Thai food and drink brands have major growth opportunities in the gut health market. As focus on longevity grows, Thais are becoming increasingly aware of the gut’s role in overall wellbeing, though this hasn’t yet translated into consistent preventive action through their food and drink choices.
Brands can position gut health as key to cognitive function, energy, performance and metabolic wellness, meeting consumer need while supporting public health goals. Ingredients like fibre, pre- and probiotics, and plant-based proteins are widely valued, while concerns about animal protein, sweeteners and added sugar continue to shape preferences. Fermented foods also offer a chance to promote ‘clean processing’ and highlight their gut health benefits.
This Report explores actionable strategies and opportunities for brands aiming to lead in this growing market. Discover how to create products that meet demand and drive growth in gut health.
This report looks at the following areas:
- The gut’s role in overall wellbeing
- How Thais link gut health to other aspects of health
- Awareness of ingredients that impact the gut
- Fermented food and drink of interest to Thai consumers
- Consumer habits around gut-friendly food and drink
Highlight the connection between gut health, brain function, athletic performance and metabolism, championing gut-friendly ingredients and fermentation as a superior processing method.
Rashmika Khanijou, Senior Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Mintel’s perspective
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- The outlook of the gut microbiome trend in Thailand
- Gut health trends among Thailand’s ageing population
- Reframe gut health’s focus from digestion to overall wellness and peak performance
- Graph 1: aspects of health that consumers believe are affected by their gut, 2025
- Adopt the right ingredient strategy to win the gut game
- Promote fermentation as a healthy, convenient alternative to processed foods
- Graph 2: types of fermented food and drink of interest to improve gut health, 2025
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KEY TRENDS AND MARKET FACTORS
- What you need to know
- Gut health is becoming a key focus in Thailand’s ageing and wellness movement
- Thailand’s ageing population is driving demand for longevity solutions, with gut health key to supporting independence and healthy ageing
- Graph 3: birth and death rates, 2015-24
- Rise in NCDs in Bangkok is pushing government public health agendas for urban consumers
- Graph 4: prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Bangkok vs national average, 2025
- Thai yogurt brand leads the way in promoting gut health for colon cancer prevention and longevity
- Growing awareness of ultra-processed foods is shifting brands towards gut-friendlier positioning
- Nutrient-dense, natural formulations are becoming top of mind
- Graph 5: factors most important when shopping for food, 2025
- Processed foods, sugar and sodium are under fire; brands must pivot to gut-friendly alternatives to maintain relevance
- Gut-friendly options are emerging in highly processed food categories
- Highly processed food categories hybridise with plant-based ingredients for added fibre to benefit the gut
- Thailand’s highly processed food sector is boosting its gut health image with fibre and biotics
- Active lifestyles open the door for performance-enhancing gut health products
- Active lifestyle trends fuel demand for performance-enhancing gut health solutions
- Graph 6: top five actions taken to support longevity, 2025
- Leading global brands are positioning gut health as central to daily vitality
- The Thai performance nutrition market is seeing a surge in prebiotics and high-fibre formulations
- Graph 7: share of product launches in performance nutrition, by select claims, 2020-25
- Thai yogurt brands expand into the fitness market, promoting gut health for enhanced performance
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What you need to know
- There is a disconnect between gut health awareness and consumers’ actions
- It is time to guide consumers on how to look after their gut
- Reframe gut health from digestion to whole-body wellbeing
- Overview: Thai food and drink brands are transforming gut health communication
- Thais increasingly recognise the gut’s broader significance
- Graph 8: aspects of health that consumers believe are affected by the gut, 2025
- Thai Gen Zs have limited awareness of how the gut affects overall health beyond digestion
- Graph 9: repertoire of the aspects of health that consumers believe would be affected by their gut, by generation, 2025
- Beyond digestion: gaps persist between consumers’ widening gut associations and brand narratives
- Graph 10: what consumers believe their gut health condition impacts vs what food and drink brands are associating gut health with, 2025
- Opportunity #1: improve the gut-brain link to cater to Thailand’s high cognitive urgency
- Graph 11: consumers who have used functional food and drink with each of the following health benefits, and will do so again, 2025
- Formulate to support the gut-brain axis
- Connect gut-friendly foods to fighting cognitive decline in ageing adults
- Opportunity #2: tap into the gut-performance white space to counter age-related stamina loss
- Graph 12: consumers that believe gut health affects physical performance, by gender and age, 2025
- Build a performance-enhancing, stamina-boosting reputation for gut-friendly food and drink
- Fill the energy gap in gut-performance narratives
- Fuel energy and endurance with gut-friendly innovation
- Opportunity #3: meet the public health agenda by developing a gut-metabolic health narrative
- Graph 13: metabolic health factors that consumers believe are affected by gut health, 2025
- Support GLP-1s to target metabolic health
- Connect the gut to the entire metabolic health spectrum
- Decoding the ingredient trust funnel of gut health
- An overview: mapping ingredients in the gut game
- Graph 14: gut health ingredient landscape, 2025
- A trust funnel for gut health ingredients
- Tier 1: trusted anchors for everyday gut health
- The five-year trend of fibre, pre- and probiotics in the gut game
- Graph 15: gut-health-focused product market share, by selected ingredients, 2022-25
- Stand out with superior live culture strains, education and scientific backing amid growing competition
- Educate on the importance of quantity and diversity of good bacteria
- Inulin dominates digestion narratives; reframe fibre as a foundation for longevity through gut resilience
- Reframe fibre by shifting it from digestive aid into a metabolic health staple
- Tier 2: advanced biotics emerge for the premium market
- Graph 16: consumers that have heard of post- and synbiotics, and think they are beneficial to gut health, by financial situation, 2025
- Introduce postbiotics and emphasise their role in overall gut health
- Tier 3: animal protein’s role is up for debate
- Level up animal protein’s gut-friendliness through responsible sourcing and nutrient-dense soil
- Tier 5: sweeteners and sugar compromise product gut health integrity
- Sweeten with alternative ingredients to drive gut-friendliness
- Make sugar gutsy: infuse with biotics and benefit health
- Bring fermentation into everyday occasions
- Fermentation may be a credible solution to boost gut health amid the anti-processing shift
- ‘Biotic’ ingredients are becoming a point of curiosity in the anti-processing shift
- Graph 17: select statement about ‘biotic’ ingredients, by consumers reducing processed food consumption for long-term health vs those who don’t plan to, 2025
- The fermented heroes for the Thai market
- Graph 18: types of fermented food and drink of interest to improve gut health, 2025
- Yogurt: communicate probiotic benefits and showcase the impact of putting the gut first
- Drinks are the most scalable gut canvas, with fermented drinks surging
- Graph 19: fermented drinks launches, 2022-25
- Biotic curiosity unlocks potential for the next tier of fermented foods: apple cider and kefir
- Push a fermented upgrade to everyday beverages with apple cider vinegar and kefir inclusions
- Promote breakfast as the natural gut occasion
- Natto gains popularity among Thais; position as a gut-friendly breakfast to kick-start the day
- Building the case for Natto: a functional, energy-boosting breakfast
- Future: Natto breakfast ready meal set tailored to Thai tastes
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Repertoire analysis
- CHAID/decision tree analysis
- Generations
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