During a IPA Europe conference, recently held in Brussels, Microbiomepost sat down with Mike Holland, a consultant who has spent decades valuing the health and economic impacts of policy choices for the European Commission, the European Environment Agency and the OECD, to discuss the economic impact of probiotics.

This Interview highlights that a broad range of health effects linked to common conditions is widespread across the general population, with particularly high prevalence reported in care-home settings (often around 30–40% in published estimates). Beyond their clinical burden, these conditions carry major economic consequences, with literature-based estimates placing combined healthcare and productivity costs in the many billions of euros per year. 

Against this backdrop, the discussion notes that probiotics show benefits that can reduce the severity of symptoms and, in some cases, lower the incidence or prevalence of these conditions. The excerpt also contrasts this emerging preventive and supportive approach with the traditional treatment paradigm in medicine—where individuals seek care only after feeling unwell—suggesting a need to address the large proportion of people affected before conditions become severe.