Summary of Research Findings

In the preliminary survey on health conditions and usage of health food carried out to 4,356 men and women in their 20s to 70s nationwide, it was found out that 30 % of them were consuming health food, when including those responses, “Currently taking health food (19.5%)”, “Sometimes (7.1%)”, and “Only when needed (7.0%)”.

To 1,421 men and women in their 20s to 70s who showed intake of health food, a survey was held on specific locations to purchase health food as well as the intake statuses.

As a result, two or three types of health foods (a weighted average) were consumed by both men and women in all age groups. The spending per month (a weighted average) was around 2,000 yen by men and women in their 20s to 30s, latter half of 2 to 3,000 yen by those in 40s to 50s, the former half of 3,000 yen by men in their 60s, around 4,000 yen by women in their 60s. While the number of types did not differ by age group, the amount spent tended to increase as being older.

Next, for the location for purchasing health food, “Shopping sites such as Amazon, Rakuten, etc.” and “Drugstore, pharmacy” ranked high. When observing by gender and age group, shopping sites earned number one by men in all age group, while women in 20s to 30s preferred buying at drugstores or pharmacies, and those in 60s or over bought at “Health food manufacturers’ mail-order site”, showing difference in purchasing places by age group.  

For the purposes of health food intake, many male respondents answered, “Health maintenance and promotion” and “Recovery from fatigue, nourishment”. While “Recovery from fatigue, nourishment” ranked high among female respondents, “Measures against skin dryness, firmness, wrinkles, and blemishes” ranked even higher. For the question on what to place importance in choosing the health food, “Price” and “What ingredients combined” earned overwhelmingly high rates of responses by both genders and all age groups, indicating that health foods with good balance between cost and functionality are required.  

Noteworthy Topics

Lutein, An Eyecare Material, Gathering Attention Mainly by Men and Women in 60s or Older

To 1,421 health food users in their 20s to 70s, the questionnaire asked about which of the ingredients they were consuming.
The top responses were “lactobacillus”, “vitamin C”, and “multivitamin & minerals”. While vitamins were the staple health foods, lactobacillus was the material gaining attention in recent years. The unique health functions by each of lactic bacteria strains have been appealed in the health food market, which was reflected in this survey results.

“Zinc” and “protein” were other materials popular among men. Among female respondents, “collagen” was the popular material especially for those in the middle and older age groups. The intake rate of “Lutein”, an eyecare material, among male and female in their 60s reached around 20%.

Research Outline