Probiotics Market: Insights into the Preventive Medicine Trend

According to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics and the World Health Organization, probiotics are endorsed as living microorganisms that confer health benefits on the host when administered in adequate amounts. A growing body of evidence supports the potential use of selected bacterial strains to prevent and treat various human and animal diseases. Numerous studies have investigated their beneficial effects in human and animal models, including different probiotic strains. Accordingly, Inkwood Research anticipates the global probiotics market growth to propel with an 8.51% CAGR by 2030.

The global demand for probiotics is increasing significantly due to their direct relation to the increase in demand for quality animal-based products, nutritious food, and their digestive health benefits. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2018, 14.8 million adults were diagnosed with ulcers in the United States alone. Moreover, approximately 37.2 million visited physicians diagnosed with digestive system disorders in the same year.

Probiotics as Preventive Medicine: The Prospects So Far

The varied uses of probiotics, like improving gut health, and treating chronic diseases such as cancer, high serum cholesterol, and allergy, create growth opportunities for these products in the medicine industry. Probiotics’ preventive and therapeutic role on cancer has also been established via several mechanisms, including modification of gut microbiota, removal of potential carcinogens, enhancement of the immune system, and improvement of gut barrier functions.

The Food and Health Survey of 2020 by IFIC analyzed that nearly 31% of the surveyed people are trying to consume probiotics and around two out of three believe they are healthy after consuming them. With their rising popularity, probiotics are integrated into various beverages and foods. Popular drinks like Yakult, Activia, Florastor, etc., are widely available in the market for supportive bowel functions and digestive health.

Despite the public perception of probiotics’ benefits, the evidence is lacking to conclusively link probiotic strains to improved health characteristics. The lack of large-scale research trials and insufficient understanding of the interactions occurring within the human system following supplementation. Therefore, multiple advanced measurement applications & techniques and in-depth research into individual probiotic strains are expected to provide a future direction for probiotic research.

Popular Market Players leverage the Lucrative Trend

Generating future personalized healthcare strategies requires a thorough understanding of gut microbes. Probiotics are useful bacteria in the human digestive system. These bacteria are also present in some supplements and foods, helping attain a healthier metabolism. Although people largely associate them with the intestines and stomach, these living organisms exist throughout the body.

The health effects of probiotics can be specie-specific or to the bacterial strain level, specific to the genetic subtype. Overall, there is encouraging evidence that specific probiotic strains are valuable in treating and preventing different diseases. Their successful application is related to a better understanding of probiotic action’s molecular and cellular mechanisms.

Therefore, leading manufacturing companies are significantly investing in scientific developments. Also, with extensive marketing techniques, popular companies like Yakult Honsha, Nestle, Chr Hansen, etc., raise awareness about gut health and the importance of microbes globally.

• Yakult Honsha, a major company in the probiotics industry, conducts its actions following the Shirota-ism The three pillars under the principle are affordable price, preventive medicine, and a healthy intestinal tract.
• Chr Hansen, another leading player, stated that they wanted to meet the growing demand for nutritional food globally and create solutions to benefit society in the future.
• Nestle has a global compliance policy, making the laws comparatively lenient and helping them carry out their operations easily.

The common factor among major market players is their focus on R&D activities. They have their eyes set on untapped markets, which helps them reach every corner of the population with a solution to digestive and gut concerns. Massively unchartered territories of the Africa & Asia-Pacific probiotics market pose challenging but lucrative opportunities for the leading market players like Kerry Group PLC, Jarrow Formulas Inc, Nestle, etc.

Further, post-pandemic, online distribution channels became the most popular among consumers as safety was the top-most priority. Many big companies switched to online distribution to reach their target audience. Daily deals, discounts and home delivery options propelled the online distribution channel positively. Focus on marketing and distribution channels are evaluated to be key success factors as probiotics are expected to provide easy access to nutrition in these regions.

Are Human Microbiomes the Future?

New industry developments are in place with the expanding knowledge of the human microbiome and its functions. These developments with affordable complete genome sequencing and powerful cultivation methods allow isolation and characterization of a new range of microorganisms from human microbiomes. The microbiomes have potential health benefits and the opportunity to be developed as next-generation probiotics and be the future of the global probiotics market.

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