The market for food supplements for sport - Spain

Sports supplements are substances (which may contain vitamins, minerals, plant extracts, proteins, etc.) halfway betweenfood and medicine.Diet plays a major role in the success of athletes, who may needspecific nutritional supplements. Food supplements can be used to make up for nutritional deficiencies in individuals, but also to enhance sporting performance by targeting effects before, during or after exercise, or during recovery. The global market for dietary supplements has exploded in recent years. The practice of indoor sports and fitness has gone hand in hand with a quest for performance and a diet adapted to each sport. The United States is the world's leading market, followed by Europe. By 2021, in Spain, foods for metabolic disorders and sports nutrition will account for 29% of the total market for dietary supplements and other dietetic products. This is second only to dietary supplements(38.5%), and ahead of low-calorie diets(14.5%) and diet foods(11.5%). Sports nutrition supplements are sold in Spain through sports retailers such as Twinner, Base Detall Sport and Intersport, as well as over the Internet, a sales channel that has become increasingly important in recent years. In 2021 and 2023, new laws have been introduced, such as European standard CEN/TC 453"Dietary supplements and sports food free of doping substances", which, among other things, warns consumers of the dangers of sports supplements.