HOW Prebiotics & Probiotics Help the Gut…
In the past decade, word has gotten out more and more consistently that good bacteria helps us digest food and keep the gut healthy and happy. A happy gut is responsible for overall health in a big way – both physically and mentally.
Probiotics are the good bacteria found naturally in the gut. They are actually live cultures, which means they’re active and functional, allowing them to help boost immunity, gastrointestinal health and overall wellness.1 Probiotic bacteria can also be found in yogurt and fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi. Since what we eat and drink passes through our gastrointestinal tract every day, it’s no surprise that our diets affect the gut microbiome. Studies have shown that even a single day of a strict animal-based diet or plant-based diet can alter the composition of the gut microorganisms – but that we typically revert to our regular microbiome once our diets go back to normal.2
Newer research shows that probiotics work more efficiently when assisted by prebiotics. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not found naturally in the gut. Instead they are found in non-digestible carbohydrates and fibers that stimulate the growth of good bacteria.3Prebiotics are found in fibrous components of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Bananas, onions, garlic, leeks asparagus, artichokes, soybeans and whole-wheat grains are examples of foods containing prebiotics. Prebiotics work by supporting the good bacteria that are naturally present in the gut and help them proliferate.
Since some prebiotics feed both good and bad bacteria, it makes sense to incorporate the right prebiotics to support both natural and ingested probiotics. Well-established prebiotics like inulin,oligofructose (FOS), and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) help fuel the human gastrointestinal tract, which contains trillions of microbes.4
The synergistic effect of prebiotics with probiotics has led to the emergence of a category referred to as “synbiotics” to promote digestive health and overall wellness. When the correct prebiotics are provided in the exact proportions necessary to maximize the desired health effects of the specific probiotic strains through stimulating the growth and activating the metabolism of health-promoting bacteria, symbiosis occurs.5 Eating whole foods is the best way to obtain prebiotics and add probiotics to the diet.
Nutritional supplementation is also helpful such as Nikken’s KENZEN Lactoferrin 2.0®
Incorporate these into your daily regimen and help your gut stay healthy!
3, 4, 5. https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/2019-04/view_features/flora-amp-fiber-for-a-healthy-microbiome/1931