Mood Matters: PLT Health's 'Feeling Active' Research Reveals Critical Mood Factor in Sports Nutrition

PLT Health's "Feeling Active" research reveals a surprising barrier stopping people from exercising -- and it's not what you'd expect. Their study of 546 consumers shows why mood support may be the missing piece in sports nutrition.

We've long known that exercise affects mood, but what about the inverse? How does mood impact our exercise performance, recovery, and motivation? PLT Health Solutions has released groundbreaking consumer research exploring exactly this connection, and the findings reveal major opportunities for innovation in the supplement industry.

Their new "Feeling Active" report^[1] examines how cognitive states (mood) affect sports and active lifestyles, based on survey responses from 546 consumers across five countries. This research highlights a profound shift happening in the supplement industry: cognitive support is becoming just as important as physical performance in sports and active nutrition formulas.

Mood: The Missing Piece in Sports Performance

The study found some eye-opening statistics about barriers to exercise:

• 42% of respondents cited inadequate energy or sleep as a barrier to regular exercise
• 40% reported lack of motivation as a significant obstacle
• 38% mentioned time constraints
• 31% identified stress as hindering their exercise routine

These findings suggest that addressing mood and mental energy could be just as important as providing physical performance benefits in sports supplements.

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According to Steve Fink, Vice President of Marketing for PLT Health Solutions and guest on Episode #146 of the PricePlow Podcast, this focus on cognitive support was actually driven by consumers themselves.

For instance, the company has been active in helping to deliver emotional and cognitive benefits into sports nutrition formulations for nearly a decade with their Zembrin® Sceletium tortuosum ingredient. It's not that they've invented the concept of adding cognitive support to sports nutrition products, but something that's been rediscovered after noting numerous successful launches that include PLT Health's mood- and cognition-supporting ingredients.

In the early 2010s, consumers were already purchasing PLT's mood-enhancing Zembrin and taking it alongside their pre-workout supplements, unprompted by marketing. The grassroots consumer movement highlighted a natural connection between cognitive support and physical performance that brands are now starting to formalize in their products.

Key Findings from the "Feeling Active" Research

PLT's research sampled 546 respondents from the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, covering exercise activity, attitudes, and supplement preferences. Here are some of the most interesting findings:

Dive into PLT Health's cognitive platform with Steve Fink and Dr. Jeremy Appleton, exploring Zynamite, Zembrin, and Vanizem's impact on brain health in Episode #146 of the PricePlow Podcast

• Exercise Attitudes

  • 62% of respondents view exercise as "self-care"
  • 18% consider it a hobby
  • 15% see it as a chore
  • Notably, 75% of people over the age of 60 see exercise as self-care, compared to just 19% of 45-59 year olds who view it as a chore

• Exercise Motivation

  • 59% are motivated to exercise to be healthy and fit
  • 21% are motivated by wanting to look good
  • 21% say feeling healthy and looking good are equally important

• Mind-Body Connection

  • A massive 94% find the idea of a dietary supplement promoting a healthier relationship between mind and body appealing
  • 69% would focus on actions to improve mood and mental resilience when injured
  • 54% of sports/active consumers are actively seeking cognitive health benefits from their sports/active nutrition supplements

PLT's Cognitive Health Platform: A 360° Approach

zümXR is pushing the boundaries of caffeine innovation. This advanced system allows for precise customization of the energy curve using their Extended Release (XR) and Delayed Release (DR) forms of caffeine.

In the episode with Steve and Dr. Jeremy Appleton, we covered much of PLT Health Solutions' comprehensive cognitive health platform and how they've been ahead of this trend, featuring multiple ingredients that target different aspects of mental performance:

• Mental Energy

  • Zynamite®: A non-stimulant energy ingredient that harnesses the power of mango, enhancing mental energy and improving mental quickness with effects seen in a single dose
  • zümXR®: Extended and delayed released caffeine for all-day energy, lasting endurance, and targeted release profile.

• Cognitive Function

  • NutriCog®: A patented performance complex made of Boswellia (Boswellia serrata) and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula) that's been shown to improve verbal and visual episodic memory with faster, better learning
  • Synapsa®: Supports better memory, faster processing, and faster learning

• Stress & Mood

  

  PLT Health Solutions: Growth Through Innovation

  • Zembrin®: Provides calm focus, alert serenity, enhanced mood, and supports mental function
  • Rhodiolife®: A sustainably-sourced Rhodiola Rosea extract that offers stress relief, supports physical and mental endurance, and helps fortify defenses

• Sleep & Relaxation

  • Vanizem™: Improves mood/happiness, reduces anxious feelings, and enhances vigor/vitality while supporting better sleep quality
  • Serezin™: Promotes better restorative sleep, decreases nighttime pain, and makes morning waking easier

Many of these ingredients work in PLT Health's Beverage Stable Ingredient Platform, an initiative which the company was also ahead of the curve on.

The Future of Sports Nutrition: Integrated Mood Support

Vanizem takes stress relief to the next level by boosting anandamide, the "bliss molecule," and supporting your endocannabinoid system. Elevate mood, improve sleep, and protect against chronic stress--all naturally.

According to Fink and Appleton, there's a growing opportunity for sports and active nutrition formulations that feature cognitive benefits. Today's sports/active formulation is more complex and sophisticated than ever, with consumers looking for a broader range of benefits. Increasingly, they're looking to branded, science-backed ingredients to power those formulations.

What we're seeing is a breakdown of the artificial barrier between physical and mental performance. As consumers recognize the connection between mind and body, supplements that address both aspects stand to gain significant market share. That's exactly what brought us to Zynamite when we first covered it half a decade ago here on PricePlow.

It all aligns with what we've been seeing in the supplement industry over the past few years: formulations are becoming more holistic, addressing multiple aspects of performance and well-being rather than focusing narrowly on muscle growth or energy alone.

But it's not just about energy... sleep, of course, is critically important too:

Sleep Quality: The Foundation of Good Mood

Another interesting insight from the report is the critical role of sleep in mood regulation and exercise performance:

PLT Health's Serezin targets the pain-sleep cycle with Boswellia serrata + ginger. New study: 64% better restorative sleep, 2.6x less nighttime pain, improved mood in 4 weeks. Perfect for athletes battling pre-workout hangovers + training inflammation. 300mg/day.

• 84% of respondents believe waking up in a good mood impacts productivity
• 42% cite lack of sleep as a barrier to regular exercise
• 68% identified sleep as the factor most likely to give them a healthy mood

This highlights an opportunity for sports nutrition brands to develop products that not only support performance during workouts but also address recovery and sleep quality afterward. PLT Health's Serezin™ and Vanizem™ ingredients fit perfectly into this space.

But we do have to stress, there's one thing a dietary supplement ingredient can't force you to do: put the phone down in a separate room and go to bed early. This, above all else, could solve a lot of our collective sleep issues!

Injury Recovery and Mental Resilience

The "Feeling Active" research also revealed that mood support becomes even more important during periods of injury:

• 69% of respondents say they would be focused on actions to improve mood and mental resilience when injured

This suggests a potential new category of supplements specifically designed to support athletes during recovery periods, when maintaining a positive mental outlook is crucial for adherence to rehabilitation protocols.

Conclusion: Mood is the New Performance Frontier

PLT Health's "Feeling Active" report confirms what many in the industry have been sensing: the boundaries between mental well-being and physical performance are dissolving. Athletes don't see their mental state as separate from their physical performance... they understand that the two are intimately connected.

We've long known that consumers want to experience their supplements, and have focused on experiential ingredients. The success of our Zembrin-based XPO NRG initiative at SupplySide West 2024 showcased this -- it was a drink that could be felt, without being overwhelming. And much thanks to Zembrin, it felt good.

For supplement brands, this represents a significant opportunity to develop more sophisticated, holistic formulations that address both physical and cognitive performance. For consumers, it means more effective products that recognize the reality of how our minds and bodies actually function.

The complete "Feeling Active" report is available at www.plthealth.com/moodreport.

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