Sports Nutrition: Nourishing Recovery with Antioxidants

Sports nutrition supplements are a key part of reaching the benefits from a fitness routine.  Top trainers and dedicated fitness enthusiasts know insufficient recovery can result in muscle soreness, muscle stiffness, decreases in strength and decreases in skill levels. The greater the intensity and effort put into a workout, the bigger the  need for a planned recovery.

The market for post-workout nutrition has skyrocketed as more recreational and competitive athletes have sought increased return from their fitness routines and have learned more about the need to properly replenish and repair muscles following exercise. High profile brands, such as Gatorade and PowerBar, have made significant investments into recovery-specific product development and consumer education. 

The U.S. market for sports nutrition is expected to reach $4 billion this year and more than $90 billion globally. On-the-go formats such as bars, powders, and gels are anticipated to lead the industrys growth.

The sports nutrition market shift toward everyday athletes--and a greater sense of wellness and overall nutritionhas led to a heighted demand for natural ingredients over the engineered and often synthetic boosts. Among the most desired of these ingredients are antioxidants, which are known to combat free radicals and other harmful toxins found in the environment.

As a result, we at Pycnogenol®, the patented super-antioxidant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, have seen a surge in customer and consumer inquiries regarding the extracts sports recovery benefits. The correlation between Pycnogenol® and sports endurance was first studied more than a decade ago at California State University. Recreational athletes who supplemented with Pycnogenol® showed a statistically significant increase of athletic endurance while taking the extract.

What we hear more and more from our customers is that athletes, trainers, and the more recreational exercisers are turned off by the heavy synthetics. They are looking for natural, evidence-based ingredients to help with sports recovery. These consumers are getting more educated in the space and often research at the point of sale to determine which ingredients are the safest, and most effective with a range of benefits. Pew Research estimates that more than 70 percent of consumers use smartphones to research products in-store, and nearly 30 percent look up product reviews while in-store. And those who search are discovering more studies, science and range of benefits for antioxidants, including Pycnogenol®.

Due to consumer demand for natural wellness products, we anticipate the sports nutrition market to continue to be a key growth category for natural supplements that provide a practical way to meet goals of sports nutrition and support overall well being