Top 5 takeaways from the sports nutrition and weight management category

Claire Morton, Nutrition Business Journal's senior data analyst, offers her top five takeaways from the last year of activity in the sports nutrition and weight management category. Fill out the form below to download the charts that these insights were derived from, and purchase the full report here.

• Sports hydratio and energy drinks dominate the sports nutrition and weight management industry. This category has maintained majority market share over the past 10 years and is projected to add another $10 billio in annual sales by 2021.

• Consumers are increasingly interested in convenient functional options for nutrition. This is driving strong growth in functional sports beverages, with 15.5 percent growth in 2016, and nutrition bars and gels, with 9.5 percent growth.

• The largest categories in sports nutrition and weight management sell most heavily through the mass market retail channel, making this channel the overwhelming leader in the industry with 67.4 percent market share.

• MLM/network marketing continues to be a strong channel for this industry as well, with higher market share when compared to the overall nutrition industry. The channel plays well in weight management specifically as many companies offer full packages including health coaching and comprehensive meal plans incorporating their products.

• As consumers seek out holistic lifestyle changes to manage or lose weight rather than a magic pill, weight management pill supplements are projected to continue to lose market share through 2021. The category saw peak growth at 20 percent in 2001 but is one of the most volatile in the industry as ingredients come in and out of favor.

Download the Top 3 Charts from the 2017 Sports Nutrition and Weight Management Report: