“If you try to be everything to everybody, you will be nothing to nobody.” Abhijit Natu, VP of nutrition at Maypro, delivered this message during a poignant panel on making sense of current dietary supplement trends.
While SupplySide Connect New Jersey stage conversations covered longevity, protein and nootropics, experts hinted at other key areas of importance — delivering products with a clear focus, methodically connecting ingredients with multiple benefits and shifting the narrative from reactive health care to proactive and preventative health.
Abhijit Natu (right) explains how probiotics used the foundational story of supporting digestive health to drive consumer demand as science uncovered more benefits of biotic ingredients. Image Credit: Bryan Beasley Photography
Longevity linked with beauty from within
Longevity ingredients like NMN, coenzyme Q10, resveratrol and astaxanthin “will be household names,” said Rahul Roy, director of vitamin and specialty retailers at SPINS.
The three forces he sees shaping the supplement market are the convergence of food and supplements, healthy aging and longevity and precision wellness. With the advent of biomarker, DNA and microbiome testing, as well as data generated by wearable tech, more focus will be placed on how healthy aging supplements support proactive health management.
“It’s not just how do I anti-age anymore, but how do I age well?” Roy said.
The conversation extends beyond longevity, as Roy notes the “bundling” of longevity with other needs states of import to consumers, such as cellular wellness and muscle strength.
“It’s not just how do I anti-age anymore, but how do I age well?” – Rahul Roy
One category often coupled with longevity is beauty from within, as ingredients like collagen support skin, hair and nails along with joint and muscle health. Perhaps this emerging trend is why collagen ingredients — especially marine-derived — were prominent on the expo floor in Secaucus.
Seagarden showcased its Norwegian salmon collagen, which it touts as having neutral taste and odor. According to a recent clinical trial, the collagen ingredient improved skin appearance by 16.4% and moisture retention by 12.4% (study undergoing peer review).
Taking salmon-derived ingredients a step further, Sumo Nutrients promoted its proteoglycan-type II collagen complex. Proteoglycans are comprised of long, unbranched polysaccharides that branch from a protein core and have been shown in clinical trials to support joint and skin health.
Start with a simple foundation: Probiotics entering GLP-1 support arena
The dietary supplement industry is a large, growing market with increasing complexity, said Theodora McCormick, shareholder at Baker Donelson.
She echoed Roy’s sentiment regarding the shift from reactive health care to preventative, personalized and functional health, stating supplements have evolved into a core component of consumers’ daily health spend.
Theodora McCormick shared her insights on supplement clarity and strategy with the audience at SupplySide Connect New Jersey. Image Credit: Bryan Beasley Photography
Supplements cannot be everything to everyone, however, and the focus of deliverable benefits must be clear. Abhijit Natu, VP of nutrition at Maypro, shared probiotics and the gut-brain axis as an example.
“The winners are not the fast movers; they are the disciplined translators.” – Theodora McCormick
Probiotics supporting digestive health became a daily foundation story driving demand and scale, while emerging science has uncovered other benefits of probiotics and other biotic ingredients. Ingredients tapping into the gut-brain axis are currently receiving widespread attention as a result.
“The winners are not the fast movers, they are the disciplined translators,” McCormick said.
Probiotics and biotic ingredients are gaining traction in the GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) support arena. Specialty Enzymes and Probiotics advertised its SlimSEB ingredient, a blend of probiotics, enzymes and herbal extracts to support metabolic health and weight management. The company has also developed other ingredient blends centered around prebiotics and probiotics to support gut health, muscle health and digestive comfort.
Ingredient companies are beginning to position their ingredients not just for GLP-1 support, but for facets of metabolic health. Innovactiv showcased InSea2, a brown seaweed extract that supports metabolic health by regulating glucose levels. A six-month observational study showed that subjects with metabolic syndrome supplementing with the extract experienced reductions in blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose and HbA1C levels.
The intrigue of organ ingredients
Another notable trend on the show floor at SupplySide Connect New Jersey was the number of companies marketing beef organ powders. Companies like Gembra Health and Diamond Nutra supply powders made from bovine liver, pancreas, heart, kidney, spleen and other organs, while American Laboratories touted its spray-dried pork liver.
Beef organ products are present in the dietary supplement market, often touting more bioavailable nutrients. In fact, Pink Stork recently won the Clean Label Project Purity Award for its Beef Organ Complex product.
“Unlike synthetic supplements, nutrients derived from whole food sources are delivered in forms the body recognizes and absorbs efficiently,” according to the press release.
“Pink Stork Beef Organ Complex provides a dense profile of these bioavailable nutrients women are frequently depleted in — including heme iron, CoQ10, zinc, Vitamin A (as retinol, the pre-formed version the body uses directly), and collagen peptides — without the processing steps that reduce their effectiveness.”
Rahul Roy presents top dietary supplement trends on stage at SupplySide Connect New Jersey. Image Credit: Bryan Beasley Photography
While a review on organ meat suggests that it is more nutrient dense than skeletal muscle, there are no easily identifiable clinical trials in the literature evaluating supplementation with organ-derived ingredients.
Roy noted during his presentation that scientific validation, clinical research and third-party testing are key trust drivers for consumers. Many suppliers touted grass-fed sourcing and various certifications that may convey a sense of trust and quality.