The heart is said to be the quintessential essence of a person. It is paired with “soul” to represent all that one believes and is such a part of our culture that it carries dozens of idioms. If one cares a lot about something, it is close to his heart. To cross one’s heart and hope to die is to make a promise, and to follow one’s heart is to act according to feelings.
The heart is so important to us that it symbolizes love, the most blissful of all emotions. However, it seems we’ve developed a culture where the heart is being mistreated. To die of a broken heart is to die from emotional distress; but, actual heart failure is causing a lot of American deaths. Heart disease kills 652,000 people a year in the United States—27 percent of all American deaths, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). To be sick at heart is to be really sad, but those 71 million Americans who suffer with one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) literally have an illness that stems from heart issues.
Americans have taken these skyrocketing health problems to heart. The International Food Information Council’s (IFIC) Functional Foods/Foods for Health consumer survey, released in August 2009, found CVD— heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke—is the number one health concern, with 48 percent of responders saying it was the most important. That same survey found 85 percent think foods and beverages can help improve heart health.
This awareness and need for our country to reduce the number one cause of death, among other reasons, has spurred the market for products that promote heart health. Amy Fitzpatrick,Natrol’s corporate dietitian, noted: “The heart-health category is one of the leading health categories, which can be attributed to several factors, including 1) the high rates of cardiovascular health concerns in the United States; 2) approved health claims for natural ingredients (e.g., fish oil and heart disease; plant sterols, cholesterol and heart disease); 3) the rapid growth of functional foods that are incorporating heart ingredients (e.g., plant sterols and omega-3s in juice, margarine and drinks); and 4) recommendations by health authorities to incorporate fish oil and plant sterols with conventional treatment to help reduce the risk of CVD.”
And, as the population gets older, more people are turning to these products. “There is an increased interest from Baby Boomers,” said Darren Schneider, vice president, Good ‘N Natural. “People are more conscious as they grow older and they want to live healthier lifestyles.”
Also behind the growing need for these products? “For sure, fear of keeling over from a massive heart attack is a driving force,” said Eileen Sheets, managing director, Bioforce USA.