Hyaluronic Acid Functional Food, Is It "Stupid Tax"？

Hyaluronic acid, is a large polysaccharide found in the bull's eye, which is an important part of the cell matrix and is widely distributed in the human body. 

The human body can synthesize hyaluronic acid by itself, mainly by "fibroblasts", and it is estimated that an adult has about 15 grams of hyaluronic acid in his body. It is one of the body's own moisturizing substances and is an endogenous component of the body. It is widely found in the cytoplasm and extracellular matrix of the joint cavity, skin, vitreous humor, blood, umbilical cord, and other tissues, and has unique properties such as strong water-locking, lubrication, and viscoelasticity. Hyaluronic acid is regularly replaced by new hyaluronic acid, and about 20% of the hyaluronic acid in the skin is replaced every day. As we age, endogenous hyaluronic acid in the body is constantly being degraded (endogenous enzymatic and free radical degradation), and the amount of hyaluronic acid in the body is decreasing.

According to research data, the hyaluronic acid content of a 50-year-old person is less than half of that of a 20-year-old person. Once the rate of degradation exceeds the rate of production, cells will not be able to maintain normal function and nutrient transport will be impeded, and over time, the function of body tissues will be affected: dry skin, wrinkles, bone loss, cartilage disease, atherosclerosis, immune deficiency, and other aging-related problems will ensue.

China's pharmaceutical-grade hyaluronic acid end-products market is growing rapidly, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 10%. Pharmaceutical grade hyaluronic acid end-products can be divided into medical aesthetic, orthopedic treatment and ophthalmic treatment. Among them, the market size of medical aesthetic and ophthalmic treatment end-products is expected to grow at a high CAGR of 16. 8% and 11. 2% respectively, while the orthopedic treatment category grows at a steady rate of 4.0%. The market size of domestic hyaluronic acid end-products in the daily chemical product class is expected to grow at 7. 6% continuously and will grow to 92 billion yuan in 2024. However, hyaluronic acid injections, which can be painful for people with sensitive skin and a bit expensive for those who are price sensitive, are not suitable for all women's skin care, and have brought about the popularity of topical hyaluronic acid, the principle of which is that hyaluronic acid can grab a lot of air and moisture from the skin surface.

Compared to other scenarios, the market size of food-grade hyaluronic acid end-products is significantly lower. on January 7, 2021, the National Health Commission issued an announcement to include sodium hyaluronate (i.e., "hyaluronic acid") as a new food ingredient, which is allowed to be added to common foods, and the scope of use was expanded to include milk and dairy products, beverages, alcohol, cocoa products The use of sodium hyaluronate is allowed to be added to milk and dairy products, beverages, wine, cocoa products, chocolate and chocolate products (including cocoa butter chocolates and products), as well as candy and frozen drinks. According to the data of China Business Industry Research Institute, it is expected that the market size of functional food in China will exceed 600 billion yuan in 2022.

However, does the hyaluronic acid that you eat really work? How much of it can stay in the body? According to the results of clinical tests, 10% of the sodium hyaluronate taken orally into the body can be accumulated in the skin, 10% is excreted before it takes effect, and 80% is absorbed by the body through the decomposition of microorganisms in the human intestinal tract to participate in metabolic utilization. After you stop taking it, the hyaluronic acid accumulated in the skin can maintain the effect for about 2 weeks. However, experts also say that this is not the same as what is eaten is useful, in addition to the molecular weight and intake, whether the respective intestinal flora can break down the ingested sodium hyaluronate to the extent that it can increase the synthesis of hyaluronic acid in human cells, is different from person to person.