From the decoding of GLP-1, to Shatavari root extracts — big clinical breakthroughs for women’s health, to different delivery forms for sports nutrition products than good old powder – this year’s SupplySide Global proved that cleaner claims, smarter stacks, and formats can fit real-life routines. 

GLP-1

If there was one word you could not escape this year, it was GLP-1 — and the big question that came with it: How does it fit into our industry?  Taking it a step further, how can the sports nutrition category fit responsibly into the GLP-1 movement? The consensus on the floor leaned toward support and sustainability vs. a “miracle” narrative. Ingredient companies showcased benefits such as nutrient repletion, hydration, lean-mass maintenance, and digestive comfort – all real side effects of many GLP-1 users. 

For years, the sports nutrition space has positioned itself around performance first -building muscle, boosting recovery, and enhancing endurance. But the rise of GLP-1 has introduced a possible new mindset focused on long-term sustainability and metabolic health. GLP-1 users are our new health-motivated consumers – a new class we have not seen before, with not the typical buying habits of the average dietary supplement user. They are learning about macronutrient balance, hydration, lean-mass preservation, and gut health, not as athletes, but as individuals seeking metabolic control. A new group in the sports nutrition category? Possibly so. 

GLP-1 could expand the sports nutrition audience that we have come to love while pulling new users in. Whose job is it to teach these new users the importance of lean tissue retention, hydration, and nutrient density – pillars that our community has mastered for decades? The brands that use science and clinically studied ingredients to translate these principles to metabolically driven consumers will be the ones that win in the next phase. 

A New Playground for Performance

While powders, gummies, and functional beverages dominate in the sports and active nutrition space, this year was the return of the capsule – and not the boring kind. Suppliers showcased next-gen capsule technologies that are plant-based, delayed response, dual chamber, and even USDA-organic, which allow formulators to do more with less.  Lonza demonstrated how delivery innovation is allowing performance actives such as creatine to be reshaped in the market. Its Capsugel® DRcaps™ and DUOCAP® capsule-in-capsule systems are being used to create stomach-acid resistant, delayed-release creatine formats that enhance absorption while minimizing GI distress — a pain point for many athletes.

Women’s Health

This SupplySide recap would not be complete without the mention of Shatavari – for sure the breakout ingredient of the show. For sports nutrition users, the ingredient has enough clinical studies to justify performance-context – recovery, mood/sleep in menopausal women. Is this the next phase for sports nutrition for women’s health and hormonal balance? 

Shatavari is a long-used Ayurvedic herb for women’s health that is now emerging as a clinically studied adaptogen. Research shows it helps manage menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings, and also supports recovery, sleep quality, mood balance, and hormonal equilibrium — all critical factors for active women transitioning through perimenopause and menopause. For formulators, incorporating the ingredient into recovery and endurance products for midlife athletes will help define the next chapter of sports nutrition for women.

Summary

I remember the days when clinically studied ingredients with one study were the breakout of the show – how far we have come. Today, clinically studied is a baseline, and ingredients are coming to the market with multiple gold standard studies, mechanistic and bioavailability data, and delivery technologies that turn good science into real performance. The conversations have changed from does it work to how can we make it work even better, even faster, and even cleaner. Science is the story, delivery is the differentiation, and credibility is the currency that is moving the sports nutrition market.