Probiotics in Asia: Bloating from dietary habits, women’s health top reasons for supplementation – Life-Space
The subsidiary of China dietary supplement giant BY-HEALTH believes that bloating, diarrhoea, and women’s health would continue to drive probiotics uptake in the region this year.
Supporting digestive health, especially addressing bloating arising from consuming certain Asian cuisines, is a key reason for taking probiotics.
“Probiotics supporting digestive health are sought after, particularly in regions with diverse diets. The consumption of various ingredients such as beans and spices often lead to bloating, and issues like diarrhoea can also arise from the consumption of spicy and unfamiliar foods, which are prevalent in Asian cuisines.
“There is a growing trend among consumers to specifically seek probiotics that support digestive health to address these concerns,” said Alan Yi, general manager of Life-Space Group.
This is also driving the uptake of the firm’s hero product, Broad Spectrum Probiotic, which contains 15 probiotic strains with a total CFU of 32 million.
He also noticed a growing awareness among South East Asian consumers in the importance of maintaining healthy microflora balance, which is especially so for supporting women’s vaginal health.
“Two of our women’s probiotics stand out in terms of popularity in the APAC region – one being our Women’s Microflora Probiotic which supports the vaginal microbiome, and the other being the Urogen Probiotic for Women, which includes cranberry extract for urinary tract health. These products cater to the increasing focus on women’s health,” he said.
There is also a growing demand for gut microbiome solutions in emerging health areas, in particular, for improving mood, stress resilience, and cognitive function.
Yi said that this was especially so in places such as Japan and South Korea.
“In regions of East Asia with high-stress levels, there may be an increased interest in probiotics for stress and sleep.”
NPD for different life stages
Aside from addressing specific needs, Life-Space is also moving towards developing products for different life stages, spanning across pregnancy, lactation, infants, and ageing.
“We are upgrading strains to provide targeted solutions that cater to diverse demographics, including the elderly, women, adults, youth, children, and infants.
“We are enhancing key products such as Broad Spectrum Probiotic and Shape B420 with continually refined, patented formulas,” Yi said, adding that the company acknowledged the need for age-specific gut microbiome solutions and currently offer products for infants to adults aged 60.
