Speaking to NutraIngredients recently, experts in the prebiotic and probiotic space said issues on weight management, in addition to the developing science on the gut-brain axis are some of the hottest research topics currently.
"I would say, predominantly, weight management around satiety is a key one," commented William Rowe, President and CEO at Nutrasource Diagnostics. "And there's various off shoots of that in terms of bloating and gassiness. IBS and various aspects of IBS, those are some of the hot button ones we see currently."
Ivan Wassereman, partner at Amin, Talati Upahyde LLP said the number of areas now being studied in association with the microbiome is 'amazing' - noting that while there is a well developed body of science for digestive health, the frontiers of the gut-brain axis are finding more and more on the links between mental health issues like depression are associated with the gut microbiome.
Meanwhile, Bradley Saville, PhD, SCO / EVP at Prenexus Health said there is currently a 'huge interest' in combinations of prebiotics and probiotics - but noted that finding the right combinations in the face of clear consumer interest is vital.
"It's not a one size fits all," he told us. "You have to match the right prebiotic with a particular probiotic. And so I think there is going to be a lot of work to be done over the next year to show those perfect combinations."