Nutrition for exercise: Industry highlights demand for clean label, high-protein and better-for-you products

27 Oct 2021 --- Nutrition for exercise is expanding to address gut health and immunity as consumers seek multifunctional products. NutritionInsight speaks to a roundtable of experts who highlight current industry trends, including better-for-you, clean label and personalized products.

The sports nutrition market has benefited from the growing emphasis on staying fit and widespread gym culture, with frequent exercise becoming a lifestyle choice for many people, details Maggie McNamara, marketing director at Gencor.

“As a result, sports nutrition is now much more mainstream than before – sports bars and shakes are no longer the preserve of bodybuilders and the athletic elite,” she adds.

Taste, texture and clean label
Now that sports nutrition has moved into the mainstream, taste and texture have become much more important considerations for consumers, adds Birgitte Kynde Ravn, industry marketing manager, sports nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients.

“The challenge for manufacturers, therefore, is to deliver on functional benefits for performance while also satisfying consumers’ taste buds. In sports nutrition, whey protein is a recognized ingredient due to its nutritional profile and high content of essential amino acids, in particular leucine,” she continues.

Consumers are additionally seeking out exercise products that contain cleaner labels.

“Clean labeling is a mainstream trend that has made its way into the active and sports nutrition category. Active nutrition consumers are seeking products with familiar and fewer ingredients and no artificial flavors or colors,” notes June Lin, vice president, global marketing, health and wellness at ADM.

Adding to this, McNamara states: “Consumers are increasingly reading labels and want to see ingredients they recognize.”Taste and texture have become much more important considerations for consumers in the exercise for nutrition space.

“Sports nutrition brands are responding by including information on packs about, for example, where the ingredients originated from and sustainable farming practices, as well as seeking to include more natural and plant-based ingredients,” continues McNamara.

Convenience at the forefront
Emerging formats include protein water, high-protein yogurts and nutritional supplements.

“This further demonstrates the consumer demand for convenience and portability in active nutrition choices,” notes Lin.

Supporting this shift toward more convenience, Cintia Nishiyama, global product marketing leader at IFF Nourish, adds that “powders and bars are expanding categories in the sports nutrition space.”

“We have seen several product launches in the ready-to-drink high protein beverages, yogurts, and ice creams targeting this active lifestyle consumer,” adds Nishiyama.

Across the globe, 61% of consumers say they have exercised more in the last two years, highlights Lin.

“Out of those consumers, the top product purchases in the last six months to help with exercise include protein, sport and energy bars, ready-to-drink high-protein drinks, protein powders and sports and energy drinks,” she explains.

Pandemic shapes the sector
The pandemic has altered how consumers shop for products in general, including the sports nutrition segment, explains Nishiyama.

“E-commerce has become the leading individual channel for sports nutrition and is likely to capture more demand from other channels moving forward.”

Athlete wellness is also increasingly becoming a trend, so industry can expect to see more sports nutrition products that incorporate holistic wellness themes, note McNamara.

“This is a trend that the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced as more people pay attention to health and diet and their link with immunity,” she adds.

Better-for-you products and personalization
While consumers have shown a preference for sports products that are low in sugar, an emerging trend is gut health, details McNamara.

“Consumers are particularly interested in gut health because exercise, especially high-intensity exercise, has been found to lead to digestive problems for some. This could be down to the fact that during exercise, blood is diverted to more metabolically active tissues like muscles and skin – meaning the gut receives less, which can lead to various types of gastric discomfort,” she explains.Senior consumers are becoming more interested in sports nutrition and want to “stay active longer.”

Additionally, athletes and frequent exercisers have “different nutritional needs from the general population. This, combined with increasing awareness of the uniqueness of each person’s gut microbiome, is spurring demand for tailored sports nutrition, continues McNamara.

Giving more insight into the relationship between oxidative stress, the microbiome, and exercise is Marta Tortajada Serra, vice president of science and technology, health and wellness at ADM.

“Rigorous and prolonged physical activity may lead to increased oxidative stress, inflammation and muscle fatigue. Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused by a build-up of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells and tissues.”

“Exercise-induced production of ROS is associated with muscle fatigue, which may ultimately inhibit performance ability.”

“Our recent research examines the effects of bacterial cultures blend – Bifidobacterium longum ES1 CECT 7347, Lactobacillus casei BPL4 CECT 9104 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus BPL15 CECT 8361 – on exercise-induced oxidative stress, providing insight into the relationship between oxidative stress, the microbiome and exercise.”

Protein demand remains strong
Protein is a highly sought-after ingredient by active nutrition consumers, with growing interest in obtaining protein from various sources.

In this space, ADM highlights that the CAGR from 2015 to 2020 for sports protein ready-to-drink products was 8%, protein or energy bars was 7.1% and sports protein powder was 6.5%.

More mass-market protein brands make it possible for consumers to customize their protein powder according to their personal needs, including gut health, notes McNamara.Ready-to-drink high-protein drinks, protein powders and sports and energy drinks are in demand for active consumers.

Plant proteins such as soy protein are also an essential part of IFF’s portfolio.

“For adults, soy protein can support weight loss and lean muscle development and retention, and also longer-term heart health benefits. Besides reducing risks for heart disease, high-quality proteins can also support the maintenance of muscle mass for seniors – an important factor because, after the age of 30, we can lose 3-8% muscle per decade,” notes Nishiyama.

According to IFF, a study found that a soy-dairy protein blend is a beneficial nutritional strategy for maintaining muscle mass during resistance exercise.

“Soy, whey and casein protein each have characteristic properties related to muscle health. Blending these proteins provides a strategy to incorporate the unique benefits of each protein,” highlights Nishiyama.

“The soy-dairy protein blend may also help promote muscle function during aging, which may reduce the disability associated with sarcopenia.”

Ingredients supporting exercise
Arla’s product – Lacprodan BLG-100, is a beta-lactoglobulin ingredient that is high in the amino acid leucine. It can be incorporated into ready-to-drink beverages and powder shakes.

IFF highlights ingredients that support both male and female athletes in several areas including strength, power, muscle growth and recovery, such as natural betaine under its brand, BetaPower.

“In addition to our natural betaine, BetaPower and our Howaru line of probiotics, we have a range of botanical extracts from IFF Health, suitable for dietary supplements such as sachets and gummies and food and beverages, which can support an active lifestyle.”

“For example, green tea extract supports anti-inflammatory activity, while green mate extract supports mental and physical performance,” Nishiyama explains.

The future of “nutrition for exercise”
Innova Market Insights data reveals that there has been a 14% average annual growth of product launches in sports nutrition between 2016 to 2020.

According to Gencor, the sports nutrition market is expected to reach US$26.11 billion by 2026.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, a more positive focus on holistic health and growing demand for products that target mood and emotional well-being is expected, notes Ravn.

“Meanwhile, population aging has a major impact on many categories and sports nutrition is one of these. There are more senior consumers and therefore a growing market for products that can help them stay active for longer,” concludes Ravn.

By Nicole Kerr