Personalization shifts active nutrition industry from performance to health and longevity

Active nutrition is no longer reserved for athletes but is expanding its consumer pool to all consumers. As focus shifts away from sports performance and building muscle, consumers seek products targeting longevity that support them in living an active life for longer, through personalized nutrition. 

Nutrition Insights speaks with experts from Saanroo, Lonza, Tirlan, Bioiberica, and Layn Natural Ingredients about how the industry is shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to customized products targeting different health aspects.

“As personalized nutrition continues to evolve, education has become just as important as innovation. Consumers want to understand not only what an ingredient does, but also how it fits within their individual lifestyle, activity level, and wellness goals,” says Maggie McNamara, VP of Global Marketing at Saanroo.

She details that the company works closely with brand partners to translate clinical research into consumer education.

“Helping consumers connect ingredients to outcomes such as energy metabolism, recovery, strength, sleep quality, cognitive performance, and overall wellness enables brands to build trust while supporting more personalized nutrition journeys.”

James Roza, chief scientific officer at Layn Natural Ingredients, adds that personalized products that speak to the needs of individual consumers, are clean label, functional, and convenient, are driving the biggest consumer demand shift in active nutrition.

No longer “just for athletes”

Monica Gomez Navarro, marketing manager of Branded Ingredients at Bioiberica, stresses that active nutrition is no longer just for athletes. 

“In recent years, we’ve seen the category expand well beyond the gym, with consumers increasingly seeking products that support an active lifestyle in the broadest sense.”

Gomez Navarro says today’s active consumer could be a runner training for a marathon, a busy parent trying to keep up with daily demands, or an older adult looking to maintain mobility and independence for longer.

This shift is closely linked to the longevity market trend, where consumers are taking a more proactive approach to their well-being, she says. 

“Rather than focusing solely on sports performance, many are looking for solutions that support energy, recovery, mobility, and long-term physical resilience. Increasingly, they want products that help them stay active throughout life, not just perform better during exercise.”

Cooney says the biggest shift is that sports nutrition has become mainstream.Keith Cooney, dairy proteins marketing manager at Tirlán, echoes Gomez Navarro by highlighting that “the biggest shift is that sports nutrition has become mainstream.”

“Consumers no longer see protein, hydration, and recovery products as being exclusively for athletes. Instead, active lifestyle products are increasingly being adopted by everyday consumers looking to support energy, healthy aging, weight management, mobility, and overall wellness.”

“We’re also seeing strong demand for products that combine functionality with convenience and enjoyment. Consumers want products that fit seamlessly into daily routines while delivering measurable benefits. Clean labels, natural ingredients, better taste, and more relatable formats are becoming just as important as performance claims,” he says.

Protein going strong

Although the consumer pool is shifting, the “cornerstone ingredient” in active nutrition — protein, particularly whey protein — remains the most sought after due to its superior nutritional quality and functionality, argues Cooney.

“However, consumers increasingly want protein delivered in convenient formats rather than traditional powders alone. Key ingredients we are seeing are whey protein isolates and concentrates, caseins, and milk proteins, all contributing to fast-growing formats and solutions.”

He details ready-to-drink protein beverages, clear protein drinks, protein milkshakes, functional snack bars, and high-protein yogurts and desserts as the most popular formats.

Roza adds that ingredients that influence and nourish the microbiome continue to draw a great deal of interest with consumers. 

“Research has demonstrated the wide-reaching effects the microbiome has on all aspects of health. Be it cognition, weight management, or healthy aging; they, along with other health priorities, are all related, in some way, to a healthy gut.”

Hanna Charron, associate director of Global Product Management, UC-II Ingredient, at Lonza Capsugel, notes that today’s increasingly health-conscious consumers are seeking cleaner and more sustainable products that align with their values and dietary preferences.

This results in buyers seeking out organic claims, clean label, plant-based, non-GMO, and sustainability credentials. She also stresses that the trend beyond active nutrition is longevity, driving the demand for joint health and mobility solutions.

“When it comes to choosing the preferred joint health ingredient for active mobility consumers, collagen comes out on top. As a nutritional supplement, collagen is widely recognized for its benefits across multiple health areas, including skin and hair health, as well as joint health and mobility.”

“In the context of joint health, products containing collagen are among the fastest growing in the global supplement market today,” adds Charron.

From sports to health focus

As the industry is shifting focus from sports performance to longevity, consumers are also taking a broader view of what it means to perform well, says Saanroo’s McNamara.

“Rather than focusing solely on endurance or strength, they increasingly recognize that recovery, sleep quality, stress resilience, cognitive performance, and sustained energy all contribute to an active lifestyle. We’re also seeing consumers move away from products designed for single occasions and toward solutions that support movement, recovery, and overall wellness throughout the day.”

As the industry is changing, consumers are also taking a broader view of what it means to perform well, says McNamara.She adds that another important “evolution” is the growing focus on women’s active nutrition. 

“Historically, sports nutrition research has centered largely on men, but brands are increasingly seeking ingredients backed by female-specific clinical research. Libifem, for example, has been studied for muscle strength, recovery, and body composition in women, reflecting the industry’s broader shift toward more personalized and inclusive nutrition solutions.”

AI influencing active nutrition

Last year, AI became a practical engine for nutrition, powering personalization, speeding R&D and bioactive discovery, and improving clinical research.

Technology and AI are helping reshape active nutrition by making personalization more accessible for both consumers and brands, explains McNamara.

“Consumers can now use wearable devices and digital health platforms to better understand activity levels, recovery, sleep, and wellness patterns, while AI-powered tools help translate that information into more personalized nutrition recommendations.”

She adds that AI is also accelerating trend analysis for brands, such as formulation development and consumer insights, helping identify opportunities to create products that support multiple aspects of active living. 

“As these technologies continue to evolve, they will play an increasingly important role in delivering more personalized, science-backed nutrition solutions.”

Roza from Layn Natural Ingredients points out that the growth in AI has the potential to be transformational because of its ability to integrate data from many scientific disciplines, along with lifestyle, genetics, nutritional profiles, and other parameters to deliver an individualized assessment of a person’s needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Tirlán’s Cooney adds that there is also increased AI-enabled personalization to help consumers better match nutrition choices with specific goals such as weight management, endurance, recovery, healthy aging, or general wellness.

Moving toward personalization

Looking ahead, Gomez Navarro says personalization is “undoubtedly one of the most important trends shaping the future of active nutrition.” 

Gomez Navarro says personalization is one of the most important trends shaping the future of active nutrition.“Consumers are becoming increasingly aware that their nutritional needs vary depending on factors such as age, activity levels, lifestyle, and health goals, and they are looking for products that reflect those differences.”

She says that as active nutrition continues to evolve, Bioiberica expects the market to split into two complementary directions: broad, holistic products that support overall well-being, and more targeted solutions designed for specific life stages, activity levels, and mobility goals.

McNamara adds that the future of active nutrition extends well beyond athletic performance. “Consumers increasingly recognize that movement, recovery, resilience, sleep, cognitive well-being, and long-term health are interconnected.”

“Brands that combine clinically studied ingredients, innovative delivery technologies, meaningful consumer education, and trusted scientific partnerships will be well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of today’s everyday active consumer,” she concludes.