Probiotics lead the way in self-medication

/ Yonhap

With the self-medication trend, sales of probiotics in major supermarkets are growing at an unprecedented rate, according to Nielson Scantrack.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are believed to be good for the digestive system. They can be consumed in foods or supplements.

The most familiar type of probiotic is lactobacillus found in fermented food such as yogurt, kimchi, or cheese. This probiotic helps relieve diarrhea.

Some popular probiotic supplements include Pure Garden Probiotics manufactured by Canadian company Natural Immix Health, and Duolac which Cell Biotech makes in Korea.

Sales of health products in big supermarkets rose 16 percent last year, with sales of probiotic supplements soaring 249 percent.

“Growth of probiotics in big supermarkets is led by new products that are mostly launched at food conglomerates such as CJ, Lotte, Dongwon F&B, and Daesang,” said Nielson Korea consumer goods and healthcare group director Lee Do-young.

He said he expected sales to keep rising.