 The past few years has seen some phenomenal leaps and bounds in the sports nutrition supplements industry. Up until a few years ago, this industry was catering to a marginalized section, mainly those in the field of professional sports and athletics. This is no longer true. A major driving factor that has forced this industry to extend its boundaries is the fact that the average Joe or Jane now knows and believes that exercise and fitness is the key to health, wellness, and longevity. Easy access to sports nutrition supplements and weight loss aids at fitness clubs, gyms, over the Internet, pharmacies, supermarkets, and health food stores are providing convenient outlets for health enthusiasts to purchase products that will help them meet their fitness and weight loss goals. Weight management is perpetually in vogue these days and so is the demand for more scientifically-based weight loss supplements.
The field of spots nutritional supplements is open and is expanding its territory. Market surveys and statistics confirm this with escalating sales in sports nutrition products. In 2007, the U.S. sports nutrition and weight loss category was estimated at $18.2-billion, according to the Nutrition Business Journal . In 2008, it was valued at $19.6-billion out of which $2.7 billion in sales were recorded for the sports nutritional supplement segment, a growth of 7.6 percent from the previous year. This makes sports nutrition supplements one of the fastest growing categories in the nutritional supplement industry. According to a 2008 report from BCC Research, a leading information resource center based in Massachusetts , the global market for sports nutrition products is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.1 percent up to 2013, reaching an estimated global value of almost $92 billion.
What Are The Best Sports Nutrition Supplements To Manufacture?
According to a survey by the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), based in Pennsylvania , 22 percent of those interviewed said they used sports nutrition products (2009 Health & Wellness Trends Database). The most popular sports nutritional supplements include protein powders, amino acids, creatine, hydration drinks, energy drinks, energy bars, thermogenic supplements, pain-relieving creams, along with a host of other products. Ingredients include B vitamins, zinc, guarana, citrus aurantium, glucomannan, green tea, capsaicinoids, capsaicin, insitol, and protein hydrolysates. Whey protein is by far the most popular protein. Weight management supplements include dietary fibers known to support satiety, weight loss, cardiovascular health, and healthy blood glucose levels.
Sports nutritional supplements are available in a variety of forms - pills, capsules, tablets, powders, liquids, or effervescent tablets. The most popular of these delivery forms appears to be powders. Powders are able to provide great taste and pack in more nutrients than capsules or tablets. Liquids (hydration drinks and energy drinks) provide quick delivery forms to athletes and fitness enthusiasts since the ingredients have already been broken down for ready absorption by the body. Mintel, a global market intelligence provider based in New York , records a growth of 164 percent in sales of sports and energy drinks from 2002 to 2007.
Effervescent tablets and powders are increasing in popularity because they are a refreshing change from popping pills and offer maximum bio-absorption of ingredients. Mintel reports 15 percent of all products sold between 2005 and 2008 were either effervescent or powdered forms. The significant number of powdered sports nutrition supplements available today shows its popularity among consumers.
More energy is what people are looking for and energy shots fit the need because of their convenient packaging, portability, and the quick burst of energy they provide - anytime, anywhere. Drink sticks deliver quick nutrition and hydration. Such delivery forms are popular with professionals, housewives, sportsmen, health enthusiasts, and even the elderly.
The nutrition sports supplement industry has a potentially huge market and the demands are challenging. Demographic trends show that more Americans are adopting healthier lifestyles and are on the lookout for supplements that can meet their fitness and health goals. The scope for specialty products and new product releases is enormous. In spite of a slightly murky past - FDA warnings, product recalls, and the general bad press that some products have received, the sports nutrition supplement industry is evolving and reaching higher quality horizons while gaining solid consumer trust plus greater profit rankings.
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