What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria that offer a number of potential health benefits for our digestive system. We naturally have billions of bacteria lining the length of our digestive tract and interestingly there are both good and bad strains present there. They key to good health is to achieve an optimal balance throughout. If the levels of bad bacteria start to overtake the good, we may experience digestive symptoms such as bloating or flatulence, but actually, research suggest that an imbalance in gut bacteria could cause problems elsewhere; potentially affecting many systems of our body from our mood to weight management!
By topping up our number of friendly bacteria, we can help protect this delicate balance and this is where probiotics come in. These are specific strains of bacteria that we know happily reside in the gut and exert beneficial effects.
In terms of the main types of friendly bacteria, firstly, we have Lactobacilli bacteria. These bacteria produce beneficial L+ lactic acid, and tend to reside in the small intestine. Next, we have Bifidobacteria which tend to be found in our large intestine – both of which are common strains found in probiotic products.
We can think of probiotics as a means of replenishing our good gut bacteria.
What are prebiotics?
Now that we know what probiotics are, where do prebiotics come into all of this? Prebiotics aren’t bacteria themselves, but they are instead components which help support the growth of these beneficial bacteria. These can fall broadly into two main categories:
1 – Act as food for the bacteria
Firstly, we have prebiotics which help to physically feed the bacteria in your gut, these mainly come in the form of dietary fibre. Inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides and galacto-oligosaccharides are common examples which can be found naturally occurring in foods or taken in supplement form.
2- Support the surrounding environment for the bacteria
Next, we have substances that work as prebiotics as they help to support the environment in which the friendly bacteria in your gut live. This means they can multiply and grow stronger and the prebiotics, rather than act as a source of food, they almost act a bit like the air they need to breathe (although of course they are technically anaerobic). A good example of a prebiotic which works in this way is L+ lactic acid. Friendly bacteria in the gut naturally produce L+ lactic acid, so we know that this is something that is beneficial for them. Lactic acid also helps support the pH in the gut, creating more favourable conditions for the surrounding bacteria. Fermented whey is an example of a good source of L+ lactic acid.
We can think of prebiotics as a means of nourishing our good gut bacteria.
What are some of the health benefits of pre and probiotics?
Prebiotics
As above, prebiotics help support the growth of good bacteria in your gut and unsurprisingly, they seem to offer some health benefits as a result of this!
- They help to improve the proportions of good bacteria in the gut. As we would expect, prebiotics can help to gently balance the levels of good bacteria in the gut. Positive changes in the composition of our gut bacteria have included increasing in bifidobacteria, a type of friendly bacteria primarily found in the large intestine. (1) Correcting dysbiosis may help to improve a number of symptoms, including some of those connected with IBS in many cases (1)
- With a better balance of bacteria comes better toilet habits. Yes, we are going to talk all things poo. As prebiotics help to improve the balance of bacteria in your gut, you may also notice some improvements in your toilet habits in response to this. Prebiotics help to encourage the correct pH in the gut, the release of beneficial short-chain fatty acids (which also support the internal environment) and in turn, the frequency and consistency of bowel movements. The risk of infections which can also contribute to dodgy bowel habits is also likely to decrease1. All sounding very positive indeed
- Help support the immune system. We know that up to 70% of our immune cells reside in the gut, so it makes sense that by support our gut directly, we may be able to help modulate our immune responses. It looks like the effects of lactic acid bacteria could have a positive impact on helping to keep us well (2) and may even help to manage allergic-typed symptoms such as skin conditions – watch this space!
Probiotics
The research on probiotics is ever-growing too and some proposed health benefits include the following:
- Benefits begin in the gut. Yet again, it seems by increasing your intake of beneficial bacteria improvements in digestive symptoms are a common outcome. Topping up the numbers of good bacteria can help to keep the bad strains of bacteria in check, which in turn, can help improve symptoms such as diarrhoea (3)
- Benefits beyond the gut. Gut health is truly fascinating. We are gradually learning more and more through research and it’s becoming much more apparent that when it comes to achieving good health, the gut is a good place to start. It seems that disruption in your digestive tract could have a part to play when it comes to a number of issues; from mood disorders (4) to weight management (5). Therefore, the effects of calming and supporting a troubled may play an important part in the management of an array of different conditions.
What are some of the food sources?
Traditionally, we would have supported the balance of bacteria in our gut naturally, through adopting a healthy diet. Nowadays, unfortunately with the introduction of lots of novel food stuffs (think artificial sweeteners, and chemicals and constituents that are ancestors wouldn’t even have recognised), dysbiosis or an imbalance in our good gut bacteria is now becoming a more widespread problem. Some top food picks from me to help reset this balance are as follows:
Prebiotic food sources
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Artichoke
Asparagus
Bananas
Oats
Apples
Chicory (the main source of inulin supplements)
Probiotic food sources
Sauerkraut
Kombucha
Kimchi
Kefir
Yoghurt (go for plain or Greek yoghurt and avoid flavoured varieties)
For my guide to fermented food and more probiotic-rich options, click the link!
Can they work well together?
Prebiotic and probiotics are growing gradually in popularity, but how’s best to approach them in order to support your gut?
My advice is to start with a prebiotic. As we now know, prebiotics help to support the internal environment of the gut so it makes sense to start here and set this right before adding in lots of probiotics which might not survive.
Starting with a prebiotic such as a source of L+lactic acid, helps to gently support the pH of the gut. Other options which you can find in your local health food store include supplements such as inulin which comes from chicory – just be sure not to take too much too quickly or you could experience some bloating.
Then, once the good bacteria that already exist are happier, you can begin to top up your numbers; and that’s were probiotics come in. Prebiotics and probiotics work synergistically together, so this is a great option to add in to your prebiotic regime. When it comes to the probiotic portion, opt for a reputable brand such as Optibac with lots of research behind them for best results.
