Sports & Energy

"Sometimes, atheletes don't want a full-size energy drink sloshing around in their stomachs," says Tim Weigard of American Body Building

With steroid issues making serious headlines throughout the year, the September Senate hearing on "hidden steroids" in dietary supplements could prove to be a turning point. On September 29, the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs convened the hearing, Body-Building Products and Hidden Steroids: Enforcement Barriers.

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Natural Vitamin E Products May Be Synthetic

Mystery of Quercetin

Enzyme supplier and contract manufacturer Deerland Enzymes (Kennesaw, GA) recently received GMP for Sport certification from NSF International (Ann Arbor, MI).

Whey protein has become a key ingredient in the functional food and beverage market.

In response to demands from consumers, athletes and coaches, NSF International (Ann Arbor, MI) has launched a new online resource, www.nsfsport.com, that provides information to help consumers, athletes, and coaches choose safer, quality products.

OmniActive Health Technologies (Short Hills, NJ) announced the launch of a proprietary blend of Capsimax Plus, its capsicum, or hot red pepper, ingredient, on December 18.

One survey, an online sample taken last September of 694 adults who had eaten at least one type of bar within the past 30 days, found that compared with the general population, bar consumers tend to be better educated, younger, and female. Just under three-fourths of the sample ate a snack bar within the past 30 days. The consumers ate the snack bars primarily to curb hunger between meals.

Whey protein makes a nutritious addition to smoothies and other beverages.

Adding a specific enzyme system to processed whey protein can double or triple the rate at which the protein is absorbed, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Supplementation with Carnipure tartrate boosts muscle oxygen consumption, potentially countering hypoxic stress, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Hypoxic stress caused by resistance exercise can lead to muscle soreness and hinder athletic performance.

If you are a man, woman, senior citizen, athlete, or fan of Native American cuisine, there is a nutrition bar for you. And more bars are on the way.

Functional beverages continue to ride the wave of consumer popularity, and the swell doesn't look to end any time soon. By 2010, the U.S. market for the drinks is expected to be valued at $9.9 billion, an increase of 39.3% since 2005, according to Datamonitor (New York City).

 Weight-loss supplements have taken a drubbing in recent years from government officials, consumer groups, and the media. A key issue behind the controversy is the level of scientific substantiation for product claims. While researchers haven’t reached a consensus about the effectiveness and safety of most weight-loss products, many popular natural ingredients do have some supportive data, and the number of research studies generating useful information is growing.

Let’s focus on milk and soy. To say which of these two protein sources is more significant would be to detract from their uniqueness. Milk, after all, is animal based, and soy is vegetable. Milk protein accelerates physical recovery from numerous ailments, and soy protein mitigates heart disease.

As some of the most functional, versatile, and great-tasting ingredients derived from milk, whey ingredients are uniquely designed to function well in beverage applications. Whey is a nutritional powerhouse, containing the components of milk that remain soluble during the process of making cheese, which amounts to about half of the nutrients from milk.

The dietary supplement industry is on an upward curve, spurred by more university research and scientific partnerships linking together U.S. and international developers, suppliers, and research centers. One result of this positive trajectory is that raw-material suppliers are now refining and introducing compounds backed by science that address the issues that matter most to consumers: cardiovascular health, antioxidant and immune support, healthy glucose levels, smooth digestion, weight control, energy and stress reduction, and detoxification.