Nutraceutical trends: what’s new in the dietary supplements market

Nutraceuticals are constantly evolving while scientists are creating new functional supplements and vitamin complexes. And, like any other progressive industry, it has its trends and novelties. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular nutritional supplements that have shaken the healthy lifestyle world.

Collagen

Collagen is deemed to be a stuffing material for your skin cells. Being an important component of the intercellular substance, collagen provides blood vessels with the ability to expand and contract, strengthens their walls, while amino acids and arginine are involved in the process of liver detoxification in case of poisoning.

Collagen supplements were first appreciated and actively promoted in South Korea, the land that has been pioneering the world of functional nutrition for more than 15 years.

Collagen in supplements comes from fish, eggshells, or a variety of animal sources.

Last year collagen became the top shelf commodity in terms of gross revenue – in the US only, it was sold for 105,9 million dollars.

Probiotics

In the 1990s, drinking “live” yoghurts with bifidobacteria became a new trend. These little helpers are one of the most popular nutritional supplements out there. The global probiotics market is projected to cross the $60 billion mark next year, which is backed by the official data “Estimated value of probiotics market worldwide from 2018 to 2023”. The study ”Consumer Trends in Health and Nutrition: Vitamins and Supplements Driving Innovation“, carried out by Euromonitor International’s 2019 Health and Nutrition Survey, has revealed that about one- fourth of all people who took part in the survey take probiotics supplements to promote health and beauty.

Prebiotics

Do not confuse these little fellas with probiotics. Prebiotics are the dietary fiber that is not digested but serves as a food source for beneficial probiotic bacteria. Inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and beta-glucans are all prebiotics that are supposed to maintain healthy gut microflora.

According to the data from Natural Products Insider, prebiotics based supplements sales have been doubling annually since 2016. By 2020, the gross revenue has reached 1 billion dollars.

Medium chain triglycerides

If you haven’t heard of these supplements, don’t be confused – this is one of the newest trends in healthy eating. At the same time, sales of medium-chain triglycerides are increasing dramatically driven by demand boost by 80%. 

Medium-chain triglycerides are fatty acids that are obtained from coconut oil. Given the shorter chain length of MCTs, they’re rapidly broken down and absorbed into the body. Unlike longer-chain fatty acids, MCTs go straight to your liver, where they can be used as an instant energy source or turned into ketones. Moreover, there is a study called “Medium Chain Triglycerides enhances exercise endurance through the increased mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism”, which has shown that the supplement possesses anti-inflammatory properties.

This is why medium-chain triglycerides are so beloved by anyone who remembers going to the gym and follows a diet.

Vitamin D

It is a well-known fact that vitamin D promotes the health of our bones and teeth while facilitating calcium absorption.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with cognitive impairment. It might be attributed to a deterioration in the condition of the vessels that feed the brain.

Recently, more and more people are talking about the direct connection between vitamin D and immunity. This relation was discussed after research “Regulation of Immune Function by Vitamin D and Its Use in Diseases of Immunity” and “Vitamin D and the immune system: new perspectives on an old theme“. As of today, scientists believe that more and more surprising qualities of this vitamin are going to be revealed in the future.

Vitamin B12

This vitamin has gained such a stratospheric success over the recent years that it is often jokingly referred to as a fashionable “accessories”.

Many common medications, such as those used to treat acid reflux and diabetes, can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. But sometimes a diet is to blame. Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, eggs, chicken. So it’s not uncommon for vegans to experience the lack of this essential nutrient.

The research “The Many Faces of Cobalamin (vitamin B12) Deficiency“ has shown that if you are concerned about numbness and tingling in the extremities, cramps, blurred vision, fatigue, and unreasonably bad mood, you may be lacking in vitamin B12.

As we can see, the whole new world of discoveries is awaiting us: new substances capable of improving our life and supporting our bodies, or those which are already on the market but still under continuous scientific monitoring in order to study them better and reveal their new properties.