True Biome: The Next Chapter in Gut Health Science

At Ancient + Brave, formulating often begins with a question: What do we truly need to stay resilient in today’s world?

Again and again, the trail led me back to the gut - the epicentre where immunity, metabolism, mood, and energy all intersect. It’s where nutrients are absorbed, hormones are signalled, microbes train the immune system, and messages travel along the gut–brain axis to shape how we feel and function each day. Far from being just a digestive organ, the gut is a dynamic communication hub that influences almost every system in the body.

To care for the gut is to care for the whole self. 

But I kept returning to the same insight: despite the explosion of gut health products on the market, so many of us are still struggling with poor digestive health, bloating, brain fog, fatigue, or simply feeling out of rhythm, even among the health-conscious. Which made me ask: what’s missing?

The truth is, gut health is more complex than we once thought. Supporting it isn’t just about adding bacteria - there’s a whole network of factors that influence how the gut functions. Today’s science is uncovering new ways to care for the gut, and it’s this deeper understanding that inspired us to create True Biome.

Why Gut Health Matters More Than Ever

Modern life places enormous strain on our delicate inner ecosystem. Stress hormones change how our gut moves and absorbs. Disrupted sleep unsettles the circadian rhythms that govern digestion and repair. Medications, from antibiotics to everyday painkillers and common antacids, can chip away at microbial diversity. Our environment adds its own challenges: pollutants, microplastics, and chemicals that were never part of our evolutionary blueprint. And then there’s our diet, often dominated by sneaky ultra-processed foods and additives that feed imbalance rather than harmony.

Even when we’re doing ‘everything right’, today’s world makes it hard to maintain integrity in the gut. The result? A barrier that becomes compromised, leaving us inflamed, fatigued, and disconnected from our natural rhythms.  When the gut barrier becomes disrupted, it doesn’t just stay local. Inflammation ripples outward, energy wanes, the immune system loses its fine-tuned regulation, and mood and cognition suffer. We feel it in fatigue, in foggy thinking, or disconnected from our natural rhythms.

This is why gut health matters now more than ever. Because in a world where the odds are stacked against balance, the gut becomes both the most vulnerable system but also the most powerful place to begin restoring health.

A Shift in Gut Health Science

For years, the gut health conversation centred almost exclusively on probiotics: more strains, more diversity, more “good bugs.” But as the field of gut science evolves, this is fast becoming an outdated paradigm. The future of gut health isn’t just about adding microbes, it’s about creating the right environment for them to flourish and helping the entire ecosystem stay resilient in the face of modern-day stressors. That means strengthening the gut barrier, restoring balance to the ecosystem, and supporting the intricate cross-talk between microbes, immune cells, and the nervous system.

When the gut barrier becomes compromised, a phenomenon often described as “leaky gut”, inflammatory compounds escape into circulation, driving fatigue, brain fog, low mood, immune dysregulation, and skin issues. Protecting and repairing this barrier is now recognised as one of the most essential steps in whole-body health.

This is the quiet revolution that inspired our newest innovation: True Biome.

What Makes True Biome Unique

When I set out to formulate True Biome, my goal was simple: create gut support for the realities of real life: inbox stress, late-night screens, ultraprocessed food, perimenopausal shifts, disrupted sleep and more. 

At the heart of True Biome is the recognition that gut health science has shifted. For years, the focus was on probiotics, adding more strains, more diversity, more “good bugs.”  But the new frontier is postbiotics. Unlike probiotics, these aren’t live organisms. They’re heat-killed yet remain biologically active and communicate with the body in profound ways, even though no longer alive. They are stable, safe and effective.

Long before science had a name for them, humans were already harnessing the power of postbiotics. Ancient cultures relied on fermentation to preserve food, but this was also a way to nurture health.  Among them, Lactobacillus plantarum HK L-137 stands out. First isolated from the fermented ancestor of sushi, narezushi, it has become one of the most researched postbiotics in the world. Clinical studies show it can regulate immune responses, bring balance to inflammation, strengthen the gut barrier, and even support collagen production, offering benefits that reach far beyond digestion.

This represents the next chapter in gut health: where the ancient wisdom of fermentation meets the reliability of modern science. No longer about simply adding more “good bugs,” the focus is shifting to resilience, precision, and stability, qualities that postbiotics deliver with confidence.

This evolution builds on the pioneering work of Professor Glenn Gibson, the father of prebiotics. Prebiotic fibres remain a foundational fuel for beneficial bacteria, a fertiliser that encourages the production of health supporting short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. That’s why in True Biome we’ve combined Lactobacillus plantarum HK L-137, we include PHGG (Partially Hydrolysed Guar Gum), a low-FODMAP, clinically validated prebiotic fibre that gently fuels beneficial microbes, reduces bloating, and supports regularity. A quiet, gentle hero, backed by over 100 clinical studies.

Completing the trio is L-Glutamine, the amino acid that fuels intestinal cells and helps maintain the tight junctions of the gut barrier. Essential for repairing and protecting against “leaky gut,” especially under stress, one of the defining challenges of modern living.

This is a 360° ecosystem approach to gut health that works gently, for even the most sensitive guts, in harmony with the body, holistically cares for gut health and whole body health, no excess, no noise, just the essentials with real efficacy. Radically simple, clinically effective.  Three powerful, proven ingredients, each chosen intentionally to reflect the evolving science in this space

Why This Formula Is Unique

• Beyond Probiotics. Stable, safe postbiotic precision that doesn’t rely on fragile live strains.
  

• Barrier First. Protects and repairs gut lining integrity, the foundation of holistic health.
  

• IBS-Friendly. Gentle, low-FODMAP, suitable for even the most sensitive guts.

• 360° Benefits. More than digestion, the gut is not an island. When supported, its influence ripples outwards
  

• Radical Simplicity. Three clinically validated ingredients. Nothing more, nothing less.

Our Inner Circle community trial is already underway, giving us invaluable real-world insights into True Biome’s benefits, more on that soon

Gut Health Is a Lifestyle

We are so excited to share that True Biome is a patent-pending formula (GB2512560.0), a reflection of our commitment to advancing gut health with both scientific rigour and innovative design. By protecting this unique combination of clinically validated ingredients, we’re ensuring that True Biome sets a new standard for what gut health support can be. 

But no powder can outpace poor habits. Gut health begins with how we live, the diversity of plants on our plate, the way we slow down to eat, how we regulate stress, the depth of our sleep, the time we spend moving and connecting in nature. These are the foundations no supplement can replace.

True Biome is a formula designed not as a quick fix, but as a quiet, daily ritual tending to the ecosystem within, the way we would tend soil. A daily reminder that we are ecosystems, inseparable from the natural world around us. It is a tool to help protect and support your inner terrain in the face of modern life.

This is not just about digestion. This is about restoring the centre of your health.

True Biome is gut health; evolved. I can’t wait for you to try it!