A surprising winner of the pandemic might be a sugar tax in the UK. Several articles in the British media suggest that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now convinced that being overweight was a decisive factor in the severity of the COVID-19 he suffered, and that led him to an intensive-care unit. This observation linking excess weight with an aggravated condition of COVID-19 sufferers is…
Accelerating Wellness Trends: “Digital Everything,” Even Less Meat, Functional and Immunity-Focused Foods
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”—although an overused quote during the pandemic, COVID-19 has proven Lenin right. It’s been and will continue to be a formidable accelerator and catalyst of existing trends. Here are several trends in the wellness space being fed by systemic connectivity. One overarching trend that will enormously benefit wellbeing in the post-pandemic era: COVID-19…
Investment Money Flowing into Wellness under COVID-19
A new article at WWD explains how if the coronavirus is decimating so many industries, wellness is not one of them. Consumer interest in being healthy has never been higher, and it’s leading to big spending in numerous wellness categories, from at-home fitness to food-as-medicine. Wellness investment is really heating up: from Lululemon buying Mirror for $500 million to Nestlé Health Science buying a majority…
Wellness Evidence Study: Sitting All Day Linked to Dramatically Higher Rates of Cancer
A new study in JAMA Oncology suggests that very sedentary people are roughly 80 percent more likely to die of cancer than those who sit the least. The study, using epidemiological data and activity trackers on 7,000 middle-aged men and women, found that people that spent the most time during their day sitting were 82 percent more likely to have died from cancer during the…
New GWI White Paper: Making Travel More “Well” in a Post-COVID World
The GWI has released a new white paper as part of its series on how wellness concepts could positively “reset the world” post-COVID-19. It’s called Travel and Wonder and looks at how travel has been decimated during the pandemic and how its loss has significant psychological and symbolic impacts. The research explores why the recent explosive growth of global travel has resulted in a profoundly…
The New Frugal, Anti-Consumerist Ethic & the Wellness Industry
MONTHLY BAROMETER: It is the younger generation entering the labor market today that will feel the effect of the current crisis for decades to come. Study after study shows that it should expect lower employment rates, lower incomes and greater social problems (including more divorce and more premature deaths). This translates into palpable consequences for businesses and investors. One illustration: Over the past weeks, Chinese…