Sports - Dietary Supplements

Choosing the right sports supplement depends first and foremost on your goal: muscle gain, recovery, endurance, or joint protection each require different active ingredients. According to ANSES, supplements intended for athletes should be chosen with care and are never a substitute for proper training or a balanced diet. Our products have been designed to be clean, free of controversial excipients, in accordance with EU Regulation 432/2012 on health claims.

Performance, recovery, endurance: Which active ingredient for which goal?

Not all supplements are created equal depending on your goal. Here are some guidelines to help you choose, regardless of your fitness level:

• Muscle mass/strength: protein and creatine
• Muscle recovery: BCAAs and magnesium
• Endurance: electrolytes, vitamins, and magnesium
• Joint support during exercise: collagen

It’s best for each individual to focus on one or two priority products rather than taking them all at once without a strategy. Protein and creatine remain reliable choices for strength; BCAAs and magnesium can be helpful after exercise.

Creatine, protein, BCAAs: how these compounds affect your performance

• Whey helps increase muscle mass when combined with regular physical activity and an adequate caloric intake. Our product is manufactured at low temperatures to preserve its original protein fractions.
• Creatine is one of the most extensively studied ingredients in sports nutrition, with numerous studies on its link to performance during intense, short-duration exercise. No specific EU health claims have yet been validated for this ingredient; we base our recommendations on the available data rather than making promises about results.
• BCAAs consist of three essential amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—often used during workouts to limit muscle catabolism, in addition to an adequate overall protein intake.

These products can be combined according to your training protocol, though none of them should replace a diet tailored to your sport and overall health—it’s always a good idea to consult a professional if you have any doubts.

Women Athletes: Recovery, Energy, and Preventing Deficiencies

Sports supplements for women often address specific needs, particularly around menstruation, a time when iron requirements may be higher. Vitamin D and magnesium, which help reduce cramps and support daily energy levels, are also frequently sought-after ingredients.

These supplements are meant to complement a varied and balanced diet, never to replace it. Our sports supplements can also serve as a useful daily source of energy and vitamins, in addition to their role in muscle recovery. Explore our selection in the Women’s Supplements collection.

How to Choose the Right Supplements?

Three criteria can help you choose: your specific goal (strength, endurance, recovery, joints), the quality of the product (native protein, micronized dosage, capsules without unnecessary additives), and compatibility with your sport—competitive athletes don’t face the same constraints as recreational athletes. Consulting a healthcare professional can be invaluable in helping you adjust your intake.

Native or concentrated whey: what’s the difference?

This protein can be extracted in different ways. The native version is obtained directly from raw milk through low-temperature microfiltration: it better preserves its original components and generally contains less lactose and fat than the concentrated version, which is derived from a byproduct of cheese production. It undergoes a heating/acidification process (to curdle the milk) that denatures some of the proteins. For better digestive tolerance, the native version remains our top choice, even if it’s often a bit more expensive.

What is the price of a high-quality supplement?

The price varies depending on the product’s purity and the concentration of active ingredients. A native product will be more expensive than a standard version, due to its higher quality and bioavailability. Comparing the price per gram of protein or active ingredient actually provided per serving, the product’s sourcing, and the forms of active ingredients selected remains the best approach to evaluating value for money, regardless of your budget.

The Role of Supplements in Sports Nutrition

No product, no matter how well formulated, can compensate for irregular eating habits or unbalanced meals. Sports nutrition functions as a system: meals cover most of your energy and protein needs, consistency provides the stimulus, and these products help address specific needs: recovery, endurance, and joint health. Studies have been conducted on each of these active ingredients in isolation, but their effects always depend on the overall context: your body reacts first and foremost to your overall habits, not to a single product.

What to Keep in Mind Before Choosing

For all athletes, regardless of the sport they practice, the body first and foremost needs a balanced diet: dietary supplements are meant to complement, never replace, it. Choosing the right products may seem complicated given the wide range available, but a few guidelines can help you navigate the options.

Certain active ingredients, such as collagen or vitamins, can also be helpful depending on your athletic profile, as can magnesium capsules for fatigue or cramps. It’s always recommended to consult a healthcare professional to adjust your intake, especially if you have a medical condition or are currently undergoing treatment.

We’ve already selected these products for you based on their effectiveness and quality: We invite you to explore our full range to find the one best suited to your sport and your budget, no matter how much you’re willing to spend.

Whey, casein, plant-based protein: Which protein should you choose based on your needs?

Not all proteins behave the same way in the body. Behind the “protein powder” label, you’ll actually find products with very different properties: absorption rate, amino acid profile, digestibility, and even their effects on satiety or muscle synthesis vary greatly from one type to another. Whey isolate and micellar casein, for example, are both derived from milk, but their effects in the body have almost nothing in common: one takes effect within minutes, while the other is released gradually over several hours.

Understanding these differences isn’t just a technical matter reserved for elite athletes. It’s what allows you to choose the right protein at the right time: the one that will support recovery right after a workout, the one that will curb hunger between meals, or the one that’s suitable for a dairy-free diet. A poor choice isn’t dangerous, but it may simply be less effective—or even useless—in relation to your goal.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at three major protein families—whey, casein, and plant-based proteins—to understand what really sets them apart and, most importantly, how to choose them based on your goals: muscle gain, fat loss, sensitive digestion, a plant-based diet, or simply as a daily supplement.

Whey or Casein: Fast or Slow Absorption?

Whey is absorbed very quickly, making it a classic choice after exercise, when the body needs amino acids available right away. Casein, on the other hand, is digested more slowly: it’s sometimes preferred in the evening, for a sustained protein supply throughout the night.

Is plant-based protein a viable alternative?

Plant-based proteins (pea, rice, hemp) can be an alternative for people who avoid dairy products. Their amino acid profile is sometimes less complete when taken on their own, which is why some brands combine multiple plant sources to more closely match the profile of an animal protein.

Creatine: How Should You Take It?

How you take it affects its perceived effectiveness just as much as the choice of product; however, the minimum dosage studied is 3 grams per day.

Loading phase or direct maintenance dose?

Two approaches coexist: a loading phase (a higher dose over a short period) followed by a maintenance dose, or starting directly with a maintenance dose from the beginning—which takes longer to saturate muscle stores but is just as effective in the long run, according to several studies. The choice depends mainly on your patience and your goal.

Creatine and water retention: myth or reality?

This is one of the most persistent misconceptions about creatine, and it wrongly discourages many people. Yes, slight intramuscular water retention has been documented at the start of a creatine cycle, but it’s far from being the problem people imagine: it’s not “under-the-skin” water retention that causes swelling or a flabby appearance, but water stored inside muscle cells. The practical result: your muscles retain water more effectively, making them look fuller and denser. This is an effect that many users actively seek.

This slight weight gain (often 1 to 2 kg) on the scale is therefore not fat mass, and there’s no cause for concern: it’s a normal, well-documented phenomenon, and completely reversible if you stop taking creatine. In fact, this intracellular hydration even plays a positive role: it promotes an environment conducive to protein synthesis and can contribute to the bulking effect sought after in muscle-building.

In short, this isn’t a side effect to worry about, but rather a mechanism that’s an integral part of what makes creatine effective for performance and muscle gain.

BCAAs or EAAs: Which Should You Choose?

BCAAs consist of 3 branched-chain amino acids; EAAs include 9, including the BCAAs.

Should you choose BCAAs, EAAs, or both?

EAAs cover a broader spectrum and more closely resemble the profile of a complete protein. They’re a good choice if you’re already getting enough protein from other sources and are primarily looking to limit muscle breakdown during exercise. Both options are valid depending on your usual diet.

Exercise, Sleep, and Recovery: An Inseparable Trio

Dietary supplements can never replace the fundamentals of rest, and this is undoubtedly the most underestimated message in the fitness world. You can have the best whey isolate on the market, high-quality creatine, and perfect nutritional timing—but without enough sleep, much of that effort is hindered or even negated.

Why Sleep Matters Just as Much as Supplements

It is during deep sleep that the body secretes most of its growth hormone, which plays a direct role in muscle repair and growth. It’s also during this phase that muscle protein synthesis is most active, the nervous system recovers from fatigue accumulated during training, and cortisol levels (the stress hormone, which is catabolic at high chronic doses) are regulated. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts this balance: less recovery, more fatigue during training, and stagnant muscle growth despite proper nutrition and training.

Sleep remains the primary driver of muscle and hormonal regeneration, yet it is often overlooked in favor of supplements. Magnesium can help promote relaxation at the end of the day, but no product can compensate for a chronic sleep deficit. Explore our Sleep & Stress selection to support this all-too-often-overlooked aspect of performance.

The Vicious Cycle of Sleep Deprivation

Consistently sleeping less than 6–7 hours per night has measurable effects: decreased strength and endurance during workouts, increased risk of injury, disrupted appetite (more cravings, less satiety), and slower overall recovery between workouts. The result: you train hard and eat well, but your body never really has time to turn that effort into progress.

Sports Supplements and Pregnancy: What Precautions Should You Take?

Certain ingredients commonly found in sports nutrition products require special caution during pregnancy.

Which sports supplements should you avoid while pregnant?

High-dose creatine and certain stimulants (high-concentration caffeine, pre-workout supplements) are generally not recommended without medical advice during pregnancy. Magnesium and protein remain common supplements, but their dosages must be approved by a healthcare professional, taking into account the specific needs of this period.

Our Quality Commitments

Our formulations are designed to be clear and transparent. No endless lists of ingredients, no components added just to follow marketing trends: every ingredient in our products serves a specific purpose.

Formulations Free of Controversial Additives

In an industry where the quest for perfect textures and ultra-sweet flavors often leads to the overuse of additives, we take the opposite approach. We avoid controversial sweeteners, unnecessary artificial colors, and excipients whose use isn’t justified—even when it requires more work on the formulation to achieve good taste and texture.

This standard isn’t just another marketing gimmick—it’s a conviction. A formula that requires ten lines of additives to mask a mediocre base ingredient is never, in our view, a quality product—regardless of its final taste. We prefer to invest in the quality of the main active ingredient rather than in what is used to compensate for its shortcomings.

What this means for you in practice

When you read the label on one of our products, you should be able to understand what you’re consuming—and why. This transparency regarding the formulation is an integral part of our commitment to quality and expertise, just as much as the rigorous selection of the active ingredients themselves.

Text validated by our experts

This content was written in accordance with European regulations on health claims (EU Regulation No. 432/2012) and has been reviewed by a qualified professional. No therapeutic claims or guaranteed performance claims are made on this page.

Your questions about performance and recovery ingredients

Creatine, protein, caffeine, beta-alanine: which ingredient for which goal?

Among the best-documented active ingredients are: creatine for intense, short-duration efforts; protein for recovery; caffeine for endurance; and beta-alanine for strength. Perceived effectiveness varies depending on the sport and the individual’s profile; a study published on PubMed serves as a reference on this first active ingredient and performance.

Should you take supplements continuously or in cycles?

It depends on the product: creatine is often taken in a loading phase followed by a maintenance phase; protein intake should be adjusted based on your daily dietary intake; and magnesium is typically taken in a 1- to 3-month course to help reduce fatigue. It’s important to monitor cumulative dosages. No supplement is a “miracle” product: it is no substitute for workouts or a healthy diet.

Complete protein or branched-chain amino acids: how do you navigate the options?

Whey is a complete protein that provides all the essential amino acids and is particularly well-suited for post-workout consumption. BCAAs contain only three branched-chain amino acids, which are useful during exercise to limit muscle fatigue. The two are complementary depending on your training protocol; a study on PubMed details their role in recovery.

Supplements and the WADA Prohibited List: What to Check Before a Competition

Products that comply with European regulations do not necessarily contain substances banned by WADA, but there is a risk of cross-contamination during manufacturing. For competitive athletes, it is recommended to check for certifications such as Informed Sport and to consult a doctor before taking any supplements in case of a doping test.

Collagen, Glucosamine, Curcumin: Which Active Ingredients Support Joint Health During Exercise?

Collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, and curcumin are active ingredients studied for their role in supporting joint comfort, regardless of the sport you practice. Discover our selection in the Joint Supplements collection, including our line of collagen capsules.

Discover our other supplements to support your training

In addition to these three active ingredients, check out our vitamin capsules and our formulas designed for energy and joint health. Whether you’re focused on endurance, strength, or recovery—across all sports—there’s a product tailored to your needs in our lineup.

See all our sports supplements—or discover Native Whey Isolate. Also check out our amino acids and our selection dedicated to recovery and sleep.

Dietary supplements are not a substitute for medical treatment or a varied and balanced diet. Keep out of reach of children.