South Africans know that gut health is extremely important to their overall health, and appreciate that taking probiotics can improve conditions such as stomach problems and immunity. But they are missing out on the health benefits of probiotics because their understanding of how they work is poor.
Importantly, South Africans are unaware that probiotics need to reach the lower intestine to be most effective and that stomach acid can destroy up to 90% of probiotic bacteria if they are not protected in some way.
These are the findings of a survey we conducted online during the month of April 2021 to understand the South African consumers’ understanding and utilisation of probiotics.
According to the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Health
Organisation, probiotics are ‘live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host’.
In addition to assisting improve conditions such as bloating, gastrointestinal discomfort and flatulence as well as Dysbiosis, Diarrhoea, Lactose Intolerance, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Candida, Bacterial Vaginosis and antibiotic-associated secondary infections, probiotics also help build our immune systems and assist with anxiety. This is because 70% of the immune system and 95% of serotonin (feel-good hormone) sits in the gut.
A total of 650 South African respondents participated in Proboitec’s survey, and 78% of these believe gut health is extremely important to their health.
But, less than half (34%) take a probiotic daily or regularly. Further, only 40% of doctors are prescribing a probiotic at the same time as prescribing an antibiotic despite probiotics being essential to combatting antibiotic-induced harm caused in the microbiome.
“The findings of this research are clear,” said Cameron du Toit, Probitec’s Head of Product. “South Africans know about the importance of gut health and know that probiotics are associated with gut health, but they are missing out of the benefits because they know little more than that.”
Because of its patented DuoCap technology, Probitec is the only brand in South Africa to ensure a 100% full dose delivery of probiotics to the lower intestine. In this way, it delivers 10 times to 2000 times more probiotic bacteria to the gut than any other brand in the country.
The Top 10 Take-Outs from the 2021 Gut Health Survey Report were:
- The vast majority of South Africans felt very healthy (73%) compared to a minority who didn’t (17%). Perceptions of feeling healthy took a dip in midlife (35 to 49) as life’s pressures grew but then improved from 50 years onwards.
- While 78% of respondents believe gut health is extremely important to their health, less than half (34%) take a probiotic daily or regularly. Those most likely to take a probiotic daily were in the 50–69 years bracket.
- Respondents who took a probiotic every day felt much more positive about their health than those who didn’t. Taking a probiotic was also associated with much healthier lifestyle behaviours reflected in areas such as exercise and diet.
- Dr Google is the key influencer for health-related info (52%), slightly beating out Doctors & Clinics (47%) and then Pharmacies & Health shops (37%).
- When it came to the most popular sources of health-related information, retailers, Clicks and Dischem were being used just as much as the specialist health websites.
- Anxiety (71%) and stomach pain/problems (63%) were the two conditions respondents suffered from most. However, respondents could not identify what their ‘stomach problems’ were, indicating potential undiagnosed ailments (IBS, Candida etc..).
- While probiotics were known to improve gut health and conditions such as stomach problems, cold and immunity, the level of understanding around other ailments with proven benefit links were not largely known (such as candida, lactose intolerance, bacterial vaginosis or anxiety).
- Patients indicated that only 40% of doctors are prescribing a probiotic at the same time as prescribing an antibiotic despite probiotics being essential to combatting antibiotic-induced harm caused in the microbiome.
- The number one reason for why probiotics can be ineffective for patients is not known by the majority of respondents – 62% indicating that they did not know that stomach acid can destroy up to 90% of probiotic bacteria if left unprotected.
- Many consumers (66%) did not know that probiotics need to reach the lower intestine to be most effective. At the same time, over half (54%) did not know that 70% of the immune system or that 95% of the serotonin (feel good hormone) sits in the gut
