Beyond the Burn: A Look at Sports Nutrition Ingredients

Sometimes, just working out doesn't cut it. Some athletes are looking for nutrition to help them  build muscle and lose weight beyond what they could do with exercise alone. Sports nutrition ingredients can help improve the bodies of elite athletes, intense and casual exercisers and those just starting an exercise routine. Industry experts agree the sports nutrition market is moving away from catering exclusively to serious athletes and opening the market to recreational athletes looking to improve overall fitness. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) released the result of a 2013 survey that found 16 percent of adults in the United States take sports nutrition and weight management supplements.

Popular ingredients include those to build and sustain energy, like French maritime pine bark, fruit polyphenols and adenosine triphosphate (ATP); weight loss aids like  3-acetyl-7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone (7-Keto from Humanetics) and bitter orange to trigger thermogenesis to jump start the metabolism; proteins and amino acids to build muscle and ingredients to help keep joints flexible, making recover easier. Probiotics are also seeing their fare share of popularity as a recovery supplement.

There are so many options out there for sports nutrition as the market continues to grow. As research continues, suppliers, manufacturers and consumers can look out for growing trends and the next big thing in the sports nutrition market. According to Chase Hagerman, business development and marketing manager at ChemiNutra, "clean" sports nutrition supplements is the category to watch. Specifically, "the category for natural, non-steroid sports supplements formulated to build muscle mass, increase strength and reduce fat mass, is still the Holy Grail."

Check out INSIDER's Sports Nutrition Digital Issue, "Making the Cut," for more information on sports nutrition ingredients to take consumers beyond the burn.