Revealed: The most popular health trends for 2024
What will trend in 2024?
We've looked at recent online search habits and predicted the most popular health and wellbeing trends 2024.
Dr Luke Powles, Associate Clinical Director, Bupa Health Clinics
Luke Powles is the Associate Clinical Director for Bupa Health Clinics. Luke explores these health trends and reveals what we need to know about them before taking them up or if they're worth it at all.
31 January 2024
Next review due January 2025
Vitamin B12
As 2024 approaches, vitamin B12 looks set to be a popular health trend.
Searches for ‘best B12 supplement’ peaked at an average of 1,600 searches per month across the summer of 2023.
B12 is an important vitamin. It keeps your nervous system healthy and helps your body to produce enough red blood cells. Without enough healthy red blood cells, your nervous system may suffer negative effects. This could present as muscle weakness or mood and memory issues, for example.
Low vitamin B12 also increases your risk of becoming anaemic. Anaemia can make you tired, weak and short of breath.
B12 near me
Searches have tripled for this phrase
Best B12 supplement
Searches have doubled for this phrase
Inj vitamin B12
Searches have doubled for this phrase
B12 is found naturally in found, in supplements or injections. You should only ever increase your intake if a health professional recommends it. Having too much vitamin B in your system may make you feel unwell.
If you’re feeling more tired than usual, talk to your GP to investigate whether you have low vitamin B12 levels.
Kombucha
Fermented tea drinks look set to be even trendier in 2024.
Searches increased sharply in late summer 2023 after it became popular to drink earlier in the year.
Trendy or not, it's important to understand what the main ingredient, kombucha, can do for you. Claims have been made to support kombucha's promotion of weight loss and cancer reduction. However, lots of these claims aren't backed by clinical evidence.
There's limited research showing kombucha's effect on cholesterol, too. A small study gave rabbits kombucha extract. It found a minor reduction in their cholesterol. Although, more research needs to be conducted in humans before any firm conclusions can be made.
Live kombucha
Searches have tripled for this phrase
Kombucha tea near me
Searches have doubled for this phrase
What we do know about kombucha is that it contains probiotics. They're a live bacteria who are thought to promote a natural balance of bacteria in your gut. If you're healthy, taking probiotics is generally considered to be safe. We don't however know the full extent of their health benefits.
Probiotics, like kombucha, are considered a food. This means suppliers don’t have the same strict testing and standardisation regulations that medication does. Keep in mind that different kombuchas may have different effects on your body.
Always remember that kombucha should never replace meals or any other part of your diet.
Planking
Planking remains a popular way to condition your body. Following a 2023 study showing that planking is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure, we predict it’ll be more popular than ever in 2024. You don't need equipment to plank and the benefits include:
- strengthening your core
- stabilising your spine
In July 2023, searches for ‘beginner plank’ increased quickly. 1,900 searches made during that one month. If you’re one of the many looking to introduce planking to your 2024 workout, here’s how to get started:
Plank up and down
Searches have increased 12 times for this phrase
Planks for seniors
Searches have increased 6 times for this phrase
Beginner plank
Searches have doubled for this phrase
In July 2023, searches for ‘beginner plank’ increased quickly. 1,900 searches made during that one month. If you’re one of the many looking to introduce planking to your 2024 workout, here’s how to plank:
Step 1
Lay on your front on the floor. If you’ve never planked before: proper up your body in a straight line.
Hold your body weight with your elbows and toes.
Step 2
Keep your elbows in line with your shoulders. Your ankles and hips should all be held in this same straight line, too. As you hold this position, squeeze your buttocks to help tighten your core and stop your hips from falling.
Step 3
Try to hold this position for a minimum of ten seconds. See if you can build this time up with practice.
Step 4
When you’re confident planking using your elbows for support, use your palms for stability instead.
If planking is causing you pain, stop and book an appointment with a musculoskeletal specialist to discuss your form. They may be able to offer safer suggestions.
Wall Pilates
Thanks to an influx of celebrity endorsements and TikTok videos, wall Pilates has seen a surge in popularity throughout 2023. And it doesn’t look to be going anywhere, anytime soon. August 2023 saw an average of 60,500 Google searches for ‘wall Pilates’.
Wall Pilates
Searches have increased 17 times for this phrase
Wall Pilates for beginners
Searches have tripled for this phrase
Pilates wall workout
Searches have doubled for this phrase
Wall Pilates can be a introduction for beginners. It's also a fun way to add some variation into your workout if you’re already a Pilates lover. A wall is used to offer extra resistance and keep you stable, targeting your core, legs and glutes.
Social media often hails wall Pilates as a fix-all for back pain, but before starting any exercises make sure you speak to a physio first to help prevent further pain or injury.
Sober curious
Sober curious meaning
Searches have increased 16 times for this phrase
Google search volumes shows that more people are becoming aware of how much they’re drinking and what it does to their body. They're also looking into the benefits of going sober. During 2023, search volumes for ‘sober curious meaning’ have progressively grown, with July 2023 seeing 590 searches.
Sober curious
Searches have doubled for this phrase
Going alcohol-free brings plenty of benefits to your health and wellbeing. Along with improving liver function and reducing your risk stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, cutting down on drinking can help you in the short-term, too. You’ll likely notice improvements in your sleep, weight, skin and mood.
If you’re looking for support on going sober, your GP can help point you in the right direction.
Increasing libido
If you’re finding you’ve little interest in sex, you can consider supplements to improve your general wellbeing and libido.
During your life, changes to your libido are normal. However, some life events and lifestyle factors can lead to sex feeling like less of a priority. These can include:
- mental health difficulties
- the menopause
- relationship rough patches
- erectile dysfunction
Treatment for low libido in males
Searches have increased 8 times for this phrase
Libido boosting supplements for females
Searches have doubled for this phrase
According to our research, a greater number of women are looking for more help with their libido. In August 2023 there were 1,600 searches for libido supplements for females. Improving intimacy with your partner can help you feel more connected and supported. In turn this may improve your sex life.
You can also talk to a mental health professional. This may help to identify anything holding you back from a more fulfilling sex life.
Posture exercises
Are you sitting at a desk job for most of the day or gaming in your spare time?
You may be one of many people noticing new aches and pains. These can come from sitting in the same position for too long.
You could be experiencing issues including:
- tech neck - a sore neck caused by poor posture when looking a phone or computer screen
- anterior pelvic tilting - where your pelvis tilts forward from sitting too much
However, there are ways to stretch out stiffness at home. For example using the yoga pose, 'cat cow'.
Gamer posture
Searches for this phrase have tripled
Tech neck
Searches for this phrase have tripled
Cat cow
Searches for this yoga pose to stretch your spine have tripled
Anterior pelvic tilting
Searches for this phrase have doubled
It's important to set up your workstation or gaming area correctly. You should also get up and move around at regular intervals throughout the day. This reduces the chance of developing neck, shoulder and back issues.
Getting up and stretching throughout the day helps to reduce your risk of developing:
- cardiovascular disease
- cancer
- type 2 diabetes
If you’re still struggling with pain, speak to a physiotherapist for advice on your form and treatment options.
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