Postbiotics and mental health: exploring the science behind the gut-brain connection

As mental wellbeing becomes an increasingly important public health issue, demand for science-backed solutions that tackle triggers like stress and poor sleep is growing.

Mental wellbeing is increasingly being viewed as an essential component of overall health. Consumers are taking a whole-person approach to wellness, increasingly linking emotional wellbeing, sleep quality, stress management and physical health, while seeking products and ingredients that support these interconnected needs.¹

Many consumers seek evidence-based products for support, including those that leverage the link between the gut microbiome and mental wellbeing.

Around one-third (32%) of US consumers actively try to consume probiotics, reflecting growing interest in gut health, the microbiome and related ingredients.² Recently published research found that probiotic supplement use surged between 2009 and 2023, increasing by 287% among adults and by 786% among people under the age of 20.³

It’s in this context that clinical research is building around the potential for postbiotics to provide a new, integrated approach to wellbeing-focused products, with emerging evidence suggesting some postbiotics may provide support when it comes to mood, sleep, and stress.

Though still a small subset of the wellness market, the postbiotic market value is forecast to reach $235.9m by 2031, buoyed by rapid growth in both the US and Asia Pacific, according to Wissen Research.⁴

Building consensus

Until recently, a lack of consensus on exactly what constituted ‘postbiotics’ had stemmed commercial applications.

Then in 2021 the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) agreed upon a shared definition, categorizing postbiotics as “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host.” Examples include components derived from the cell-structure such as cell wall or membrane fragments for preparations where cells are disrupted.

Like probiotics, postbiotics are bioactive compounds that tap into the growing link between health and gut microbiota. Many consumers are already familiar, at least in part, with this complex communication system between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, and its role in impacting mood, sleep and stress.

Crucially, unlike live probiotics, postbiotics do not contain living cells. This can offer practical advantages in areas such as storage stability, shelf life and formulation, while researchers continue to explore their potential health benefits.

Already butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid postbiotic component of postbiotics and produced by gut bacteria digesting dietary fiber and one of the most highly researched postbiotics thus far, has been investigated for its potential role in mood regulation and neuroinflammation, with early potential as a novel intervention for depression, according to a 2025 systematic review.⁵

Researchers are also investigating the potential of additional postbiotic strains. One such study published in Frontiers in Nutrition found that a single-dose of heat-treated postbiotic L. gasseri CP2305, for example, was associated with an increase in brain alpha-oscilatory activity linked to relaxation and improved parasympathetic nervous system activity. Data from in vitro intestinal cell model showed that L. gasseri CP2305 increased serotonin production providing a potential mechanism of action.

Previous clinical trials have also suggested that supplementing diet with L. gasseri CP2305 postbiotic may influence measures associated with emotional wellbeing, stress and sleep quality.⁶

Despite growing commercial interest, important questions remain around definitions, regulation and how evidence generated for individual strains should be interpreted across the broader postbiotic category. Understanding where the science is strongest, and where gaps remain, will be critical for developers looking to translate growing consumer interest into successful products.

Areas to explore

Join us to unpack this fast-evolving topic in a live hour-long broadcast, ‘Sleep. Stress. Mood. Meet postbiotics,’ on Wednesday October 14 at 10am CDT.

Our expert speakers will break down the scientific evidence underpinning postbiotics, what we understand about their role in improving mental wellbeing thus far and how this lays the groundwork for targeted or specialist health products in areas such as women’s health and post-exercise recovery.

We’ll also look at how markets like Japan provide a blueprint for future commercial applications, with a number of integrated postbiotic products already established in the country.

There’ll also be the chance to get to grips with the fragmented regulatory landscape for postbiotics, and the clear need for manufacturers to understand the correct routes to market for any innovation, with the ISAPP definition not yet universally reflected in relevant legislation.

Register now

Sharing their insights for this event will be Dr. Gabriel Vinderola, principal researcher at National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and associate professor at Universidad Nacional del Litoral, who has published more than 130 original scientific publications in the field of fermented foods, lactic acid bacteria, probiotics and postbiotics.

He’ll be joined by Alicia Humpert, global marketing director microbiome at ADM Health & Wellness and Aouatef Bellamine PhD, global scientific marketing director at ADM Health & Wellness.

To understand the true commercial opportunity in postbiotics and to get to grips with the latest science, register now to watch the broadcast live and submit your own questions to our panel.

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