This past week Best in Nature attended the Nutrition Business Journal Summit, a yearly event that brings together the top minds in the health and wellness space to discuss the latest research as well as your top concerns. Using this information, we and our peers craft better supplements to help you live your best. 

So what did we learn this year? Here are 5 things along with what they mean for you.  

GLP-1 and Alternatives

Ozempic has been widely discussed in social media and celebrity culture for its weight management benefits. However, it has a very high price tag and potential for side effects. So there’s been a rising enthusiasm to find natural products to activate GLP-1 and provide metabolic and weight management benefits. 

What does this mean for you? This change means that there are many more GLP-1 inducing supplements on store shelves, that medical spas are expanding rapidly into GLP-1 treatments and perhaps most importantly food manufacturers are formulating more nutrient-dense foods. So you may need to read nutrition labels even more going forward as formulations change and seemingly the same food may pack even more calories. 

AI and Healthcare

Doctors struggle with finding the time to thoroughly analyze patient data and determine what tests to run, a diagnosis, and ultimately the right course of action.

So scientists are now developing health models that allow you to feed in things like blood tests and other diagnostic data to provide a second opinion or uncover irregularities that a doctor hasn’t yet discovered. 

What Does Gen Z Care About?

We’re entering an economy driven by Gen Z. So how will this change the health and wellness industry? 

Gen Z has prioritized ingredient transparency at a rate higher than previous generations so we can expect that ingredients and formulations will continue to get cleaner and more traceable. You’ll have better choices and more information to help you choose the highest quality supplements. 

Targeted Health vs General Wellness

Data from customer feedback and sales in 2024 has shown that people are putting more thought into their supplement choices than in years past. 

Before, people might have just taken a multivitamin for their “health.” But now, people want to find more precise formulas that can specifically enhance their gut health, metabolic health, brain health, cardiovascular health or bone and joint health. 

This trend means you have more choices and power to choose supplements to target your needs and priorities. 

Sports Performance

It wasn’t that long ago that the word “supplement” was basically synonymous with Protein Powder. Even though that isn’t quite the case these days, sports and performance are still a major driver of the health and wellness industry. 

Combining this with Gen Z's desire for transparency and higher quality has led to a movement called “Clean Energy.” 

What this means for you is that you'll see products like stimulant/caffeine-free pre workouts and meal replacement products made with more natural food ingredients. 

Bottom Line

So those are some of the major trends and what they’ll mean for you that were discussed at this year’s NBJ Summit. Are any of these changes exciting for you? Let us know what you think?