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ARTICLE · 07 OCTOBER 2026

Patenting Performance: Protecting The Science Behind A Personal Best

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Nomio, a broccoli-based sports supplement gaining popularity among endurance athletes, has secured patent protection for its innovative use of sulforaphane to enhance exercise performance and treat metabolic conditions. This analysis explores how the company leveraged university research to protect both therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications of their simple three-ingredient formula, demonstrating that even products with common ingredients can achieve robust patent protection through novel use claims.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Louis Campbell
Louis Campbell
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The world of food supplements moves quickly. A product can trend on social media as soon as a top athlete is seen using it in training. However, it can still be hard to understand what new supplements actually do. Luckily, the requirement that applicants provide a description of the invention for obtaining patent protection can provide us with insight into how some of these products work.

Nomio is a product that has recently become very popular. I have seen it advertised and used by many endurance athletes, including at this year’s London Marathon Expo. The product is a result of university-based research at the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health.

As a patent attorney who also likes to run marathons, I was curious to know whether Nomio is patent protected. As it happens, Nomio Nutrition own a patent family directed towards their flagship product, including a pending European application (EP4259174).  The description in this application provides us with

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