Larry Kolb, co-founder of ingredient supplier TSI Health Sciences, said having ingredients that can apply to a variety of interests and the needs of different demographic groups will be the the key to attracting new Active Nutrition consumers.
“There are a lot of brands within the traditional sports nutrition market,” Kolb told NutraIngredients-USA. “The intense bodybuilders have the mainstay of that market for decades.”
“But now we see a significantly higher number of consumers exiting this traditional sports nutrition space for products with more of an active nutrition positioning,” he said.
Kolb said that a switch in demographics has accompanied a switch in focus. More women and older consumers are looking for products that provide more focused benefits than those associated with prophylactic products such as vitamin and mineral supplements.
“We are seeing a migration of a lot of women into this space,” Kolb said. “And we are seeing the 35-plus consumers who are very active in tying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
Safe, recognizable ingredients come to fore
The multi ingredient preworkout powders are unlikely to play well with these groups, Kolb said. These consumers are looking for functional benefits and reliable safety profiles, and are less interested in ‘edgy’ products that ‘they’ don’t want you to have.
One ingredient that TSI, which is based in Missoula, MT, has been pushing in particular recently for these groups is HMB, which it brands as MyHMB. The company just finished a major revamp of the marketing for this ingredient, which includes a new webpage devoted to the brand.
Leucine derivative
HMB, or β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, is naturally produced in the body during the metabolism of the essential amino acid leucine, which is found in virtually all protein sources.
Kolb said research done on TSI’s nature identical ingredient has shown that HMB supplementation can lead to beneficial results. In a recent study done on judo competitors and wrestlers the researchers concluded that, “The results indicate that supplying HMB promotes advantageous changes in body composition and stimulates an increase in aerobic capacity.”
Kolb said focusing on the metabolite of leucine means the ingredient can simulate the ingestion of massive amounts of the base protein sources.
“A lot of the anabolic effects of leucine itself are harnessed with HMB,” he said. “A four gram dose of HMB is equivalent to 60 grams of leucine, which would really be impossible to take. And to get that much leucine in the diet, you’d have to eat about 600 grams of protein daily, which would really be impossible, too.”
Market opening up
Kolb said with the changes that TSI has observed in the market it was time to step up the game on HMB.
“We believe HMB is by far the most clinically substantiated ingredient for muscle protein synthesis,” he said. “But where it really shines is on the muscle protein side. We think it could have a huge impact in supporting the health of our aging demographic.
“Up to now we have pursued very selective marketing on HMB. But with the market opening up, now we are taking a much more active approach.”
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iStock / Mel-Nik
Active Nutrition is a hot topic, but many don’t understand how it differs from Sports Nutrition. According to Euromonitor International, Active Nutrition is defined as, “a lifestyle choice with the primary objective of optimizing both physical and mental performance."
Consumers therefore span the lifestages, from kids and adolescents, to healthy adults and into seniors. The products are formulated and positioned to support consumers of all ages leading a healthy lifestyle which incorporates physical exercise.
In this FREE online conference which is scheduled for today, May 23 (also available on demand after today), NutraIngredients-USA will assemble thought leaders and stakeholders, from market research specialists, brand owners, and industry experts, to give you the must-have information for this area of immense opportunity. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER