Sports nutrition is one of the strongest supplement categories today. The sports and performance field carried a markedly different trajectory through the pandemic than all other supplement sectors—flat in 2020, while supplements as a whole boomed a historic 15% year over year growth with immunity of course rising multiples higher. Yet by 2022, sports recovered and experienced one of its highest growth years in decades—as the rest of the supplement world began correcting. Notably, the rise of sports is a mass market play more than it ever has been, moving out of many specialty retail outlets. In this dynamic sector, we will explore how:
• Creatine is booming because it is branching into the mainstream in new health states and demographics.
• E-sport athletes are legitimizing computer gaming—with the aid of next-gen nootropics.
• Which pre-workout nutraceuticals are doubling in sales this past year—and why.
- 9:00-9:30 State of the sector from Nutrition Business Journal’s Rick Polito and Erika Craft.
- 9:30-10:00 Draft picks—best active nutrition ingredients, NFL draft-style. With Blake Ebersole, NaturPro Scientific, and Doug Kalman, Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University.
- 10:00-10:30 E-sport athletes are legitimizing computer gaming—with the aid of next-gen nootropics. Jason Chung, director of Esports & Gaming Initiative / Clinical Assistant professor of Sport Management, NYU Tisch Institute for Global Sport.
- 10:30-11:00 The creatine boom: Why is it branching into the mainstream? Rick Kreider, Professor and Director of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab and Director of the Human Clinical Core at Texas A&M University. Author, Creatine: The Power Supplement.
- 11:00-12:00 Hydration innovation. PANEL Led by Luke Huber, Council for Responsible Nutrition. Speakers: Liz Cummings, Nicholas Hall, Eric Ciappio, Balchem; Danielle Citrolo, Kyowa Hakko. Panelists: Vishal Patel, Nestle Health Science U.S., Diana Morgan, Nutrabolt; Steven Kahn, ONNIT.
Underwritten by:
Date & Time
Wednesday October 25th, 2023 9:00am PDT
End Date & Time
Wednesday October 25th, 2023 12:00pm PDT
Location
Islander Ballroom C
| MODERATOR |
 Todd RunestadContent Director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Todd Runestad is content director for Natural Products Insider. He has been covering the natural products industry, specifically ingredients and supplements, for more than 25 years with New Hope Network and NPI. Connect with him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddrunestad/ |
| SPEAKERS |
 Doug Kalman, Ph.D RDClinical Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kalman is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Dr. Kalman is also Co-founder and Co-director along with Dr. Susan Hewlings of Substantiation Sciences, a strategic nutrition business consultancy. Additionally, Dr. Kalman was a co-founder of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). Most recently, Dr. Kalman served as the Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for The Natural Products Association (NPA). Earlier in his career, Dr. Kalman was the VP of Scientific Affairs for Nutrasource, a nutrition-centric Contract Research & Service Organization. He has worked six Olympic games and with a multitude of teams and individuals on the collegiate and professional sport levels. Historically, Dr. Kalman has been involved in over 400 clinical trials and projects within the pharmaceutical, medical and exercise - nutrition fields. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, more than 90 abstracts/poster sessions and has authored or co-authored five academic textbooks. He has been interviewed on various media outlets such as NBC, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, CNN, Discovery Channel plus others along with a host of other media outlets. |
 Rick PolitoEditor-in-chief, Nutrition Business Journal As Nutrition Business Journal's editor-in-chief, Rick Polito writes about the trends, deals and developments in the natural nutrition industry, looking for the little companies coming up and the big money coming in. An award-winning journalist, Polito knows that facts and figures never give the complete context and that the story of this industry has always been about people. |
 Erika CraftIndustry Data Analyst, Nutrition Business Journal Erika Craft, industry analyst for Nutrition Business Journal, is responsible for tracking supplement industry trends and managing the market report data. She implements quantitative consumer survey research that helps inform NBJ reports, as well as provides general consumer insights for the industry. She is passionate about consumer health and wellness and aims to help individuals and brands with a deeper understanding of the supplement industry. |
 Blake EbersolePresident / Founder, NaturPro Scientific Blake Ebersole has supported the incubation, startup and growth of hundreds of firms in the supplement, food/beverage and natural products industries. A chemist by training, he understands all levels of product development, quality and compliance, and applies a 360-degree, interdisciplinary approach to developing world-class products. |
 Jason ChungDirector of Esports and Gaming Initiative / Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Mgmt, NYU Tisch Inst for Global Sport Jason Chung is an educator and attorney leading the development of esports business programs at major U.S. universities. Currently, he heads the Esports and Gaming Initiative at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport. Professor Chung's interdisciplinary approach to understanding the history, growth, and future of esports stems from his diverse international background in law, business, and public policy in both the public and private sectors. As part of his legal practice, he also heads the esports, gaming and media practice group at Zuber Lawler LLP and co-hosts the metaverse videocast “What the Meta!” for Virtual Times (virtualtimes.com). He previously served as the founding Executive Director of Esports at the University of New Haven where he developed and led innovative undergraduate and graduate programs at the Pompea College of Business, visiting clinical assistant professor of sport management at New York University, where he created and launched the first courses studying esports business and senior researcher for the NYU Sports and Society program studying the intersection of sports, health and technology. He also was an attorney in the financial sector in Hong Kong and a public servant in various policy, programs, and investigations roles for the Government of Canada. He regularly writes on issues at the intersection of sport, technology, and health, including esports governance, data privacy, AI regulation, and youth health and safety issues. His research and commentary have been featured or cited in a wide range of academic and media publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Wired, Boston Globe, CBC News, Minnesota Star-Tribune and Newark Star-Ledger, Journal of Public Health Policy, Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Law and Ethics and the Journal of the Legal Aspects of Sport. Prof. Chung has also been an expert presenter on data privacy for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Law & Technology editor for The Health Care Blog. In his spare time, he enjoys being fodder for much better players in video games such as Apex Legends and CS:GO and beating the computer on easy in sports titles such as NBA 2K. He is living proof that enjoying video games and having played them regularly since childhood does not equal being proficient at them. |
 Rick KreiderProfessor and Director of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab and Director of the Human Clinical Core at Texas A&M University Dr. Kreider serves as Professor and Director of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab and Director of the Human Clinical Core at Texas A&M University. His work has focused on assessing the the role of exercise and nutrition on health, performance, disease, and rehabilitation. |
| PANEL MODERATOR |
 Luke G. Huber, N.D., MBAVice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) Dr. Huber focuses on CRN’s scientific affairs and nutrition policy activities that support the appropriate role for dietary supplements and functional food in health promotion and disease prevention. He has over 20 years of experience in the dietary supplement industry leading product development, scientific and technical affairs, clinical research, and regulatory affairs. Dr. Huber received his doctorate of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in Bothell, WA, completed his residency at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, IL, and earned his MBA with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. |
| PANEL SPEAKERS |
 Liz CummingsVP, Business Development, North America, Nicholas Hall Group of Companies Liz Cummings is VP, Business Development North America, for the Nicholas Hall Group of Companies, the world’s leading specialist in consumer healthcare sales data and analytics. During her 24 years of experience in the industry, Liz has authored well over 200 articles and reports about consumer healthcare though Nicholas Hall Insight North American, CHC NewsFlash and New.Directions reports, as well as guest articles in Nutrition Business Journal and Chain Drug Review. She also is honored to have shared Nicholas Hall’s expert insights at conferences, webinars and customized Consultancy projects for leading marketers throughout the industry. |
 Eric CiappioStrategic Development Manager, Nutrition Science, Balchem Corporation Eric Ciappio, PhD, RD, is the Strategic Development Manager, Nutrition Science at Balchem, where he works with organizations in the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries to help bring compelling new nutritional products to the market. Eric holds a PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from Tufts University and is a Registered Dietitian. |
 Danielle CitroloVP, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Kyowa Hakko, USA, Inc. Dr. Citrolo is a registered pharmacist, and she provides scientific and regulatory support to Kyowa's customers in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. She holds degrees in biochemistry and chemistry from North Carolina State University and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy, New York. |
| PANELISTS |
 Steven Kahn, MSProduct Development Scientist, ONNIT Steven has nearly decade of industry experience, coming from companies including Campus Protein, Nature's Bounty, Nutrabolt, and most recently, Onnit. He has his M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Florida and B.S. in Chemistry from SUNY Buffalo. As a competitive powerlifter and gamer outside of his career, Steven brings inspiration from all aspects of his life to help creatively approach the formulation process. |
 Diana MorganVP, Global Regulatory & Government Affairs, Nutrabolt By day Diana Morgan is VP of Global Regulatory & Government Affairs for Nutrabolt, makers of C4® Energy, by night she is founder and Chief Fun Officer for What’s Up With Supps®. She is passionate about the natural products industry and has served is for over 15 years, having held previous roles at The Vitamin Shoppe, Care/of, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Solgar Vitamin & Herb. What’s Up With Supps’ mission is to be the catalyst for creating connections within the Health & Nutrition products industry to promote unity, growth and innovation through networking, mentorship, and professional development activities. The group was formed in Sept 2020 to provide a platform for holding in-person networking events for the natural products industry, which always take place in a fun, non-competitive environment that allows for building of organic connections. Since its inception in 2020, the group has grown from local events to national events all across the country. Diana holds a Masters degree in Nutrition & Food Science from University of Saint Joseph and is a Certified Sports Nutritionist from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN). |
 Vishal PatelDirector, Product Development l Nuun®, Nestlé Health Science U.S. Vishal Patel is the Director of Product Development at Nestle Health Science for the Nuun Hydration brand. Vishal leads Nuun’s R&D and product innovation efforts. With a background in Nutritional Sciences and Chemistry, Vishal's expertise in sports nutrition and hydration spans over a decade. He has pioneered "clean" standards for Nuun's products, securing certifications like the Non-GMO Project Verification. Vishal's close collaboration with Olympic and Professional athletes has resulted in personalized hydration and fueling strategies that enhance performance. As a respected industry expert, Vishal's vision and leadership continually push the boundaries of sports nutrition and hydration science. |
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