Sports nutrition: different needs for different goals

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are undergoing their final preparations... This global event is a wonderful way to highlight sport in France and around the world. But there's no mistaking it: sport has been enjoying growing interest even outside of this special period. Social media attests to this: in 2024, over 510 million people worldwide follow the #fitness hashtag and over 135 million follow #fitnessmotivation on Instagram. This dynamic is also reflected in real life, with the rise of the "healthy sport" trend and the popular belief that a good state of health is linked to practicing sport. In 2024, 59% of people measure good health by how fit and active they are[1]. As a result, the sports nutrition market is growing, with 31% of sports nutrition customers increasing their consumption in 2023 compared to the previous year[2]. In a growing market, consistent quality is essential. At Armor Protéines, we're committed to helping all athletes achieve their goals by offering a high-quality, finely segmented range of sports nutrition ingredients.

Sport and sports nutrition: closely linked trends[3]

In 2023, the global sports nutrition market generated sales of $44 billion, with expected annual growth of 6.7% between 2023 and 2032. These data can be explained by several phenomena:

• The democratization of sports nutrition. We're seeing an increase in the number of sports enthusiasts, but also a diversification of consumer profiles. Sports nutrition is available to both professional and high-intensity athletes, as well as so-called lifestyle and occasional sportspeople.
• The expansion of distribution channels and benefits. Sports nutrition has long existed in specialized channels but is now also available online and in supermarkets. Whatever the point of sale, shelves are expanding with a new segmentation featuring BCAAs, protein powders, energy bars, isotonic drinks and more, thus developing knowledge and advice in this multi-benefit market.

Nutrition for all sports profiles

New sports profiles: who are they?

At Armor Protéines, we wanted to understand the world of athletes and have identified 3 profiles[4]:

• First, there are sportsmen and women who practice intensively, i.e. 3 to 5 times a week:
  • 35% are “Athletes”, focused on endurance sports, looking to boost performance and stay healthy.
  • 15% have a “Beautybuilder” profile, with a desire to build muscle mass and add definition to their bodies.
• Then, we have the remaining 50%, who practice moderate sport, 1 to 3 times a week. These are the “Active lifestyle users”, looking to stay fit and healthy.

How are sports performance and nutritional requirements related?

Sport puts a greater-than-usual strain on the body. The main consequence is an increased need for energy, hydration, but also, and more specifically, for proteins, carbohydrates and minerals, especially in endurance sports[5].

Beyond the variations observed based on the sports practiced, nutritional requirements vary depending on expectations. Let's focus on three of them:

• Energy: the right energy intake (amount and duration) will help to boost intensity and is essential for endurance athletes[5] .
• Hydration: the key in all sports is to prevent dehydration by adjusting the osmolarity of formulae. Good hydration doesn't just affect physical performance, it is fundamental to mental acuity[5].
• Proteins: these help maintain and increase muscle mass. But that's not all: they are also part of the recovery process[6]. Here are a few quantitative references adapted to athletes' profiles:
• “Athletes”: 1 to 1.6 g/kg/day for endurance profiles.
• “Beautybuilders”: 3 to 1.5 g/kg/day and up to 2,5 g/kg/day for intensive practice.
• “Active lifestyle users”: the requirement is moderate, at 0.83 g/kg/day. It is even in line with that of a sedentary adult and is normally covered by food.

Learn more about whey protein: a flagship ingredient in sports nutrition

Why is whey so popular with athletes?

By taking protein, athletes seek to cover their nutritional needs in terms of both structure (building muscle mass) and function (optimizing recovery). However, not all proteins meet this dual objective. Whey protein, with its excellent amino acid configuration[5], has become one of the most sought-after ingredients in sports nutrition.

The importance of choosing good-quality whey

Sports nutrition is aimed at demanding consumers in search of performance and quality ingredients. That's why, now more than ever, sports nutrition products must include specific ingredients.

This is true for whey, derived from milk, the quality of which is determined by its manufacturing process and its amino acid composition, particularly BCAAs:

• Leucine regulates muscle synthesis and recovery[5].
• Tryptophan acts on sleep and helps to reduce stress, with a view to mental preparation and recovery[7].

Our whey, Protarmor^® 80, is rich in BCAAs, with 19% more leucine[4] compared to an average of the main players of other whey proteins on the market and 19% more tryptophan[4]. This composition enables us to meet the needs of all athletes:

• “Beautybuilders” looking to gain muscle mass[8] through the rapid absorption of these muscle-synthesizing proteins.
• Endurance enthusiasts, to aid muscle recovery and limit muscular trauma associated with endurance efforts such as marathons[9].
• “Active lifestyle users” who combine sport with a healthy lifestyle, and for whom serum proteins can promote well-being and weight management[10].

Finally, to support the democratization of sporting activities, Protarmor^® 80 can be formulated in many different ways (powders, protein bars, pre-prepared drinks).

The sports nutrition market is witnessing the acceleration of several phenomena: democratization, combined with hypersegmentation of supply, all driven by a quest for premiumization. Armor Protéines contributes to this demanding triptych by offering high-quality, tailor-made ingredients such as caseinates, lactoferrin and, of course, whey.

[1] FMCG GURUS, Top Trends 2024, 2024                                                          

[2] Innova Market Insights 2023, Global sports nutrition, 2023

[3] Allied Market Research, Sports Nutrition Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Type, by End user, by Sales Channel: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032, 2023, 

[4] Armor Protéines – internal data                                                                       

[5] A. Amawi et al., Athletes’ nutritional demands: a narrative review of nutritional requirements, 2024, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10848936/

[6] Cerin, Besoin en protéines des sportifs (aspects quantitatif et qualitatif) [Protein needs of athletes (quantitative and qualitative aspects)], 2014, modified in 2021, https://www.cerin.org/articles/besoin-en-proteines-des-sportifs-aspects-quantitatif-et-qualitatif/

[7] Passeport santé, Le tryptophane : un acide aminé essentiel [Tryptophan: an essential amino acid], https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Nutrition/PalmaresNutriments/Fiche.aspx?doc=tryptophane_nu

[8] Volek et al, Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass, 2013, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24015719/

[9] Huang et al, Whey Protein Improves Marathon-Induced Injury and Exercise Performance in Elite Track Runners, 2017, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28824296/

[10] Baer DJ et al, Whey protein but not soy protein supplementation alters body weight and composition in free-living overweight and obese adults, 2011, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21677076/