Soft drinks, potato chips, candy, fast food. Tasty, yes. But also high in fat, added sugar and salt. Some researchers believe that a diet high in these types of food, along with a diet of highly processed foods, can be a factor in the development of digestive disorders. Other top factors include smoking, pollution, and genetics.

As consumers become aware that gut health contributes to overall health, demand for digestive health supplements is predicted to increase. Probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, and fulvic acid are some types of digestive health supplements. Probiotics, prebiotics, and enzymes can also be found in some types of food, food which also contains many beneficial nutrients.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial for the digestive system. They are found in foods such as yogurt,¹ kefir, unpasteurized sauerkraut, and kimchi. Probiotic supplements are used to treat antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults and infectious diarrhea in infants and children. They are also given to people with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome to help them maintain remission of their disease. Supplements contain various strains of probiotics, depending on the brand. Some popular brands of over-the-counter probiotic supplements that have been tested for use with gastrointestinal disorders include Align (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), Culturelle (L. rhamnosus GG), and Florastor (Saccharomyces Boulardii).² 

Prebiotics are a type of plant-based fiber that the human body cannot digest. Prebiotics provide food for probiotics; together they maintain a healthy colony of bacteria and microorganisms in a person’s gastrointestinal tract. Prebiotics can be found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Apples, garlic, onions, asparagus, barley, and oats are some foods that contain prebiotics. Most people get enough prebiotics in their diet if they eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods, but for those that don’t, prebiotic supplements may be beneficial. Some popular brands of prebiotic supplements include Benefiber, Metamucil, and Fiber Choice.

Digestive enzymes break down food so that a person can absorb its nutrients. A majority of digestive enzymes are manufactured in the pancreas. Lipase breaks down fats. Amylase breaks down carbohydrates. Proteases and peptidases break down proteins. Doctors prescribe digestive enzyme supplements to people with cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. These conditions cause a person’s digestive enzyme levels to be low. Over-the-counter digestive enzyme supplements include lactase supplements to break down lactose, the sugar in dairy products, and alpha-galactosidase supplements, to break down the complex carbohydrates in foods such as beans, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Lactaid and Beano are two popular brands of these types of digestive enzymes, respectively.

Fulvic acid has been used in traditional Indian medicine for 3,000 years. Shilajit, a tar-like substance found in the Himalayas, Caucasus mountains, Altai Mountains and the mountains of Gilgit Baltistan, is created from the decomposition of plants. It contains soil-based organisms and is composed of 15-20% fulvic acid. Some believe that ingesting fulvic acid supplements such as shilajit can improve a person’s gut flora to treat such conditions as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, chronic constipation, and diarrhea. It’s believed that poor gut health caused by oxidative stress leads to chronic inflammatory diseases. As an antioxidant, fulvic acid is thought to counteract the oxidative stress.

Today’s market size shows the total global revenue for digestive health supplements in 2018 and projected for 2025. In Japan, the incidence of ulcerative colitis alone increased from 8 cases per 100,000 people in 1985 to 64 cases per 100,000 in 2005. In the United States, 60-70 million people are afflicted with digestive diseases according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The growing prevalence of digestive disorders in Japan, the United States, and several European countries has contributed to the increased demand for digestive health supplements. This is projected to continue through 2025. In the United States, probiotics constitute an overwhelming share of the digestive health supplement market. Currently three-quarters of the supplements sold are in the form of tablets and capsules, however; powdered supplements are expected to gain in popularity in the coming years due to consumer interest in organic ingredients and the convenience of being able to add powdered supplements to the foods they eat. Also, powdered supplements can be absorbed by the body faster. Nearly a third of the supplements sold worldwide in 2018 were manufactured in Italy, Japan, and the United States. Top manufacturers of digestive health supplements include Bayer AG, Amway, Nature’s Bounty Co., and NOW Foods, among others.

¹ Manufacturers of some brands of yogurt add additional probiotics to their product. Two such brands are Activia and Danactive.
² Any mention of brands in this post does not constitute an endorsement. The strain of probiotic in the product is included within the parentheses.

Geographic reference: World
Year: 2018 and 2025
Market size: $8.67 billion and $15.67 billion, respectively
Sources: “Digestive Health Supplements Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Prebiotics, Probiotics, Enzymes), by Form, by Distribution Channel (OTC, Prescribed), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2019 – 2025,” Grand View Research Report Summary, October 2019 available online here; “Digestive Health Supplements Market Size Worth $15.67 Billion by 2025: Grand View Research, Inc.,” CISION PR Newswire, October 23, 2019 available online here; Ames Gross, “Gastrointestinal Diseases Rise in Asia,” MedTech Intelligence, January 22, 2016 available online here; Hrefina Palsdottir, “11 Probiotic Foods That Are Super Healthy,” Healthline, August 28, 2018 available online here; Matthew A. Ciorba, “A Gastroenterologist’s Guide to Probiotics,” Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 2012 available online here; Arlene Semeco, “The 19 Best Prebiotic Foods You Should Eat,” Healthline, June 8, 2016 available online here; “Gut Reaction: A Limited Role for Digestive Enzyme Supplements,” Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, March 2018 available online here; Zawn Villines, “What is the Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics?” Medical News Today, October 29, 2018 available online here; Joanne Slavin, “Dietary Fiber: The Prebiotic Connection,” Clinical Advisor, April 20, 2015 available online here; Angela Stringfellow, “The Best Fiber Supplements (2019 Reviews),” Family Living Today, January 9, 2019 available online here; Janet Renee, “About the Enzyme Alpha Galactosidase,” Livestrong.com available online here; “Should You Take Probiotics?” Harvard Health Letter, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, April 2015 available online here; John Winkler and Sanjoy Ghosh, “Therapeutic Potential of Fulvic Acid in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases and Diabetes,” Journal of Diabetes Research, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, September 10, 2018 available online here; “Digestive Diseases Statistics for the United States,” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, November 2014 available online here; “Shilajit,” Wikipedia, November 6, 2019 available online here.
Image source: Efraimstochter, “dietary-supplements-pills-3512184,” Pixabay, July 3, 2018 available online here.