Hecto Healthcare said on May 26 that its CEO Kim Seok-jin (김석진) appeared in a JTBC documentary and explained the gut microbiome ecosystem and criteria for selecting probiotics. Kim described the gut as a “second brain” linked to immune, metabolic and brain health and highlighted the importance of managing gut health. He explained the concept of the Gut-Brain Axis and the impact of gut microbiome balance on health through interviews with experts and research cases.

Kim said on the programme, “A healthy gut is not a state in which only beneficial bacteria are abundant. It is an ecosystem in which beneficial, harmful and intermediate bacteria are in balance and diverse microbes coexist.” He said, “To restore a disrupted gut environment, it can help to combine probiotic intake with supplying food for beneficial bacteria through dietary fibre intake.” He added that dietary fibre serves as food for beneficial bacteria in the gut and probiotics can help maintain balance in the gut environment. He also said it is important to manage eating habits and lifestyle habits together.

On criteria for choosing probiotics, he stressed that it is important to check the “guaranteed live count” maintained until the time of actual intake, rather than a simple manufacturing bacteria count. He said it is also necessary to examine whether the product is a multi-strain formula combining diverse strains rather than a single specific strain, and whether it has been scientifically verified. The documentary title, “Refresh: Awaken the Second Brain, the Gut,” reflects the view that the gut is connected to whole-body health beyond being a simple digestive organ.

A Hecto Healthcare official said the documentary appearance was a meaningful occasion in which Kim was able to convey more credibly the importance of the gut microbiome ecosystem that he has studied over a long period and its impact on overall health. The official said the company plans to continue various activities so that consumers can better understand and choose probiotics, based on gut microbiome research.