Sports & Energy

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.