The sports nutrition market has seen many innovations over the past decade, shifting from being a specialized segment for sportsmen to becoming a health and wellness segment for sports enthusiasts and increasing accessibility for an aging population. This is also linked to many innovations that have occurred around sports nutrition ingredients, further reshaping innovation and preferences around sports nutrition products.
According to recent industry assessments, the Global Sports Nutrition Market is projected to grow robustly through 2032, supported by innovations across proteins, amino acids, botanical blends, micronutrients, and emerging bioactive compounds.
(View full market insights here: Sports Nutrition Market).
Below is a closer look at how ingredient trends and supply-chain shifts are fueling this impressive growth trajectory.
Top Trending Sports Nutrition Ingredients Driving Product Innovation
In the past five years, the sports nutrition industry has experienced the impact of high-performance ingredients. Whey protein is still the key ingredient in muscle recovery formulas with the enhanced usage of whey isolates and hydrolysates. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) promote endurance with recovery properties. It is still a sports-performing ingredient with new ones coming on board. Collagen peptides aid joint health and mobility, especially for aging users. Plant-based proteins—pea, rice, hemp, and soy—are growing due to veganism, lactose intolerance, and sustainability, driving holistic wellness and recovery trends.
In September 2025, Nutrabolt announced a significant new investment in Bloom Nutrition, the approachable wellness line founded by Mrs. Mari Llewellyn and Mr. Greg LaVecchia. The expanded investment in Bloom amplifies the Nutrabolt portfolio, extending its reach into new categories and usage occasions, attracting a broader consumer base. Nutrabolt will continue to collaborate closely with the Bloom founders and management team, who will still drive the brand and lead its strategic vision.
(Source: Nutrabolt)
Supply Chain Dynamics Reshaping Ingredient Availability
The industry is experiencing rapid adoption of vertical integration and localization to ensure stability and integrity of quality. Advanced technology analysis and tests, blockchain technology, and sustainable methods of processing and making through regenerative farming methods and reduced carbon footprint processing methods are ensuring the achievement of increased integrity. These methods have also enabled the creation of differentiation and premier products to address the emerging call for sustainability.
In December 2021, Protein Industries Canada announced a project to establish lupin as a staple crop in the Canadian agri-food sector. Lupin Plantform Inc., Hensall Co-op, Lumi Foods, and PURIS have collaborated to create an integrated ecosystem to boost lupin production and processing. The US$ 7.3 million initiative aims to develop a complete lupin supply and value chain, from crop cultivation to the manufacturing of functional ingredients and end products.
(Source: Protein Industries Canada)
Regulatory Landscape and Ingredient Approvals (FDA, EFSA)
The U.S. FDA and European regulatory frameworks have a major influence on sports nutrition offerings. The FDA guidelines, with NDI notifications and strict action on the adulterated product, ensure the purity of the composition. A stringent validation process to approve health claim labels through EFSA promotes the development of ingredients through a clinically validated process.
Impact of Plant-Based and Fermented Proteins on Market Growth
Plant-protein alternatives, along with microbial/fermented proteins, primarily drive the growth of the sports nutrition sector. Vegans, flexitarians, people with lactose intolerance, and environmentally aware consumers mainly consume plant-protein alternatives. Fermented proteins, produced by precision fermentation, offer bioidentical versions of dairy protein to vegans, thereby being more easily digested and non-allergenic. Companies like Perfect Day and ADM are the leaders here and are unleashing a completely new category, other than the dairy segment, where the per capita consumption level or the rate of lactose intolerance was low.
ADM partnered with New Culture in August 2022 to scale up microbial, animal-free casein production via precision fermentation.
(Source: ADM)
Future Outlook: Ingredient Innovation Fueling Strong Growth Through 2032
The sports nutrition industry is forecasted to expand robustly over the coming years till 2032 due to reasons like the growing trend of sports and fitness, wellness trends driven by technology advancements, and the upgrading of sports nutrition products. The sports formulation advancements achieved by artificial intelligence, bioactive peptides, nootropics, adaptogens, compounds related to a healthy gut, and sustainable proteins are reaching new shores in the sports nutrition industry. In September 2024, Gencor partnered with Gnosis by Lesaffre to distribute the latter’s Landkind Pure Salidroside in the U.S. It is a bioactive compound from Rhodiola, which is fermented and has been clinically demonstrated to have performance, mental, and fatigue benefits.
(Source: Nutrition Insight)
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