Supplement manufacturers have managed to anticipate this gut health consumer trend with huge success.
Retail shelves are filled with supplements touting digestive health. The retail value of the U.S. probiotic supplement market alone rose from just over $950 million in 2012 to more than $2.2 billion in 2017, according to market research firm Euromonitor International in Chicago.
Many experts steer consumers to food for their probiotics and prebiotics, rather than pills.
“Food first, supplements second,” said Elaine Magee, corporate dietitian for national grocer Albertsons’ Wellness Services.
She focuses on food synergy, or how foods work together in the body for maximum health benefit. One example is tomatoes and broccoli, which Magee says “work together better in the body than they do separately”-which is rather difficult to duplicate in a supplement.
Experts also note that eating probiotic foods offers a variety of bacteria species when compared to a supplement with a limited or specific scope. Independent lab assessments have also found some supplements do not contain the number of organisms promoted on the label, and/or have others not listed at all.
As for fiber supplements, they lack the vitamins and nutrients found in high fiber foods and may not be as effective. A Texas A&M University pilot study partially funded by the National Mango Board found consuming actual mangos was more effective than the equivalent amount of fiber powder.
Bridget Wojciak, a registered dietitian with Kroger Health, urges caution.
“Navigating any new nutrition or health topic can be tricky,” she said. “Be skeptical of any product that claims to cure gut-related diseases.”
For sound advice on gut health, she recommends consulting a gastroenterologist or registered dietitian.
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full version.
