MINNEAPOLIS, March 30, 2021  /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey Americans' Gut Reaction to Supplementation and Immunity conducted by Harris Poll for EpiCor^® postbiotic, manufactured by Cargill, shows a significant gap in awareness and understanding of gut health maintenance that could mean Americans are failing to do everything they can to support their immunity. The survey looked at supplements, Americans' knowledge of postbiotics and the best ways to support their immune system.

"The term postbiotics is relatively new and has only been prevalent in the market for the last few years. With about one third of consumers, in such a short time, already believing that postbiotics support a healthy gut and the immune system shows that this category has a lot of potential and consumers may be more receptive about understanding postbiotics' health benefits," said Chuck Warta, President, Cargill Health Technologies. 

While more than four in five Americans (81%) take supplements, when asked specifically about postbiotics, a little over a third of those polled know about postbiotics' healthy gut connection (35%). Even fewer are aware of the immunity connection (28%) despite the fact that about 70 percent of the immune system begins in the gut.  Fewer than a third (29%) of Americans know that poor immune health is a sign of an unhealthy gut. And even more striking, the same percentage mistakenly believe that a healthy gut helps stimulate weight loss.

"It's concerning that a full 45% of those polled aren't sure what postbiotics support and a large majority -- 80% -- believe postbiotics are the same as prebiotics and probiotics," said Keri Gans, a registered dietitian nutritionist and author, The Small Change Diet. "Americans need to understand that they can get these very important postbiotics through the food they eat – such as kimchi, pickles and sauerkraut.  But if they don't like these fermented foods or don't eat enough, they still have a way to incorporate postbiotics into their diet through a daily supplement. This may help ensure gut health and immunity."

Supplement, Immunity Benefit Confusion

When it comes to supplement use, it was found that Americans rely heavily on multivitamins (49%), Vitamin D (44%) and Vitamin C (40%) for their immunity needs. Considering the last year, this is no surprise as these nutrients have been found to also support the immune system. Interestingly enough, though, American's give probiotics the most credit for immunity protection (30%), when compared to prebiotics (13%) and postbiotics (8%). However, research shows postbiotics developed with yeast fermentate support both gut health and immunity – a combination that acts like a multivitamin for your immune system.

Americans' awareness of postbiotics is low, though, and education around this growing supplement category is needed, as nearly half of Americans (48%) have no idea how to reap the benefits of postbiotics, which is a missed opportunity to support their immunity. While 21% of Americans know that they can get postbiotics through food and beverages like kimchi, kombucha, pickles and sauerkraut, only slightly more (24%) are aware they can get postbiotics through a daily supplement such as EpiCor^® postbiotic.

"We know that postbiotics, like EpiCor^®, can provide great health benefits and that's why we are building awareness and educating consumers about this category," comments Warta. "We believe that postbiotics have the ability to be the next big thing for immune and gut health."

Demographic Differences

In general, women are more likely than men to see the connection between supplementation, immunity, and gut health, and that understanding, by ethnicity, does not change much among Black, Hispanics, and Whites.

• When it came to supplementation, women (68%) are significantly more likely than men (62%) to say that people should be taking supplements to help with immunity all year long.
• Women (57%) are significantly more likely than men (49%) to say it's important to have a healthy gut because it protects our body from bad bacteria.
• Black (not Hispanic) Americans (36%) are significantly more likely than White (not Hispanic) Americans (25%) to know that postbiotics support immunity.

EpiCor Postbiotic

EpiCor^® postbiotic is a whole food fermentate ingredient found in a myriad of supplements brands including Healthy Origins^® and Gut Connection by Country Life^®. EpiCor^® postbiotic is a vegan and gluten-free, Non-GMO Project Verified ingredient with nothing extracted or purified. Check the label on the bottle and look for EpiCor^® postbiotic listed as an ingredient, or as yeast fermentate, dried yeast fermentate, or dried fermentate made with Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (baker's yeast). 

The Americans' Gut Reaction to Supplementation and Immunity survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of EpiCor^® postbiotic, manufactured by Cargill, between February 9 - 11, 2021 among 2,068 adults ages 18+. Please contact [email protected] for more information about the survey.

Visit EpiCorHealth.com to learn more about EpiCor^® postbiotic and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at EpiCorImmune.  

About Cargill

Cargill's 155,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.

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SOURCE Cargill Health Technologies