Medichecks’ 2018 Health and Wellness predictions

2017 saw an enormous rise in the consumer healthcare market, with more people taking an active role in controlling their health. Instead of the gym, many opted for fun dance classes, or old style 80’s aerobics to get their fitness hit. A number of us cut out single food groups, tried intermittent fasting or swapped to a plant-based diet. 2017 was an exciting year for health trends, and here at Medichecks, we expect 2018 to be even more so.

Here are our 6 health and wellness predictions for 2018:

1. Inner health – blood work

We are a nation that loves to track anything we can, whether it’s our calorie intake, our steps or even our sleeping patterns. This year many people discovered how simple it is to track what’s going on inside their bodies with Medichecks easy-to-use blood tests. We are all used to having regular dental and sight checks ups, so why shouldn’t we have regular health check-ups? We believe 2018 will be the year where having regular health checks becomes the norm, to allow people to easily track any changes and act accordingly.

Monitor your health today with our Essential Blood Test.

2. Plant power

In 2017, the number of people switching to a plant-based diet continued to rise and this increasing popularity led to Tesco launching their own-brand range of 100% plant-based meals in many of their stores, following in the footsteps of Asda who launched their vegan range a few months before. With the popularity of plant-based foods continuing to rise in 2018, this year is going to be the year of new and exciting superfoods. Chaga mushrooms, moringa, baobab and maqui berries to name a few, which may sound rather bizarre but let’s be honest, a few years ago, who could have predicted we’d be drinking collagen and adding turmeric to our coffees?

3. Fun fitness

2017 was a year full of new exciting ways to stay fit, including skateboarding pilates, hula hooping classes and ballet barre. In 2018 we predict that “fun fitness” will continue to rise in popularity.

Virtual reality has become a huge craze in the gaming world over recent years. Gone are the days when gaming meant sedentary behaviour – exhilarating new virtual reality platforms allow the user to exercise while they play. Novelty yoga sessions will capture a wider audience in 2018, with classes becoming available for a range of different people – whether it’s mums bringing along their babies, or the animal lovers amongst us who can now attend a yoga class with their dog in tow – there will eventually be a yoga class for everyone!

4. Trust your gut

Gut bacteria play a crucial role in human health by supplying essential nutrients, producing vitamin K and supporting the normal function of the heart, nervous and immune system. In 2017 it became clearer that our gut health depends on much more than just the balance between good and bad bacteria. New research has uncovered the beneficial role that gut fungi play in our health.

We anticipate that in 2018, many of us will be optimising our gut health in innovative new ways. Fermented food types will rise in popularity with examples including sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea and kefir. New technology will also emerge into the market that gives us a greater indication of how to create a supportive environment for our gut microbes. An edible sensor that measures the concentrations of various intestinal gases is currently being developed, which one day may help many people to understand what is going on in their gut.

5. The power of digital

We live in a world powered by technology, and with an ever-increasing population, new digital advancements in the healthcare world provide innovative ways to look after society.

The introduction of new medicines, powered by clever technology is set to emerge in 2018. For the first time in the US, regulators are allowing doctors the use of a “trackable” pill to treat schizophrenia, which sends a message from a sensor in the pill to a patch that the patient wears to let their doctor know the medication has been taken. The development of a cyclotron in Manchester this year will improve cancer treatment options in the UK. The new machine will provide state-of-the-art high-energy proton beam therapy on the NHS for the first time to deliver a special type of radiotherapy currently only available overseas. While the development of “carebots” which are already helping to look after the vulnerable in society in Japan, could eventually be introduced in many other countries too.

6. Low carb, high-fat diets

Once upon a time, encouraging people to increase their fat content to lose weight would have seemed crazy. Many believed that removing fat from our diets could aid weight loss – but now we know better. Although yes, too much fat in our diets is bad for our health, new research into metabolism has revealed that a diet high in carbohydrates could be the reason many people struggle to lose weight.

In 2017 the ketogenic diet which is a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet, rose to fame as many celebrities claimed to be following this way of eating to encourage weight loss. The ketogenic diet dramatically reduces carbohydrate intake to just 5% of a dieter’s daily calories. Proteins occupy around 15% while fats occupy a whopping 80%. When following a ketogenic diet, the body changes its fuel source from sugar to fat – placing the body in a state of ketosis. Last year, an increasing number of our customers started following a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet, and we predict that even more people will adopt this way of eating in 2018. If you are planning on making changes to your diet, our Diet and Lifestyle Check Plus is the perfect test for monitoring your progress.

Many of us have started a new health and fitness journey in the new year and with these exciting trends just around the corner; we predict 2018 will be the year to take control of our health!