Sporting activities are not just for professional athletes; a greater emphasis on a more active lifestyle has become a feature of daily life. Many consumers are choosing to take up a variety of leisure activities and sports for a sense of well-being and improved levels of fitness, stamina and health. It is vital, whatever the level of athleticism, that correct nutrition and muscle maintenance are at the forefront of a health and fitness programme.
Sports nutrition is concerned with the type, quantity and balance of fluid and food taken by an athlete or gym-goer. It deals with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and supplements, as well as basic nutritional components such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The timing of the intake of nutrients for sports performance is also key. Although an important part of many sports training regimes, it is historically associated with strength sports such as weightlifting and bodybuilding or endurance sports such as cycling and swimming.
The market for sports nutrition products is estimated to be growing at 10% annually, even in the currently challenging economic environment. In 2011, for example, the volume of worldwide sports drink sales was estimated to be more than 15,000 litres per annum; and in 2012 the sports nutrition market was valued at more than £260m in the UK alone. Once a niche product for bodybuilders and athletes, sports drinks, whey protein powders and peptides have now found an audience in the increasingly health-conscious consumer market, where consumers are keen to adopt a healthier lifestyle and the ageing population is keen to retain levels of fitness and mobility.
The Power of Peptides
Sports scientists have long recognised the importance of peptides and amino acids for performance enhancement. However, it is only recently that researchers have been able to discover and profile the di- and tripeptides in hydrolysed whey protein, thereby confirming their positive effects on recovery and performance. The body’s muscles, for example, are responsive to taking in nutrients during and immediately after sports or a workout. Ingesting whey proteins and peptides 15 minutes before exercise means that muscles can be absorbing the nutrients and initiating muscle hypertrophy during the workout.
The Application of L-Leucine
Amino acids are the building blocks of muscles. L-Leucine is an essential branched-chain amino acid that promotes muscle synthesis in the body. As a market leader, Glanbia Nutritionals’ PepForm Leucine Peptides is a specialist ingredient that contains high levels of leucine-rich peptides that contain the essential amino acid L-leucine in a soluble and highly bioavailable form. Along with other branched-chain amino acids, leucine has poor solubility in water, making it difficult to deliver it in convenient liquid formats and limiting absorbability. Innovative PepForm technology, however, makes it possible to deliver the leucine in a more soluble, highly bioavailable form, efficiently optimising absorption into the bloodstream.
PepForm Leucine Peptides is created using Glanbia Nutritionals’ patent-pending technology designed to improve the delivery of amino acids to muscle tissues, which in turn contributes to efficient muscle synthesis and growth. Leucine peptides are ideal for pre- and post-workout exercise, as the amino acids that they contain trigger muscle synthesis through the mTOR intracellular signalling pathway.
PepForm’s ability to provide leucine more efficiently is a significant step in addressing the challenge of muscle maintenance. Initial research by Glanbia Nutritionals shows that healthy individuals can reduce the risk of muscle loss by exercising and consuming proteins that are quickly absorbed and that have high leucine content. Data collected by Glanbia Nutritionals following this initial study has shown that following the oral consumption of PepForm Leucine Peptides, test subjects had significant increases in blood leucine levels, sufficient to induce muscle protein synthesis within 15 minutes.
Conclusion
As the sports nutrition market continues to grow internationally, food scientists and researchers are going to greater lengths to formulate and develop appropriate nutritional products. The whey protein and peptides market is complex and competitive, and sports enthusiasts, across all levels of experience and expertise, can afford to be discerning in their choice of sports nutrition products. Staying at the forefront of scientific research and development is essential to helping athletes and consumers stay in shape and at the peak of their performance.
