Probiotic vs. Prebiotic: What’s the Difference?
Probiotics vs. Prebiotics: What’s the Difference?
The benefits of taking a probiotic have been touted a lot in recent years – but have you ever heard of prebiotics? The words may seem similar but they each perform their own special role when it comes to a healthy gut. Let’s dive into the world of your gut micro-biome and talk about the importance of both pre and probiotics.
What is a “gut micro-biome”?
Every person has thousands of small organisms, or good bacteria, living in their digestive tract. Their main purpose is to help you digest food and fight off infections. Collectively, they’re called your gut micro-biome.
Sometimes your gut micro-biome becomes out of sorts. When this happens, you might find that you get an upset stomach or constipation. You may even notice that you’re getting sick more often because the “good” bacteria in your gut can’t help you fight off the “bad” bacteria. If your gut micro-biome starts to feel unbalanced, taking prebiotics and probiotics are two ways to get yourself back on track.
What’s the difference between probiotics and prebiotics?
Probiotics are living strains of good bacteria. They’re found naturally in some foods, like certain kinds of cheese and yogurt. Adding these good bacteria to your digestive tract can help get your gut micro-biome back to a healthy level. It’s important to note that any strain of probiotics you take must be live when you ingest it. Otherwise, it won’t work for you at all.
Prebiotics are foods that good bacteria in your gut eat. They help your own bacteria and any probiotics you add in to flourish.
What are some examples of prebiotics?
Most prebiotics are found in foods that contain different types of fiber. Some of the most common sources are:
Oats, brans, and barley
Fruits
Vegetables
Nuts and seeds
Legumes like beans and chickpeas
If you’re taking a supplement that has prebiotics, it may not list the food source the prebiotics came from. Instead, it might list inulin, oiligosaccharides, or polydextrose in the ingredients.
One side effect of prebiotics is bloating and gas because they’re mostly fiber products. When you start feeding the good bacteria fiber, they release gas as a by-product. We know that a high-fiber diet is important in warding off many chronic diseases – one way to beat the gas is to add in foods slowly and let your digestive system adjust. Also drinking plenty of water helps fiber to pass more efficiently through your body.
What are some examples of probiotics?
Fermented foods are one of the main sources of probiotics. They contain live strains of good bacteria. Some examples of foods containing probiotics are:
Certain cheeses and yogurts
Pickled vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi
Fermented drinks like kombucha
Tofu and other soy products
Some foods, like yogurt, contain both pre and probiotics.
If you’re going to take a probiotic supplement know that often times, manufacturers will list the specific strain of bacteria present in their product. It’s also important to know the amount of live strains in the capsule at the time of expiration and not when it was manufactured. This ensures you’re taking a supplement with a high percentage of live strains. Common probiotic bacteria strains include:
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactobacillus reuteri
Bifidobacteria animalis
Bifidobacteria lactis
Bifidobacteria breve
Keep in mind, they usually abbreviate the first word of each strain when listing it on their label or in the ingredients. For example: Lactobacillus acidophilus would be L. acidophilus.
Should I take supplements with pre or probiotics?
Before jumping straight to taking a supplement to solve your gut issues, first try to heal yourself with food. Food as medicine is the most beneficial way to boost your good bacteria. Start by filling your diet with foods that contain probiotics and an assortment of fiber. Eating your way to a healthy gut is the safest option for most people. You should know that healing your gut with food may take some time. There’s no magic pill to replace your guts natural bacteria quickly – even supplements take time to see benefits.
There’s a lot we don’t know about supplemental probiotics, especially when it comes to deciding which ones to take and how much will be beneficial. You should always talk to your doctor before starting any over-the-counter supplements, especially if you’re immunocompromised.
The most studied strains of bacteria are those in the lactobacillus or bifidobacteria family. Stick to these when looking to buy a supplement. It’s also important to remember that the FDA doesn’t regulate OTC supplements so you should look for ones that have been certified by the U.S. Pharmacopeia or NSF International. And make sure to check expiration dates. Taking an expired probiotic is essentially like taking a placebo. It’s not gonna help you one bit!
A highly rated probiotic is Blue Biology’s BlueBiotics: Ultimate Care capsules. It contains 11 active cultures and when tested by consumer reports, had the highest percentage of living strains. Blue Biology also makes a great prebiotic supplement but you have to buy it directly from them because I couldn’t find it on Amazon.
Ultimate Flora by Renew life is another great option for a probiotic. It contains 12 different probiotic strains also with a high percent of living strains.
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