When asked which wellness topic is on consumers’ minds the most in 2025, Kristie Leigh, RDN and director of nutrition and scientific affairs at Danone North America, trusts her gut. These days, the longtime Danone employee hears about gut health seemingly everywhere she goes.
Kristie Leigh, industry expert
“Gut health is showing up everywhere, (like) on social media, and the ‘Today’ show. New research is coming out looking at the impacts of a variety of foods on gut health, so I think it really is remaining top of mind,” Leigh said.
With over 8 billion views on TikTok for #guthealth, plus a 10x rise in Google searches for “gut health” since 2016, it’s clear that consumers care about the topic and how it impacts their overall health.
What Does Gut Health Mean?
Chief among the discussions surrounding gut health is how, exactly, to define the term. Not long ago, the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics convened a working group to come up with a definition for gut health.
“It is so broad, it’s a pretty ambiguous definition,” Leigh said. “I think the definition of gut health can mean different things in different contexts. There isn’t a scientific consensus. … And we don’t even have a definition for what a healthy microbiome is.
“There’s a skin-gut axis … a gut-lung axis, a gut-brain axis,” the registered dietitian added.
“Gut health, really – especially if we start talking about the microbiome – goes into almost every facet of health.”
Danone strives to be “benefit focused” when it comes to gut health. As a result, the multinational corporation produces products like Activia Probiotic Yogurt with the goal of supporting gut health by reducing the frequency of digestive issues like bloating and abdominal discomfort.
2025 Healthier-for-you Forecast
In recent years, many brands have made a push to add functional ingredients. Leigh envisions brands leaning even further into healthier-for-you ingredients in the near-term. After all, healthy aging has become a focus for many consumers.
“We’ve already seen a lot of fermented foods; I don’t think those are going anywhere,” Leigh said, alluding to products like kombucha tea. “I think we’ll see a lot more functional foods that are adding a variety of different biotics, whether they’re probiotics, prebiotics, or post-biotics.
“We might start seeing even more functional beverages showing up that have even more prebiotic fiber in them,” the registered dietitian said.
Danone’s R&D employees are busy these days and have launched products within the span of a year in the past. But, first and foremost, Leigh said Danone’s Nutrition and Scientific Affairs team is focused on making their products as healthy as possible, with functional benefits.
And yes, for the foreseeable future, the gut microbiome is very much on Leigh’s mind, just as it is for so many consumers.
“Supporting gut health,” she said, “is a longterm journey.”
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