“Postbiotics are well-proven yet underutilized in improving lifespan,” Dr. Britt Blokker, innovation manager at dsm-firmenich told the audience at the recent IPA World Congress + Probiota 2026 held in Dublin.
“They have the potential to support the gut barrier as it is an upstream regulator of muscle performance and cognitive vitality—key pillars of healthy aging.”
Trials target gut barrier health and muscle loss
HPLB is a postbiotic ingredient developed by dsm-firmenich shown to reduce high bowel movement frequency, improve bowel regularity and support microbiome diversity in healthy individuals in previous research.
Findings have led dsm-firmenich to conduct further clinical trials on its benefits for healthy ageing, Blokker noted.
“What we see with aging is that the gut barrier naturally weakens over time,” Blokker said. “We start life with a very intact gut barrier, but as we get older, it becomes progressively weaker, and that leads to dysbiosis in the microbiome and allows inflammatory markers to enter the system.
“That inflammation is at the root of many downstream issues—it becomes systemic and starts affecting other organs, including muscles.
“What I find fascinating is how these effects accumulate: a weaker barrier leads to more inflammation, which in turn further weakens the barrier. During aging, this creates a vicious cycle, so our goal is to slow that process down.”
A weakened gut can actively drive muscle loss and cognitive decline, setting off a self-reinforcing cycle of physical deterioration. When the gut loses integrity and microbial balance, it absorbs fewer nutrients and triggers inflammation, directly undermining muscle repair and strength, Blokker said.
At the same time, disrupted gut–brain signaling impairs focus, mood, and motivation, which reduces movement and training, and as activity drops, muscles weaken further, and lifestyle choices often shift toward habits that place even more stress on the gut.
This ongoing feedback loop steadily accelerates frailty, mental fog, and metabolic dysfunction, making gut health a key regulator of physical and cognitive health, Blokker explained.
HMPB postbiotic boosts movement and healthspan
Researchers from dsm-firmenich recently conducted a preclinical study in C. elegans, short lifespan nematodes, comparing a standard E. coli diet with a diet in which half of the E. coli was replaced by HMPB cell bodies.
According to results presented on-stage last week, the control worms showed a steady decline in movement with age, while worms receiving HMPB moved more at all ages tested, and on average, HMPB improved movement distance by 42%.
“Postbiotic supplementation dramatically improved movement distance, far exceeding traditional positive controls like creatine, and this shows that postbiotics can support functional performance during aging, not just gut health,” Blokker said.
Blokker explained that results were important in highlighting the distinction between improving healthspan and lifespan.
“Living longer sounds nice, of course, but living healthier is arguably even more important,” Blokker told NI. “We want to add health to our years, not just years to our lives, so if we can shorten the period at the end of life where quality of life is reduced by disease or illness and instead live more fully for longer that’s extremely valuable.”
Targeting aging as a whole concept
Blokker explained that dsm-firmenich’s aim is to intercept aging at a microbiome level by focusing on interventions at the gut barrier, which, if maintained intact, reduce bacterial translocation and inflammation.
“If the gut barrier remains intact, there’s less translocation of bacteria into the system and therefore less inflammation, so by intervening here, we believe there’s a strong opportunity to slow the entire cycle,” she said.
Blokker noted it was important to consider aging as a whole concept, emphasizing that interconnected systems such as gut health, brain function, stress, and sleep should be addressed together rather than in isolation.
“We’re looking at aging as a whole, with a strong focus on the gut–brain axis, and that includes cognition, stress, and sleep, all of which are factors that often worsen with age,” he said.
“As we age and these natural physiological challenges occur, it makes sense to focus on daily prevention. We’re not talking about stopping aging altogether—that’s not realistic—but we can slow the process down.”
The team is now running two clinical trials in adults aged 55 and over, assessing HMPB’s impact on well-being, cognition, and physical performance. Results are expected in the second half of 2026.
“I see postbiotics fitting into a daily routine, alongside supplements that help manage the aging process over time, particularly by supporting gut health,” said Blokker.
