A recent analysis explores the growing clinical interest in postbiotics—non-viable microbial products such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bacterial lysates, and microbial metabolites—as a potential next phase in microbiome-based therapy.
Unlike probiotics, postbiotics do not contain live organisms, which makes them mechanistically attractive for patients who cannot tolerate probiotics or are at higher risk for adverse effects. Proposed benefits include improved gut barrier integrity, immune modulation, anti-inflammatory effects, and metabolic signaling, largely driven by SCFAs like butyrate and propionate.