Baby boomers are starting to feel the aches, pains and weight gain of aging. Because they, like others, want to feel younger longer, food companies and food researchers are striving to meet their needs.

Increased amounts of nutritional supplements and antioxidants, including calcium, vitamin D and zinc, can slow the rate of age-related disease and increase the number of healthy years, according Jeffrey Blumberg, a nutrition scientist at Tufts University and speaker at Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo held in Chicago, IL, this week. “Delaying the onset of disease for five to 15 years can have an impact on public health and on one’s own health,” he said.

Blumberg’s research shows that antioxidants, zinc and copper can retard macular degeneration, which occurs in aging adults. If taken in the right doses, “we could prevent 300,000 cases of blindness in a five-year period,” he reported.

His research indicates that increasing the recommended daily allowances for vitamin D could help in combating arthritis, multiple sclerosis, gastrointestinal problems and immune response.
 
But “knowledge is not enough,” he added. “We have to be willing to create new food products that older people can consume on a regular basis, and we have to get them to eat them.”

To market best to baby boomers, food companies need to “support re-invention,” according Shelley Balanko, a researcher with the Hartman Group in Washington state. “Let (the boomers) be the expert,” she said. “Recognize their need for autonomy and independence. Allow them to customize a product, to mix and match.” She added, “Speak to them as peers. Make it a subtle soft-sell.”

Balanko’s data reveals that baby boomers are concerned about the effects of food on the body and mind. They claim to avoid trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, dietary cholesterol, highly caloric foods, and “white” foods such as those made with refined flour products or with white sugar. At the same time, they indulge themselves with pomegranate martinis, wine, and chocolate. Boomers “are seeking adventure through food,” Balanko said. “Food relates to their desire for personal growth, but they want to make the product their own. They’ll combine dilute and invent.”