Gut Instinct: Consumer Insights on Gut Health, Mental Health and How They Are Connected
A lot has changed in the past year, across various aspects of life from politics to pop culture. But what has changed in the health and wellness landscape?
Working with Verb Biotics in the US, we set out to explore how consumer understanding and experience of gut health has evolved over the past year. We’d uncovered a LOT in the project we carried out with them in 2023, so if you want to read the full write-up, you can do so here!
So, what has changed?
Well, first of all, we needed to consider the shifts in the gut health landscape that we’ve noticed more recently, with the gut arguably having become even more of a hot topic in the past year. The popularity of programs like Netflix’s ‘Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut’ have drawn greater awareness to the importance of the microbiome in an ‘easy to digest’ format. There has been a growing emphasis on the intricate relationship between gut health and mental well-being. Our consumer survey mirrors this, showing that the connection between the gut and the brain has never been more relevant, yet it remains misunderstood by much of the population.
What did we find?
Exactly as we found in 2023, our survey gave us a wealth of interesting data to dive into. Some of our key insights included:
Our results really highlighted the debilitating and widespread effects of mental health symptoms on the US population – whilst around 2 in 3 still claim to have gut health issues, mental health issues like insomnia or anxiety were even more commonplace (around 3 in 4)
Despite this, the link between the gut and the brain is poorly understood – less than 1 in 10 attribute any of their mental health symptoms to their gut health. Only 2 in 10 can correctly define the gut-brain axis
The positive news is that even if there is a lack of education around gut health, consumers do already acknowledge the importance of the gut in our everyday functioning and are open to being educated – nearly 2 in 3 are willing to put in time to research gut health solutions and wish the information out there was easier to navigate
As well as driving confidence in their understanding of the science behind good gut health, our survey highlighted the consumer need to feel these benefits themselves when seeking solutions – 3 in 4 agree it is important that they notice a difference after taking biotic supplements
Ultimately, consumers want more from their supplements, with an appetite for benefits to extend beyond digestive health – many consumers are already taking biotics for immune health; however, highlighting multiple, holistic health benefits increases intent to purchase supplements.
These findings tell a hopeful story around consumer belief in the significance of the gut, whilst shining a light on the need for evidence-based clarity. It also unveils opportunity for Verb Biotics to further consider how to advocate for the impact of the gut on our wider functioning, particularly in relation to mental health.
To learn more about the project from the perspective of Verb Biotics, click here!