The unreleased report, The Wellness Confidence Gap, involved 3,000+ people and explored Americans’ current perceptions on wellness. Thorne told NutraIngredients that the goal of the report is to better understand how people make decisions in today’s wellness environment by examining where consumers place trust, what influences their choices and where uncertainty persists. Thorne said it hopes to use these insights to identify how trusted, science-led organizations can close the confidence gap and provide meaningful guidance.
“Wellness has become one of the fastest-evolving categories in consumer health and interest has never been higher,” said Colin Watts, chief executive officer at Thorne. “What stood out to us wasn’t a lack of motivation – it was a lack of confidence. Consumers are navigating an increasingly complex landscape of choices, trends and advice, often struggling to know what is credible and what is right for them.”
Key takeaways
Watts, who will join other CEOs for NutraIngredients’ 5th Annual Business Leaders Forum, said he observed two insights that were particularly striking and deeply connected.
First, he said consumers are ready to invest in their health, but many do not feel equipped to make confident decisions. Second, technology, especially AI, is already shaping how people research, track and manage their wellness.
“These findings underscore a critical opportunity: brands like Thorne can bridge the gap by combining scientific rigor with thoughtful technology to deliver guidance that is both credible and personalized,” he said.
Other insights include:
- Nearly two-thirds of consumers reported that they feel more confident in their ability to file taxes and understand their health insurance, than choosing the right supplement
- 57% agree there’s too much conflicting information online about how supplements can support their health journey and 61% wish they had personalized supplement guidance
- Millennials and Gen Z (41%) are nearly three times more likely than Boomers (13%) to trust social media influencers for wellness advice
- Nearly 1 in 2 Gen Z consumers have purchased a supplement because it was trending online
- 43% have used AI or ChatGPT for health advice in just the past month
Introducing Taia
With 35% of Americans using AI to manage or learn about their health, AI use will only grow as more consumers continue to integrate technology into daily life.
In order to deliver on that credible and personalized guidance that Watts alluded to, Thorne unveiled Taia, its AI-powered wellness advisor. Taia is trained on more than 40 years of clinical research, practitioner expertise and educational content.
Watts explained that Taia was developed entirely in-house under the leadership of Thorne’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Nathan Price and is designed to translate complex health information into clear, science-backed recommendations to enable individuals to navigate their wellness journeys with confidence and clarity.
“Each time a consumer engages with Taia, it draws from Thorne’s extensive knowledge base to deliver personalized guidance spanning supplement information and wellness-driven lifestyle recommendations,” he said, adding that at its core, Taia reflects Thorne’s belief that wellness should be personal, not one-size-fits-all, in order to meet growing consumer demand for actionable guidance tailored to unique needs rather than generic advice.
Trust issues
ChatGPT, OpenAI’s experimental AI chatbot, made its debut in 2022 and quickly garnered nearly 100 million registrants within two months – making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history.
Since then, researchers have investigated how correct the chatbot is when it comes to relaying health advice, many finding the responses to be largely inaccurate.
With the proliferation of AI tools, Thorne’s report highlights a need to use technology responsibly and credibly. But given ChatGPT has historically struggled to provide accurate advice, how is Thorne is making sure that users can feel confident in Taia?
Watts said it’s simple: “Trust starts with design.”
“Taia is purpose-built for wellness, grounded in decades of clinical research, and developed with scientific rigor and safety embedded at every stage. Taia does not diagnose or replace medical care – it translates trusted, evidence-based knowledge into practical guidance that users can rely on.”
He added that transparency, quality and scientific integrity are pillars of Thorne’s legacy, and Taia extends those principles into a technology-driven experience designed for real-world confidence.
AI and the future of personalized nutrition
From health monitoring to hyper-personalized nutrition plans to tailored supplement recommendations, Watts said the future of personalized health and wellness is intelligent, data- and science-driven.
“AI, when grounded in credible research, has the potential to empower consumers to understand their health better and make informed decisions,” he said.
“The value lies in translating complexity into clarity, delivering guidance tailored to the individual. As AI evolves within trusted frameworks, it will increasingly support everyday wellness decisions—helping people move forward with confidence, clarity and results.”
