Emptying the Notebook

We spent the last month talking about sports nutrition supplements and honestly there were two things that I couldn't get around to. So, allow me to open the notebook.

--One thing that I wanted to write about was ephedra's legacy. I contacted a few folks—AHPA, A. Wes Seigner, the former counsel for the Ephedra Education Council—who either politely declined or weren't available.

So, allow me to offer my own conclusion. I think ephedra has become a taboo topic, and with good reason: There are too many things happening now for suppliers and manufacturers to wrap their heads around. The last thing anything wants is to revisit the past, especially if an innocuous comment gives detractors ammunition.

Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I on target? Please leave your comments below or start a discussion.

--The other thing I didn't get around to was the size of the market for these supplements.

According to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm for the natural products industry, sales of sports nutrition supplements amounted to $16,862,480 for the 52 weeks ending September 3, 2011. That was an increase of over $2.3 million from the previous year. These numbers come from three channels: food/drug/mass merchandise (excluding Wal-Mart), specialty/gourmet, and natural.

That's nice, but the Natural Marketing Institute's 2010 Health & Wellness Trends Database offers a few notable numbers: "Three percent of consumers indicate they use sports nutrition supplements; twenty-seven percent of consumers indicate they use sports nutrition products such as sports hydration drinks, sports nutrition bars, protein powders, amino acids, sports nutrition supplements, and creatine."

--Better late than never, here's a quickie interview Dr. Daniel Fabricant did for FDA last month, where he talks about DSHEA and more. Thoughts? Don't forget: the deadline for comments for NDI draft guidance is Friday, December 2. Visit Virgo's NDI Immersion Center to get up to date on what's going on.

--And, yes, the stock market is fluctuating again. Read this again. It should make you feel better.