Sybille Buchwald-Werner
Vital Solutions GmbH, Langenfeld, Germany

The global sports nutrition market is expected to grow about 8% within the next 5 years to reach USD 45.27 billion by 2022 due to Zion Market Research. Sports nutrition refers to the consumption of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, supplements and organic substances that comprise of carbohydrates, proteins & fats. In the past, these products were developed for and consumed by athletes and bodybuilders to improve their overall health, performance, and muscle growth. Today, these products are increasingly attracted by lifestyle and recreational users, which explains the projected significant growth in this market category.

All are looking for support to reach sportive results as soon as possible. Increased performance and quick recovery are consumer demands – but is enough scientific data available to enable product developer to select the right ingredients which fulfill these expectations? And even more, do we know the techniques and biomarkers to be used in human studies to test potential sports ingredients? Do we have the right analytical methods to ensure that sports supplements do not contain compounds, which are related to doping?