Probiotics and Prebiotics: What Are They Good For and What Is the Difference Between Them?
If you are interested in healthy nutrition, you have surely come across the terms probiotics and prebiotics. But what are they used for, and what is the difference between them?
The gut microbiome is the collection of all the microorganisms that live in your digestive tract and have a big impact on your overall health.
Some of them are beneficial, but others are harmful. Their ratio is unique for each of you. However, it is important to keep these bacteria in balance, as an overgrowth of harmful bacteria causes dysbiosis, which is associated with digestive problems such as:
- bloating,
- diarrhoea,
- constipation,
- heartburn,
- reflux.
On the road to a healthy microbiome
Fortunately, since the microbiome is made up of living organisms that respond to changes in your body, you can target its composition. That's where probiotics and prebiotics come in. You can support the health of your microbiome with a healthy lifestyle, plenty of exercise and sleep, a balanced diet rich in fibre or good quality probiotic and prebiotic supplements.
How are probiotics different from prebiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can help your gut microbiome get back into balance. Prebiotics are non-living, non-digestible food components that serve as food for gut bacteria. They perform different roles in our gut.
In short, probiotics and prebiotics complement each other in promoting gut health - probiotics populate the gut with beneficial bacteria, while prebiotics provide the necessary nutrients for these bacteria to thrive.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms similar to those that live in your intestines. These are live bacteria and yeasts that, when taken in the right dose, have a specific beneficial effect on your health.
We often refer to them as "good" bacteria as they improve the function of the microbiome. Probiotics:
- improve digestion and immunity,
- help maintain balance in the microbiome,
- prevent digestive problems.
However, they cannot permanently colonise the gut when you stop taking them.
Fermented foods such as yoghurt, sauerkraut and kefir contain lots of 'good' bacteria and it is important to include them in a varied diet. However, these bacteria are not probiotics and the stomach will not allow them to enter the intestine alive, as the body uses the acidic environment of the stomach to defend itself against live bacteria.
However, probiotics encapsulated in capsules can give you the desired effect. These dissolve after passing through the stomach in the intestine and contain a precisely defined dose of a specific strain with a specific effect on your health.
That's why nutritional supplements are a good choice to help support not only the health of your microbiome, but also your whole body.
What probiotics do we know?
There are many probiotic strains, each with different properties and functions. The most common probiotic bacteria belong to the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, different strains of which are often included in commonly available probiotics.
However, different strains do not have the same effect on your health. If you suffer from long-term health problems or microbiome imbalances, choose probiotics carefully .
Manufacturers of quality probiotic products list the indications, contraindications, as well as the full names of the probiotic strains they use.
It is important to be interested in the composition of these products and the effects of the strains they contain, as poorly chosen strains may not work in the body.
In some cases, such as celiac disease or histamine intolerance, poorly chosen probiotics may even harm you, as they may contain strains that produce histamine.
If you have sensitive digestion, we recommend you reach for HIT for Digestion+® probiotics, which we have developed just for these people.
What are prebiotics?
In addition to probiotics, you can also use prebiotics to support your microbiome. These are basically fiber and other food components such as flavonoids, breast milk oligosaccharides, and the like that serve as food for the "good" bacteria in your microbiome.
These ingredients are indigestible to your digestive tract, which means they just pass through your stomach until they eventually reach your intestines, where they become food for the probiotic bacteria.
Prebiotics:
- encourage the multiplication of probiotic bacteria,
- strengthen the intestinal wall,
- relieve indigestion.
Sufficient fibre is important not only because it promotes healthy digestion, but it is also essential for fat and glucose metabolism and helps protect the body against inflammation.
If the body doesn't have enough fibre, the 'good' bacteria starve to death and are replaced by harmful ones that feed on things like sugar. This can upset the balance of your microbiome and cause dysbiosis.
The Western diet is poor in fibre, so it is important to eat a balanced diet and eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, pulses and whole grains.
Vegetables with the highest fibre content include artichokes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Fruits include apples, oranges, bananas, raspberries and strawberries.
If you can't get enough fibre from your diet, you can also reach for prebiotic preparations to help rebalance your microbiome.
Such preparations usually contain:
- inulin,
- fructooligosaccharides (FOS),
- galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS),
- breast milk oligosaccharides (HMOs).
Inulin and FOS are most commonly obtained from chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, blue agave or bananas. GOS are found in legumes such as soya, lentils and chickpeas, as well as in cow's milk, while HMOs are obtained from breast milk.
Our targeted Microbiome+® prebiotics promote the growth of specific bacterial strains and the production of anti-inflammatory butyrate, which improves mucosal immunity, nourishes the intestinal lining and prevents intestinal permeability.
In addition, it is lactose-, fiber- and gluten-free, making it suitable for vegans, celiacs, people with lactose and histamine intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
In conclusion
Probiotics and prebiotics contribute to overall health as well as better digestion. However, they can't work miracles, so you must not forget about a healthy lifestyle, appropriate diet and plenty of exercise. Nor can they replace medical treatment for serious digestive disorders.
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