Curcumin Ingredients Are Expanding Sports Nutrition Applications, OmniActive Says, Ahead of Vitafoods Europe

Photo © iStockphoto.com

Curcumin is graining traction in the sports nutrition segment, says OmniActive Health Technologies (Morristown, NJ). At this year’s Vitafoods Europe trade show, OmniActive is sponsoring a session about curcumin’s health benefits for sports nutrition and its market potential in the sports nutrition category. The upcoming seminar will cover recent research on curcumin’s benefits for blood flow and circulation, muscle performance, endurance capacity, and resistance to fatigue-all factors which improve athletic performance and support an active lifestyle.

Becky Wright, marketing manager, OmniActive, tells Nutritional Outlook that curcumin in the sports nutrition market is “a small but a growing opportunity for products that are targeting consumers who want solutions for performance and recovery.” She explains that curcumin is poised for success in the sports nutrition sector for a few key reasons. First, she says, increased regulatory scrutiny has turned many consumers toward transparent sports nutrition formulations. Athletes and active consumers are particularly receptive to the idea of taking a supplement to boost exercise performance, she adds, and these consumers “care deeply about what they put in their bodies.” For example, OmniActive’s CurcuWin ingredient, she says, is an ideal curcumin ingredient for sports nutrition because of its transparent ingredient list, natural profile of curcuminoids, history of safe use, and supporting research showing its endurance and performance benefits, among other characteristics.

Wright also says that the body of research connecting curcumin with sports nutrition is continuing to grow, as well. To wit, OmniActive has conducted several studies on its own curcumin ingredients for exercise performance and recovery. The most recent study published in 2017 and conducted with CurcuWin, for instance, found that curcumin is a potentially effective supplement for recovery after strenuous exercise. 

In that study, researchers supplemented 59 healthy, moderately trained subjects with either 250 mg or 1,000 mg CurcuWin or the equivalent dosage of a placebo for eight weeks. The group given 1,000 mg of CurcuWin demonstrated significantly reduced levels of the IL-6 cytokine marker and attenuated muscle damage, leading the study authors to conclude that curcumin may help facilitate muscle recovery and performance. Other studies have suggested anti-inflammatory, circulation, and blood flow benefits post-exercise, she says.

OmniActive will be highlighting its range of curcumin ingredients, including UltraSol line curcumin ingredients, which received a U.S. patent last year (US 9724311), and Capsimax, a capsicum extract. Also at the show, the company will be showcasing its carotenoid ingredients Lutemax 2020 and OmniXan. The company invites attendees to sample various application prototypes featuring Lutemax 2020 and UltraSol. Finally, the Specialty Extracts & Botanicals team will be on hand at the show to discuss the company’s botanical and herbal offerings.

OmniActive’s curcumin and sports nutrition session, “Powering Sports Nutrition Products with Bioavailable Curcumin,” is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 15, from 3:00-4:00 pm at the Sports Nutrition stage, and will be hosted by Brain Appel, marketing manager, OmniActive. Vitafoods Europe 2018 will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 15-17.

Also read: 

2018 Ingredient Trends to Watch for Food, Drinks, and Dietary Supplements: Curcumin

Curcumin’s Growing Popularity in Joint-Health Dietary Supplements

Meriva Curcumin Ingredient May Support Musculoskeletal Function During High-Impact Activity, New Study Suggests

References:

1. Oliver JM et al., “Novel form of curcumin attenuates performance decrements following muscle damaging exercise,” The FASEB Journal. Published online April 1, 2017.