The upward trend in search activity related to gut health as displayed in the chart below showing worldwide search trends data. This clearly indicates increased public awareness and interest in this area of health and wellness.
The word cloud below shows that there is an array of popular search terms over the last 12 months to better understand what is gut health, what foods improve gut health and which probiotics are best for gut health. However, the top growing terms demonstrate that people are beginning to understand the basics of gut health and their search activity has become more specific and shows clear intent to find solutions to improve their gut health. For example best fermented foods for gut health, Emma gut health, stewed apples for gut health and Zoe gut health etc
Increased Understanding of Gut Health Importance
The scientific community continues to uncover more about the crucial role the gut microbiome plays in overall health. As such, search interest has increased significantly in the last 12 months as the chart below on gut microbiome search trends demonstrates.
Studies show that gut health impacts not just digestion, but also immune function, mental health (the gut-brain axis), metabolism, and more. The growing body of research has likely driven increased public curiosity and led to more searches on this topic.
Impact of Pandemic and Consumer Focus on Immune Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a global focus on health and immunity, with the gut playing a critical role in immune system functioning. This could explain the jump in searches for ‘how to improve gut health’ and ‘food for gut health’ beginning around 2020.
Rise of Personalised Nutrition
Personalised nutrition is a growing trend in the health and wellness sector. People are increasingly interested in how they can tailor their diets to their individual needs. Since the gut microbiome varies significantly from person to person, it’s a key focus area for personalised nutrition.
Brands such as Zoe have jumped on the back of this trend and as such have witnessed increasing branded search over the last 12 months, especially in the UK.
Increased Marketing of Gut Health Products
From probiotics to prebiotics and other gut health supplements, there has been a surge in products targeted at improving gut health. This surge is often accompanied by increased marketing, which can lead to increased search activity.
Popular Diets and Eating Patterns
Some popular diets, like the Mediterranean diet or plant-based eating, are touted for their benefits on gut health. As these diets gain popularity, so too does interest in the gut health benefits they may offer. This can be seen in the increase in searches for ‘food for gut health’.
Media and Celebrity Influence
There has been celebrity endorsement attributed to gut health as well as publicity from health and nutrition influencers. There are also rising influencers from the scientific and medical community promoting gut health. Tim Spector, co-founder of Zoe and Professor at King’s College London in the UK has particularly gained publicity having featured in various media channels.
Increase in Digestive Disorders
Increases in conditions such as IBS, IBD, and other digestive disorders could also lead to an increase in searches as individuals seek ways to manage and improve their conditions.
