million men over the age of 20 in the U.S., according to a Johns Hopkins study, are struggling with this problem. Treatments for these men range from taking drugs to trying natural remedies to seeing a sex therapist to getting a penis pump, and everything in between.

Known as “Peruvian Viagra,” maca has been a consistent player in the men’s health market for the last several years. According to ER’s Mr. Siegel, studies suggest maca increases fertility. “Lepidium meyenii, known as maca, grows exclusively in the Peruvian Andes and it has been used traditionally to increase fertility. Previous scientific studies have demonstrated that maca increases spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm count,” he said. “We believe sexual dysfunction whether a man is suffering from it or not will always be a market. Men will always be looking to enhance their performance sexually.”

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, occurs when the prostate is enlarged, but not cancerous. It is very common in older men, usually over the age of 50. The prostate gland helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm, and it surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and out of the body.
 
A young man’s prostate is about the size of a walnut, which slowly grows larger with age. When it gets too large that’s when the problems start—difficulty urinating and/or urinating more frequently. The National Institute on Aging says, however, that having a problem with your prostate does not raise your chance of getting prostate cancer.

Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men. And it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, according to the American Cancer Society. Last year, there were nearly 192,000 cases of prostate cancer, and 27,000 deaths. Treatment for prostate cancer works best when the disease is found early and has not spread to other parts of the body.
 
For several years, pharmaceutical companies, the government and academia have poured a lot of money into research on prostate health. Some of the star ingredients in this respect include selenium, lycopene, pumpkin seed and saw palmetto.
 
With respect to selenium, Embria’s Dr. Reeves offered, “Selenium’s popularity may be attributed to the strong scientific research that shows a reduction in prostate cancer in men taking a form of selenium yeast that contains high levels of selenomethionine and other organic selenium compounds. (In a large follow-up trial this effect was not replicated by pure selenomethionine.) The advantage of a selenium men’s health product is that selenium is an essential mineral, and it has overall benefits on the antioxidant and immune systems of the body, as well as its probable effects on the prostate.”

Dr. Reeves continued on, highlighting a recent review showing a correlation between diet and prostate cancer. “In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers Ma and Chapman assessed whether certain modifications in diet have a beneficial effect on the prevention of prostate cancer, and suggested that a diet low in fat and red meat and high in fruits and vegetables is beneficial in preventing and treating prostate cancer.”