“We see that the timing in the market is right now. We are starting to see a huge potential in our product both beyond B2C and beyond our current two markets,” said Emma Gustafsson, head of marketing at the Danish life science firm. “In addition, we believe that the probiotic market has peaked and that postbiotics are the new frontier, and that brands are looking to diversify within the gut-health market.”
Nordic Rebalance’ food-based postbiotic contains a “consortium of postbiotic molecules” which Gustafsson says fits brand and consumer preferences thanks to its clinical backed ability to reduce inflammation while strengthening the gut barrier—a target the firm argues is paramount for gut health, over and above gut bacteria.
“To me, it’s clear that probiotic companies are seeing a threat in postbiotics,” said Dr. Hans Israelsen, the firm’s founder and head of R&D, who holds a PhD in molecular genetics and MSc in chemistry.
“Probiotics provide a benefit while they are being taken, but they are in transit. Whereas benefits with postbiotics, thanks to their mechanism of action in gut barrier repair, are greater and longer lasting. It’s a different way of looking at gut health. It’s not about who is there, it’s about what they are doing and what they are producing.”
Intestinal wall the key to wellness?
The intestinal barrier plays a pivotal role in health, inflammation and cancer, as confirmed by a paper in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology just last year.
“Why? Because If molecules can get through the holes in the intestinal walls this causes inflammation, and chronic inflammation is the scourge of the developed world,” Dr. Israelsen said.
Not only does he sing the praises of post- over probiotics, but he argues his postbiotic product is superior to others on the market.
“The original substrate is important—in our case, its oats, which are healthy in the first place," he said.
“During our fermentation process, some of the oats’ natural nutrients evolve into a metabolite-rich matrix containing short-chain fatty acids, phenolic compounds, antioxidants and bioactive peptides which all work in consortium. Most other postbiotics are either inanimate bacteria or are based on an undisclosed synthetic growth media.”
After running the business as a D2C brand in Sweden and Denmark, the business is now expanding across borders on a B2B basis, looking to partner companies with its new white label offering.
There have been a few catalysts in recent years which have made the market ripe for expansion, Israelsen noted—not least because “there was no shelf for the product to fit on” for many year, but the 2021 ISAPP definition has gone a long way to building that consumer and retailer understanding.
The product comes in capsules or sachets, with the capsules providing a lower daily dose, which to be taken as a preventative measure or for light symptoms and powder sachets to be mixed with water providing a stronger dose for those suffering severe GI symptoms.
Clinically backed
The first clinical studies on the product were conducted in patients with ulcerative colitis with results indicating the supplement was able to reduce symptoms at a statistically and clinically significant level in patients with a flare-up.
Further studies indicated it has a beneficial effect on the colonic mucosal barrier in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
It has further shown promise in treating alcohol-induced liver fibrosis by strengthening the gut barrier, reducing inflammation and lowering bacterial translocation.
The team plans to drill further into their omics results from previous studies and conduct new studies focusing on other common diseases.
“We can see many more areas of health where our product can have an effect—in anything that stems from inflammation,” Israelsen said.
