Lycored surveyed 500 physically active consumers in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, according to a press release, and found that 66% of consumers are concerned that spending more time indoors due to the coronavirus is preventing them from getting enough vitamin D from sunlight. Concern was greater among millennials, 74% of whom were concerned about this.
The research was performed between October 8-14, when different rules were in place in the three countries. Most restrictions in New Zealand were lifted at the time, the press release notes; reflecting this, only 53% of consumers there were concerned about vitamin D deficiency, compared to 69% in Australia and 72% in the US. Interest is also high in other countries; in the UK, where people are advised to take 10 mcg per day, there was a 20% increase in new product launches containing vitamin D between 2019 and 2020.
Related: Victory for the State of Health The Immune Boom Good-Health Reads: The Immunity Fix
These findings are in line with social listening research, the release states. Mentions of vitamin D in U.S. social media increased by 181% between September 2019 and September 2020.“Of course the coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on vitamin and supplement markets and one of the most obvious trends has been increased interest in Vitamin D," Christiane Lippert, Global Product Manager, Vitamins and Delivery Systems at Lycored, said in the release. "Our research supports the case that this is largely a result of concern about the effects of spending more time indoors. Clearly, many sun-deprived consumers are looking to supplements, and this demand is likely to increase in the near future, especially in countries entering the winter months.”
