Ingredients for Success in the
Sports Nutrition Category
by Kerrin Rourke and Sonia Caltvedt

Today’s increasingly health-conscious American public is looking for quick and easy ways to get in shape. This obsession with burning more calories, building more muscle mass and improving body tone is often met with the challenge of limited time allotted for exercising.

Sports supplements that promise to enhance any workout regime and optimize results in less time than exercising alone are growing in popularity with consumers who are managing hectic schedules.

SPINS’ data shows the Sports Nutrition category in the Vitamins and Supplements department demonstrated marked growth in 2006 over the previous year. Dollar sales in the category are up 18 percent in the Natural channel and 29 percent in the Conventional channel (52 Weeks ending 12/30/06, SPINSscan Natural and Conventional channels).

Contributing to the growth of this category are arginine, guarana, ZMA and Tribulus terrestris, some of the more successful primary ingredients found in popular sports products.

L-arginine

L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that plays a number of important roles in the body. Its primary function is detoxifying urea, a cellular waste product that can be dangerous if not properly eliminated.1

Arginine has become a major headliner in many sports supplement formulas, but not because of its detoxifying properties. One of its additional benefits is its ability to generate nitric oxide (NO), a vasodilator that increases blood flow in the body.2

The body naturally produces NO during exercise, which causes more blood to pump into the muscles as well as increased amounts of oxygen and nutrients that help to build the big, rock-hard muscles so prized by serious bodybuilders.3

It is important to note claims made regarding NO and its ability to improve lean muscle growth have not been extensively researched.

Many sports supplements contain a time-release form of arginine that supplies the body with constant fuel for producing NO. Theoretically, this would prolong the muscle building effects for hours after working out and result in a fuller but leaner muscle in a shorter amount of time. At this time, there is a lack of sufficient research confirming these effects; however, the ingredient has become wildly popular with consumers. Sports supplements containing arginine as a primary ingredient grew a whopping 112 percent in the conventional channel compared to last year (52 Weeks Ending 12/30/06, SPINSscan Conventional).

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus terrestris is an Ayurvedic herb that is used in many popular bodybuilding supplements because of its positive effect on testosterone production. Testosterone is a hormone that helps increase strength, improve endurance and build muscle. Some athletes turn to anabolic steroids and other hormones to produce these results; but, these illegal substances can cause damaging side effects that include impotence, liver damage, aggressive behavior, sleeping disorder and paranoia.4

Tribulus is not a hormone or a steroid, but an herb that safely increases the body’s production of testosterone to a balanced level without causing over production or negative side effects. Tribulus increases the production of luteinizing hormone (LH), which is a gonad-stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland. As levels of LH increase, testosterone levels naturally increase. Some research has found Tribulus can increase testosterone levels significantly, making it a virtual super herb for bodybuilding.

Although dollar sales of Tribulus are nearly equal across both channels, it is experiencing a marked growth of 40 percent in Natural supermarkets as opposed to a 30-percent decline in Food, Drug and Mass (52 Weeks Ending 12/30/06, SPINSscan Natural and Conventional channels).

ZMA

ZMA is a formula containing zinc monomethionine aspartate, magnesium aspartate and vitamin B6. Studies show these vital nutrients are rapidly depleted during periods of intense exercise, causing muscle strength and stamina to decline. There is evidence suggesting daily supplementation of ZMA significantly increases muscle gain and athletic performance by simply correcting these common deficiencies. One such study was conducted by Lorrie Brilla, Ph.D., at Western Washington University. Collegiate football players received ZMA supplementation for an eight-week training period.5 The group supplementing with ZMA showed 2.5 times greater muscle strength gain than the placebo group. In addition, the ZMA group had a 30-percent increase in testosterone levels compared to 10-percent decreases in the placebo group.

Most notable about the sales performance of ZMA is the fact that after a year of negative growth in 2005, the ingredient demonstrated a 19-percent gain in 2006 across channels (52 Weeks Ending 12/30/06, SPINSscan Natural and Conventional channels).

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana)

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is a shrub or small tree native to Venezuela and northern Brazil. The seed of the guaraná fruit is a central nervous system stimulant with thermogenic and diuretic properties. It contains a unique form of caffeine called guaranine; although its strength is two and a half times stronger than the caffeine found in coffee, its effects are much milder. This is because guaranine is absorbed more slowly than normal caffeine, producing a relaxing and sustained energy boost that is gentle on the body.6

Guaraná aids in the temporary and natural increase of thermogenesis, the process by which the body generates heat, or energy, by increasing the metabolic rate. This production occurs in brown adipose tissue, the brown fat that surrounds the internal organs and the spine. Because brown fat is alive, unlike stored body fat, stored calories in the form of body fat are converted into energy when it is activated during thermogenesis. The side effects from guaraná are similar to those of having too much coffee and can include insomnia, trembling, anxiety, palpitations, urinary frequency and hyperactivity.

Combining guaraná and other caffeine products can increase these side effects.7 Guaraná is one of the more successful sports nutrition ingredients, with sales totaling $185.8 million across channels (52 Weeks Ending 12/30/06, SPINSscan Natural and Conventional channels).

Similar too there category growth trends in the natural products and health and wellness industries, convenience is the core growth driver in the sports supplements category. As it becomes increasingly difficult to fit more of life’s responsibilities into a 24-hour day, Americans are looking for ways to get the most out of their workouts. And the sports supplement industry is increasingly featuring scientifically proven ingredients that can safely offer faster muscle gain and fat loss while increasing energy and endurance.

References

1. Marz RR, Medical Nutrition From Marz, 2nd Edition, Omni Press, Portland, OR, 1999 2. Werbach MR, Textbook of Nutritional Medicine, Third Line Press, Tarzana, CA, 1999 3. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/no2/no2.html; accessed Dec.10, 2006
4. http://sportsci.org/encyc/anabstereff/anabstereff.html; accessed Dec. 17, 2006
5. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_June_2/ai_54769123; accessed Dec. 17, 2006
6. http://www.floridabrasil.com/guarana/guarana.html; accessed Dec. 17, 2006
7. Healthnotes, A-Z Guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions, Healthnotes, 1999

Kerrin Rourke is natural products expert and Sonia Caltvedt the marketing and communications manager with San Francisco-based SPINS, a leading market research firm. SPINS is a leading provider of industry reporting and consulting services for the natural products sector. SPINS’ comprehensive offering includes retail measurement services, content-based reporting, consumer information and consulting services. Learn more at www.spins.com, or contact the company at (415) 957-4400. http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/   March 12, 2007