I’m sure you’ve heard these two names thrown around before, and maybe even interchangeably. Even though probiotics and prebiotics sound similar, the two play different roles in your gut health. Probiotics and prebiotics help aid in digestion and help support the body in maintaining a healthy gut, but probiotics are what helps our body by feeding on prebiotics.
Probiotics Explained
Plain and simple, probiotics are live bacteria that are naturally created in the fermentation process of some foods, they can also be found in supplements that promote better gut health. Probiotics help restore the natural balance of gut bacteria in your body and can provide countless health benefits. This bacteria can be found in a lot of foods that you might already be consuming, or foods you should consider eating more of.
How Probiotics Can Help Your Overall Health
Recent studies have shown that probiotics can actually help in other areas of our body apart from just our gut. Taking a sufficient amount of probiotics can help improve digestive health in some people by helping to control harmful microorganisms in the body. Moreover, they help improve nutrient absorption which helps aid digestion. The bacteria has also shown that it can help those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), it may not cure IBS but it seems to help improve and alleviate the symptoms.
Another benefit of probiotics is that they can help with certain mental health conditions. We talked about how gut health and mental health are directly correlated in our How Food Can Help Seasonal Depression article, but the gist of it is if your gut is unhappy, you’re unhappy.
90% of serotonin receptors are located in the gut, so having a healthy diet can help with mood imbalances. Some studies have shown that probiotics can help improve the symptoms of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
Doctors often advise you to take probiotics when on antibiotics because it can help alleviate some of the side effects such as diarrhoea. It can also help repopulate the colon with good bacteria after antibiotics wipe out both undesirable and good bacteria. Probiotics can also help with general health by decreasing the chance of needing antibiotics, yeast infections, eczema, reduce the severity of allergies and more.
Foods That Contain Probiotics
You can find probiotics being sold in supplements in different forms like pill or liquid but this bacteria is naturally created in fermented foods and can be found in many foods you already like. It can be found in yoghurt, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, pickles and more.
Prebiotics Explained
Prebiotics help probiotics by being fed to this healthy bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics are fibre compounds in foods that the body cannot digest. Because the body cannot digest prebiotics, the healthy bacteria (probiotics) in your gut eat this fibre. This helps the gut bacteria produce nutrients for your colon cells and just like probiotics, prebiotics help support overall general health as well as digestive and gut health. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics occurs naturally in many foods, mostly carbs (the good kind). As a result, there is no need to take supplements like we are encouraged to do with probiotics.
How Prebiotics Can Help Your Overall Health
Prebiotics are linked to being helpful in increasing the helpful bacteria that already exist in your gut, which can help improve your general health as well as help reduce the risk of disease. Because prebiotics supports probiotic growth in the gut it can also potentially help with digestion and can help prevent IBS.
Recent studies have shown that they also help aid in the absorption of several minerals, such as magnesium and calcium which has positive effects on bone mineralisation, i.e. calcium absorption. As a result of prebiotics improving gut barrier integrity, as well as helping reduce intestinal inflammation, they can also help prevent obesity. Basically, they help decrease the production of ghrelin, a peptide which promotes appetite which can help promote weight loss.
It has also been shown that prebiotics can have cholesterol-lowering effects. They are involved in the absorption of phospholipids and fats in the lower intestine, which can lead to helping decrease cholesterol levels.
Foods That Contain Prebiotics
Prebiotics are types of fibre that are found in healthy carbs such as fruits, legumes and vegetables. Like stated above, these types of fibre provide nutrients to the healthy bacteria that help support immune function and healthy digestion. Prebiotics can be found in foods like bananas, berries, apples, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, barley, oats, flax seeds, seaweed, garlic, onion and more.
Which are better probiotics or prebiotics?
The short answer, both. You should be aiming to consume foods that are rich in both regularly. A healthy diet consisting of a variety of vegetables, fruits, fermented foods and whole grains will ensure you have the right amount of pre and probiotics in your body. Having the right amount in your body will keep gut microbiota healthy thus keeping you healthy.
