Supplements and Chronic Disease Prevention: The Next Big Thing in Pharma? A 3-Step Guide for Supplements Distributors

January 22, 2021

Contents Overview

Science suggests supplements could help fight and prevent chronic diseases. Widen your client base by distributing nutraceutical products to the millions affected by them.

According to the World Health Organization, chronic disease prevalence hit around 57% last year. This means that, today, more than a half of the world population suffers from chronic conditions, the most common being cardiovascular and lung diseases, cancer and diabetes.

What Are Chronic Diseases?

Chronic diseases are non-communicable illnesses which usually require long-term care and ongoing medical attention. These can sometimes cause permanent disability or can have an impact on people’s abilities for doing certain activities.

Most non-communicable diseases have a serious impact on the patients’ quality of life and ultimately many of them could lead to their premature death.

The four non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that are collectively responsible for almost 70% of all deaths worldwide are:

Cardiovascular disease, like heart attacks and stroke
Respiratory conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma
Diabetes
Cancer

Other, less deadly but very common, NCDs requiring special daily attention are: obesity, kidney disease, liver disease, chronic infections, such as HIV; and chronic inflammation, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

What is causing Chronic Diseases?

Globally, the growing middle class and the fast urbanization in developing nations is causing people to adopt sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy habits. As a result, a rapid increase of the probability of mortality due to non-communicable diseases is happening.

The World Health Organization emphasizes that nutrition and eating habits are key when trying to understand the risk factors in non-communicable diseases. An unhealthy diet, mixed with a sedentary lifestyle, tobacco usage, lack of physical activity or excessive alcohol consumption increases the probability for people to develop chronic conditions.

Eating meals heavy in fat, meat, salt, sugar and processed ingredients, while forgetting about the sufficient intake of fruit, vegetables and fiber is causing the countries that are already fighting infectious diseases, to also have an equal burden of NCDs.

A variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals is needed per day to stay healthy and most importantly to preserve a healthy system that prevents chronic diseases. For example:

Vitamin D is considered to improve people’s immune system and is often recommended for the prevention of viral and bacterial infections. Additionally, Vitamin D could ease prolonged inflammation caused by NCDs such as diabetes and obesity.

Potassium could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart disease as it reduces blood pressure. The World Health Organization recommends a daily potassium intake of at least 3,510 mg/day for adults.

Multivitamin use over a long duration could reduce the risk of major cardiovascular disease. Vitamin deficiency, suboptimal folic acid levels, along with low amounts of vitamins B6 and B12, are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects and colon cancer. Low levels of vitamin D contribute to osteopenia and fractures; and deficient levels of Vitamins A, E and C may affect the growth and protection of white blood cells.

Unfortunately, most people may find it difficult to achieve recommended nutrient intakes through diet alone. Consequently, proper supplementation has become an important factor when addressing NCDs prevention and control.

Health professionals are already making big efforts to inform their patients about the benefits of consuming nutraceuticals. However, pharma distributors are just starting to produce and sell high quality dietary supplements for NCDs prevention.

Guide for Distributors: Are you Already Distributing Supplements in Your Market?

The rising demand for nutraceutical products on account of their increasing importance in preventing NCDs has resulted in the significant growth of the global dietary supplements market.

It is important for you, as a distributor, to identify which are the best suitable products for your customers’ needs and to differentiate the products you offer from other similar ones that are already available in the market.

Step 1: Research Local Needs

Understand the diversification of your client base

Identify your market’s main chronic diseases and the population groups affected by them, for example: the elderly, young children, middle-aged women. Factors like age, gender and geographical location could suggest that a person needs more or less of a given nutrient to prevent NCDs.

Once you have identified which are the most common NCDs by population group, proceed to point out what essential vitamins and nutrients to look out for before selecting which are the suitable supplements for each group.

Step 2: Select Your Range

Select the adequate range of products you will import

At AdvaCare Pharma we are conscious of the role of supplements in preventing chronic conditions, this is why we offer a wide range of nutraceutical products comparable in formulation, purity of raw materials and packaging to major US and European brands.

Our brand AdvaLife Nutraceuticals has a wide range of more than 100 supplements:

Condition Specific Formulas: Blood Sugar Support Supplements, Heart Support Supplements, Bone Support Supplements, Hemoglobin Support Supplements, Immunity Support Supplements, Liver Support Supplements, Diabetes Support Supplements, Kidney and Bladder Support Supplements

Essential Fatty Acids: Fish Oil, Omega 3-6-9

Syrups: Bone Support Syrup, Immunity Syrup, Kidney SUpport Syrup, Liver Protector Syrup, Multivitamin + OMega-3 Syrup, Multivitamin Syrup, Vitamin B Complex Syrup

Vitamins & Minerals: Daily Complete Multivitamin, Daily One Complex Vitamin, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3

With presence in more than 65 countries, AdvaCare Pharma is globally recognized as a leading manufacturer of high quality and affordable cost nutraceutical products. Contact us to prepare the final product list for your order!

Step 3: Present The Products Properly

Benefit from an Effective Point of Sale Display

We acknowledge that product differentiation is vital in today’s overly saturated market, and consequently we will work towards making sure your products are properly presented and displayed at your customers’ points of sale.

Your AdvaCare Pharma sales representative will lead you through selecting the suitable packaging design for your market and our retail and marketing experts will guide you when choosing the adequate promotional material for your target consumer.

Contact us and start distributing AdvaLife Nutraceuticals today!

References: Fact Sheets on Noncommunicable Diseases, article about noncommunicable diseases, publication Essential Nutrition Actions by the World Health Organization, PWC article on chronic diseases, article Targeted Nutrition in Chronic Disease from Peter Bergman and Susanna Brighenti, article Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications by Robert H Fletcher and Kathleen M Fairfield, article Multivitamins and chronic disease risk reduction by Natural Medicine Journal and article about Global Burden of Disease Study in the Lancet.