Popularity of Probiotics Increasing Amongst Americans

Until recently, Americans were decidedly squeamish about ingesting gut-friendly bacteria as a snack food, or otherwise. In contrast, the Europeans and Australians welcomed this concept eagerly and have held a booming market there since the mid 1990s.

Probiotics means “for life” and there are already about a 100 trillion bacteria thriving in our digestive system, mostly in the colon. Probiotics are necessary to keep the correct balance between good bacteria and pathogenic bacteria, which are harmful to the system. Probiotics are required to prime the digestive systems and boost immunity.

Probiotics: Increasing Popularity

In the United States “bacteria” was first introduced as a functional food for better health in 2003. Since then, the probiotic industry has experienced exponential growth. According to Probiotics: Ingredients, Supplements and Foods, out of the total $51.7 million sale of probiotic ingredients in 2004 the lactobacillus genus was the most popular accounting for 58.2 percent of sales. The sale of probiotic supplements in the form of capsules, tablets and powders amounted to $198.6 million, with capsules accounting for the largest share representing 80.5 percent.

In 2005, the sale of probiotics grew by 20 percent from the previous year and was valued at $243 million. While naturalists have long sung its praises, the benefits of probiotics, by this time, were substantiated by a growing body of medical research that linked probiotics to better health. Boosted by scientific support, Americans were more ready to imbibe the benefits of “friendly” bacteria into their minds and guts.

However, it was not until 2006, that the consumer barrier against probiotics was finally broken. Big brands like Yakult and Actimel came out with American-friendly advertising that did away with the word “bacteria” from their advertising and re-iterated the scientific benefits of the consumption of probiotics.

In 2008, according to the Datamonitor, the US market was valued at $1,526.7 million, marking an increase of 160 percent from 2003 when it was valued at $952.00

Today, the number of probiotic supplements has grown exponentially in the past decade. The most popular strains are lactobaccilus, streptococcus thermophilus, bifidobacterium. These are sold single or multi-strain, as capsules, liquids or powder forms.

Needed: Raising Public Awareness of Probiotics Benefits

While sales are increasing, surveys conducted in 2008 showed that most Americans still didn’t fully understand what probiotics are and the benefits to be gained by them. In some cases Americans seemed to be more familiar with the word, acidophilus, but had no clue that it is a probiotic.

In the survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, only 15 percent of American adults knew about healthy bacteria. Eighty-five percent were generally ignorant. It is predicted that more public awareness will boost the probiotics industry to the next level.

Benefits of Probiotics

Research shows probiotics are able to effectively treat gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections and allergic conditions. The beneficial effects of probiotics include immune boost, optimal digestive health for better absorption of nutrients, reduction in inflammatory bowel diseases like IBS, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Probiotics can minimize the side effects of diarrhea caused by antibiotics, especially in the elderly. An imbalance of probiotics and pathogenic bacteria can result in bouts of diarrhea, constipation, irregularity and other digestive problems, including an array of disease-causing conditions.

Says Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, "Bacteria colonizing our bodies are numerous and vital.”

Dr. Allan Walker, director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School, explained probiotic benefits in early child development, "In infants, gut bacteria are acquired up until about 2 years of age,” he said. “'Good' bacteria consumed during this time can therefore promote the right type of bacterial colonization and can lead to enhanced immunity”

Quality Probiotics Manufacturing

The question however has always been the viability of the bacteria within tablets or capsules and their consistency. How much shelf life does it have and how far will it be compromised by the time the consumer ingests it? Heat, moisture and oxygen have a negative impact on bacterial survival.Probiotics Manufacturing needs high precision, controlled environmental factors and regulating structures that ensure shelf life stability.

The Future of Probiotics

According to the Frost & Sullivan 2007 report, catering to the specific needs of every age group and gender are the key drivers for growth. Aging baby boomers, adult men and even probiotics for infants has a potentially high market and the current market scenario shows that there are not enough products in these categories. The annual growth rate (CAGR) for the probiotics industry is calculated at 13.7 percent from 2006 to 2013.

Current factors driving the industry are increasing health care costs and the rise of the internet savvy consumer. The internet provides the consumer access to information and opportunities for self-education and self-diagnosis which is a boon to any segment of the nutraceutical industry.

Wide research support, growing public interest in probiotic foods and probiotic supplements aided by the support of the medical profession, will definitely drive this industry to a further significant surge in the demand for probiotics products within the next year.