Collagen Is the Rising Star of Sports Nutrition, Says Rousselot

According to Rousselot, the global supplier of collagen solutions, collagen is the rising star in sports nutrition nowadays, especially since there has been a boom in the COVID-related health and preventative solutions search. While collagen is present in abundance in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and provides tensile strength, after 30 years of age, the body starts losing it, which leads to aging skin, bone, and muscle.

Collagen Peptides More Popular

Collagen peptides are becoming more and more popular in sports nutrition because they reduce the recovery time after strenuous exercising. As a matter of fact, as per the Innova Market Insights says, there was a yearly 34.4% CAGR increase in the launches of new collagen products, from 2015 and until 2019. The EMEA for Rousselot’s Product and Business Development Nutrition, Sara de Pelsmaeker, said this opens amazing opportunities for collagen products in the world of sports nutrition, and that, according to the Euromonitor, the CAGR is expected to grow to 12.6% between 2018 and 2026. While trying to give a preview of what’s going to be in the NutraIngredients’ Sports and Active Nutrition Online Series on September 30, she added:

“The market penetration of products with collagen between 2015 and 2019 was 6.6%, which is quite high considering it is new to the market but it is clearly an under-exploited opportunity, giving a broad opportunity for manufacturers to step into the market with new innovations.”

“Collagen is really the rising star of sports nutrition because it offers a wider range of health benefits than your standard whey protein which is just about building muscle. This ingredient helps ensure your bones are strong enough to support that muscle, therefore helping to prevent injuries, and ensuring faster recovery times.”

Collagen Supplements as a Preventative Measure

The same Sara de Pelsmaeker continued her talk by mentioning:

“Although collagen is perhaps traditionally associated with an older demographic, it’s very much a preventative solution and younger consumers are very interested in preventative solutions today. We know from our research via at the Olympic Training Center Papendal that young athletes in their 20’s are turning to this ingredient to ensure they don’t cause any long-term damage to their joints due to their rigorous exercise.”

She thinks that in times of a global pandemic, people are more and more interested in intense home workouts such as HIITs, which opens new doors of opportunity for the collagen ingredient, which can mitigate the effects of the most intense workouts. Pelsmaeker continued saying that:

“There seems to be a trend moving away from big muscles and body building, and towards overall health and fitness, with toned and performance focused physiques.”

“HIIT has become a very popular method for improving fitness and this puts a lot of stress on the joints; I think that is where collagen can play a good role in this trend.”

What Collagen Solutions Does Rousselot Offer?

Rousselot makes Peptan, a collagen solution that can be added to drinks, but also power blends, bars, also functional foods known to keep muscles from becoming sore after intense exercise. Their products improve performance and reduce the recovery time after intense physical activity because they rapidly repair the ECM. The NutraIngredients’ Sports and Active Nutrition Online Series will analyze the evolution of the sports nutrition market and how the trends in this sector were developing both before and after COVID-19. The first episode airing on September 30 will be called “Performance and Recovery,” whereas the next one, from October 7, will be named “Gut Microbiome.” “Brain Performance” will air on October 14.