“Whey protein is still the gold standard for muscle health,” Lara Niemann, marketing director Americas at Gelita, told NutraIngredients-USA at the SuppplySide West 2016 show in Las Vegas. “But the body is 30% collagen, and there’s not much whey.”
She argued that, because of this, Gelita’s BodyBalance collagen peptides have all the trappings to become an ingredient in more muscle building or toning supplements. “By taking collagen peptides, you’re feeding what the body already has,” she added.
Not just for beauty, and not just for the elderly
So far, Gelita’s collagen peptide products with the most growth has been Verisol, which is marketed for beauty-from-within applications. According to Niemann, there has been significant uptick in this category in the US and South America in the last two years.
Next in line is the joint health product Fortigel, marketed for its potential to regenerate cartilage tissue in humans. Meanwhile for BodyBalance, more research is being conducted, and Niemann said that new studies are slated to be completed in 2017.
Back in 2015, a study on BodyBalance published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the first study which examined how collagen peptides may affect muscular power output and body composition, found that BodyBalance-branded collagen peptides paired with resistance exercise may increase fat-free mass, thigh strength, and decrease fat mass more than just exercise alone.
The study focused on men with a mean age of 72 suffering from sarcopenia. “Studies in the pipeline will focus more on a younger demographic,” Niemann said, adding that Gelita is planning to position BodyBalance for individuals looking to get toned over bulk, such as yoga enthusiasts.