More youth and less time drive online sales of supplements

Hugo López, a nutritionist specializing in sports nutrition, says that he adds certain supplements to his food plans in order to guarantee two things: that his patients have a better absorption of nutrients and that their sports training does not wear out their body and is in line with their lifestyle.

“Approximately 70% of my patients have the intention of leading a healthier life; however, their pace of life does not allow them to cook with time, or they have very high cortisone levels due to poor sleep or a lot of stress,” said López, who admits that most of her patients are office workers who live in Mexico City.

In order to help them meet their healthier lifestyle goals, López prescribes treatments such as magnesium glycinate, which allows them to have deeper sleep and therefore reduce their cortisone levels, as well as protein powder that works to make quick recipes.

“When I’m putting together meal plans, many of my patients tell me that they have between 30 minutes and an hour to cook. If I want them to eat five meals a day, I have to come up with dishes that nourish them, but that are also practical to make,” said the nutritionist.

This has made brands such as B Life, Option Nutrition, Dymatize, Saisa Herbal, Natural Slim, Vidanat, Habits, Centrum or Beyond Vitamins more popular in marketplaces.

According to figures from Mercado Libre, so far in 2024, the “supplements” category (vitamins and sports) has had more than 41 million visits within the platform and the best-selling products are Omega 3, creatine, magnesium and proteins.

The National Association of the Food Supplement Industry (ANAISA) stated that the food supplement category has a market value of 28 billion pesos and generates more than 4,000 direct jobs. In addition, they estimate that there are more than 15 million Mexicans who consume a product in this category.