Beyond exercise enhancement: Nutraceuticals to train for a healthier life

No longer confined to athletes, sports nutrition is moving beyond exercise enhancement, helping consumers live an active lifestyle with holistic health solutions for endurance, recovery, cognition, and overall wellness. Driven by personalization, functionality, and enjoyable formats, the industry targets the body-mind connection with science-backed nutraceuticals like collagen, creatine, protein, and choline.

Nutrition Insight explores how Balchem, OmniActive Health Technologies, Bioiberica, TSI Group, and FrieslandCampina Ingredients shape the future of active nutrition beyond protein powders. 

“Today’s exercise enhancement market is packed with an increasingly diverse range of products designed for a new generation that trains for a healthier life, not just for sports performance,” says Dominik Mattern, VP of Science, Business Development, and Marketing at Balchem Human Nutrition and Health. 

To navigate this new world of sports nutrition, he recommends that formulators go beyond traditional exercise enhancement limits and focus on solutions that support overall health and performance. 

“We’re excited to see the rise of new solutions in this space, such as collagen and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) for post-workout recovery and joint health; brain-supporting nootropics like choline, creatine, and adaptogens that help fitness enthusiasts keep their head in the game; and vital minerals and electrolytes such as iron and magnesium for energy and hydration.” 

Sabrina Di Blasio, senior director of Branding and Activation Marketing at OmniActive Health Technologies, adds that convenience drives innovation. “Consumers are looking for clinically backed ingredients that can easily be incorporated into diverse delivery formats — powders, gummies, functional beverages, and even personalized supplement packs.”

“The next big trend will likely be joint-muscle synergy products, supporting both movement and muscle health simultaneously, and metabolic performance support, where ingredients help consumers optimize energy metabolism, body composition, and recovery in tandem.”

Beyond exercise enhancement

Di Blasio observes innovation moving toward solutions covering the whole exercise experience — from preparation to performance and post-workout recovery. 

“Today’s active consumer isn’t just focused on pushing harder; they’re focused on moving better and recovering smarter.”

“The modern active consumer wants multifunctional solutions beyond energy and endurance. We’ve seen demand grow for products that support mobility, muscle recovery, metabolic health, and body composition, all while fitting into daily wellness routines.”

Mattern recommends brands to go beyond traditional exercise enhancement, considering post-workout recovery, joint health, and cognition.She points to OmniActive Health Technologies’ Muvz as an ingredient example. It is a blend of two botanicals known for their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It is designed to support joint and muscle comfort, flexibility, and physical function, “helping consumers stay active longer and recover faster.” 

Body-mind connection

Balchem’s Mattern says consumers see performance as a mix of physical and mental well-being. 

He says the growing choline market reflects its potential to support cognitive functions such as memory, mood, and muscle control. “Your brain plays a huge role in hitting those exercise highs. With the body-mind connection in the spotlight, ingredients like choline are coming to the forefront.”

Mattern adds that Balchem’s minerals and nutrient portfolio aims to help manufacturers address consumers’ personal performance goals and evolving priorities — “from cognitive support with VitaCholine to joint health and post-exercise recovery with OptiMSM and our Albion Minerals range, including magnesium, calcium, and more, each contributing unique health and performance benefits.”

The company also recently launched its “first-of-its-kind” microencapsulated choline ingredient for cognitive health, VitaCholine Pro-Flo, to help formulate multi-ingredient dosage forms. 

“VitaCholine Pro-Flo overcomes challenges associated with the hygroscopicity of choline, flows smoothly, compresses efficiently, and can be seamlessly added to existing multivitamin formulations.”

Niche to “viral” ingredients

Antonio Vendrell, marketing director at Bioiberica, observes that products like protein powders and post-exercise recovery supplements have recently moved from a niche professional sports market into the mainstream. 

Vendrell notes that fitness influencers and online personalities play a crucial role in popularizing new ingredients or trending formats.“Over a third of Europeans have increased their consumption of sports nutrition products in the last year, reflecting a widespread interest in exercise and ‘healthy living’ in general, as well as a feeling among consumers that such products are not just for athletes but are now made for them.” 

He points out that a key development in the space is how ingredients and nutraceuticals go viral. “The sway of popular fitness influencers and online personalities cannot be overstated, particularly in popularizing new ‘hero’ ingredients or trending formats.” 

For example, Vendrell says that in July 2025, Instagram only contained 1.2 million posts under the hashtag #sportsnutrition. “Even more niche keywords like #collagenprotein return more than 100,000 results.” 

“It’s impossible to predict where the exercise nutrition space will shift next beyond the obvious macro themes, but one thing is certain: whatever the next craze, it will likely get its start on social media feeds.” 

In addition, Vendrell observes brands are increasingly exploring ingredient synergies to stand out on the shelf. He shares several examples of Bioiberica’s native (undenatured) type II collagen, Collavant n2. 

“We have found that Collavant n2 can be combined with the herbal extract Boswellia serrata, or glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate, to create multi-ingredient formulations that deliver holistic mobility and joint health benefits.”

Mainstreaming proven solutions

Shawn Baier, VP of Business Development, Innovative Ingredients at TSI Group, adds that innovation extends beyond new nutraceuticals and ingredients as proven solutions are being reimagined, repositioned, and delivered to broader audiences. 

Davies points to protein before bed as a new trend, where solutions like protein-infused green teas provide overnight muscle support.“One of the most visible trends is the creatine boom currently sweeping the industry,” he highlights. “Creatine is not new; it has been a staple in sports nutrition for decades, but today’s excitement comes from mass commercialization and its migration from the hardcore gym segment into mainstream wellness.” 

“Thanks to a growing body of research on healthy aging, muscle function, and cognitive benefits, creatine is now positioned for everyone, from active agers to casual fitness enthusiasts.” 

Baier sees the same evolution in other “once-niche ingredients” like myHMB, the company’s offering of HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate). Although this ingredient historically appealed to competitive athletes, it is now marketed for recovery, mobility, and wellness across demographic groups. 

“This blurring of category lines between sports nutrition, active lifestyle, and healthy aging is driving new opportunities for product innovation and brand growth.”

Protein-plus

Another ingredient with a growing appeal beyond the gym floor is dairy protein, according to FrieslandCampina Ingredients. 

Vicky Davies, the company’s global senior marketing director in Performance, Active & Medical Nutrition, highlights: “Protein has become a daily essential for a much broader audience, with consumers looking to up their protein intake throughout the day — from high-protein cereals at breakfast to protein-enriched pastas for lunch.” 

She says the gut’s role in exercise performance and recovery is a “new frontier” in research. “At the heart of this is the gut-muscle axis: the link between gut microbiota, muscle health, and athletic output.” 

Baier advises ingredient providers to combine diagnostics, formulation, functional medicine, clinical validation, and operational excellence into one system.“With growing evidence that the gut can affect muscle mass, recovery, and performance, there’s a clear opportunity for innovation in ‘protein-plus’ products that target this axis — combining trusted nutrients like dairy protein with gut-supporting ingredients — such as prebiotics or postbiotics.”

Davies points to protein before bed as the next big trend: “It may not be the most obvious time to make exercise gains, but a huge opportunity lies in developing solutions that provide overnight muscle support. Think calming protein-infused green teas or indulgent yogurt pots that double as dessert — all enriched with ingredients that work while you sleep.” 

“Leading the charge is casein: a slow-digesting dairy protein proven to support muscle repair throughout the night,” she details. “Compared to whey, casein protein provides a more prolonged and steady release of amino acids over time, stimulating a higher level of muscle protein synthesis over six hours.” 

Personalization drives sports nutrition

Davies says the exercise enhancement space is set to “evolve beyond recognition” due to rapid advancements in AI and wearable tech. 

She predicts: “The future will be an era of hyper-personalization, where real-time health data, smart devices, and AI-enhanced recommendations transform not only how we train or recover but also how we live.” 

TSI Group also believes that personalized nutrition will drive the future of exercise enhancements, fueled by advances in diagnostics, wearable tech, and data analytics. “The brands that succeed will integrate these tools with science-backed formulations and innovative delivery formats,” says Baier. 

Moreover, he predicts that the future will be defined by end-to-end integration. “Ingredient providers will need to combine diagnostics, formulation science, functional medicine, clinical validation, and operational excellence into one seamless system. This level of integration will empower consumer brands to customize, scale, and adapt quickly to changing demands.”