Venus225 tailors sports nutrition to menstrual cycles with electrolyte powder duo

26 Nov 2020 --- Solely designing sports supplements to men’s physiological needs keeps economic opportunities in the sports nutrition sector limited. 

Sports nutrition newcomer Venus225 aims to broaden the segment with its electrolyte powder supplements duo tailored to women’s fluctuating hormone cycles, set to launch at the end of the year.

The products fill a market gap projected to reach US$31 billion by 2027, founder Karen Oliver of Venus225 tells NutritionInsight. “This is an opportunity we can’t let slide by.” 

Venus225 Electrolyte Base is created with the “low” hormone phase (cycle day 1 to day 14) in mind, counteracting the catabolic effect of progesterone during the high hormone phase. 

During the “high” hormone phase (cycle day 15 to day 28), Electrolyte Plus provides a doubled amino acid ratio.

Oliver predicts sports nutrition solutions tailored to women’s health to boom in the next decade.Historically overlooked
It’s relatively new for women to be strategically considered in the sports and athletic world. Research in sports medicine has traditionally been done exclusively on men, Oliver points out. 

“When women jumped into sports and fitness, they adopted all the training and fueling theories men used, leaving women depleted because they don’t address the female’s physiological needs,” Oliver explains.

A major health issue for active women and female athletes is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports syndrome, which can impair metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis and cardiovascular health.

“Women are at high risk of this syndrome because they are training and fueling the same way men do, leaving aside the effects the hormone cycle has on their body and training.”

Female hormones can affect energy availability and expenditure, water retention, plasma volume, recovery and overall athletic performance. 

Nutritionally addressing high and low hormone phases
The female sweating response during physical activity changes during the hormone cycle because of estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone levels are particularly high during women’s higher hormone phase.

“During the high hormone phase, our blood plasma volume also reduces because of the extreme sodium loss,” Oliver explains. Electrolyte Base and Plus contain 360 mg and 500 mg of sodium per serving, respectively. 

“Even supplements marketed to women have not been developed for the specific needs of the female athlete,” flags the company.With 200 mg of leucine branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), Electrolyte Base contains half the amount of Plus. Both powders are free from calories, total fat and sugars, rising to the clean label challenge.

NutritionInsight has previously reported how scientific endeavors show a lack of representation of women. When women have been represented, they have often been treated as “small men” in terms of health and activity recommendations. 

A recent industry roundtable revealed that despite a “crowded” women’s health market, there is still plenty of opportunity for product development.

Venus225’s business model goes beyond providing “just another supplement” to the sports nutrition market, Oliver maintains. “We want to leave a positive footprint by disrupting the way the world looks at women’s training regimens, health and well-being.” 

By Anni Schleicher