Prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics are all important for gut health. Prebiotics feed the gut bacteria so they can repopulate the gut microbiome. Probiotics are live bacteria that you consume in food or supplements to add helpful strains to the gut microbiome. Postbiotics are molecules that the gut microbes give off after fermenting food. All three are important for preserving the gut microbiome and supporting health.
If you’ve researched or heard anything about gut health, some form of biotics was likely in the conversation. The first thing most of us remember learning about the gut microbiome is that the doctor told us when prescribing an antibiotic that we should also take a probiotic or eat yogurt to counteract the damage the antibiotic would cause to the gut microbiome.
Since that information became widely known, our understanding of gut health has become more comprehensive. Researchers have linked gut health to nearly every health condition, and learning to support the gut can help prevent them. This is why all the biotics are so important to know about. Join us to explore the differences and how they work together to support your health.
Why Gut Health is Important
As we mentioned earlier, gut health has a significant impact on your overall well-being. If your gut microbiome is balanced, you’ll feel healthy and energetic. If you’re experiencing dysbiosis (an imbalanced gut microbiome), your health will suffer.
The main reason that gut health is important is that it controls inflammation in your body. It does this by working with your immune system. Inflammation is a precursor to tissue damage and disease onset.
When people already have a disease or health condition, an increase in inflammation can cause symptoms to flare up or worsen. Since the gut controls inflammation levels, keeping the gut healthy can prevent diseases from worsening or flaring up
Gut health is a pretty mysterious thing because you can’t know what strains are in your gut unless you get testing done. This isn’t a routine test, and the testing you can get isn’t usually covered by insurance.
Fortunately, you don’t need to know the exact strains in your gut; you just need to know what to do to balance your gut microbiome. That includes making good lifestyle choices, and one of the best things you can do is eat a diverse and healthy diet. You’ll want to focus on:
- Clean proteins
- Fiber
- Healthy fats
- Probiotics
- Prebiotics
- Polyphenols
What are probiotics, and why are they important?
Probiotics are live microorganisms, typically bacteria, that, when consumed, provide health benefits to the person taking them. Probiotics can be found in foods or supplements. Some of the main foods that contain probiotics naturally include:
- Yogurt
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Cheeses
- Miso
- Fermented, unpasteurized pickles
- Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Foods that are fermented help them to last on the shelf longer, while providing the beneficial bacterial strains we call probiotics. Other foods can have probiotics added to them and will indicate the strains used in the ingredients section.
Some of the common strains of bacteria used or found as probiotics include:
- Lactobacillus
- Bifidobacterium
- Saccharomyces
- Streptococcus
- Enterococcus
- Escherichia
- Bacillus
Probiotics have been used in treatment plans for IBS, IBD, atopic dermatitis, acute diarrhea, high cholesterol, obesity, and other health conditions.
Probiotics, unfortunately, do not always make it to the colon where they are needed. Many are destroyed by stomach acid before they get there. Another potential issue with probiotics is that they aren’t regulated, so their quality, quantity, and sourcing may affect whether they can actually provide any benefits to the person taking them.
AtrantilPRO uses spore-based probiotics. This type of probiotic is protected by a spore, so the bacteria can survive the digestive process and arrive unscathed to your microbiome. They come out of the spore and are then able to provide your body with health benefits.
Probiotics should not be used by everyone, and people who have compromised immune systems should talk with their doctor before using probiotics of any kind to make sure they do not end up exacerbating their conditions.
What are prebiotics, and why are they important?
Prebiotics can be a safer alternative to probiotics because you aren’t adding bacteria to the body. Instead, you’re feeding the bacteria that already live there.
Prebiotics are non-digestible food particles that, when consumed, provide health benefits for the person ingesting them. While that sounds like it’s problematic, it’s actually a good thing. When something is considered non-digestible, it just means that it survives the digestive process that breaks down most other food particles.
The prebiotics survive stomach acid and digestive enzymes and are not absorbed into the GI tract. Then, when they reach the colon, gut microbes ferment the prebiotics, which helps to unlock their nutritional potential.
This actually feeds the gut microbes. As they ferment the prebiotics, they’re also breaking them down into other molecules that can be used throughout the body. This allows the gut microbes to multiply and diversify your microbial profile.
A byproduct of this reaction is postbiotics, which also improve human health (more on that in the next section).
Prebiotics are mainly types of carbohydrates; however, new research is revealing prebiotics that aren’t carbohydrates as well. Examples of prebiotics include:
- Fructans
- Galacto-oligosaccharides
- Starches
- Glucose-derived oligosaccharides
- Pectic oligosaccharide
- Cocoa-derived flavonols
The best food sources for prebiotics are:
- Veggies: asparagus, sugar beets, garlic, onions, chicory, artichokes, tomatoes, peas
- Grains: wheat, rye, barley, beans, soybeans
- Fruits: bananas, apples, berries
- Other: honey, milk, seaweed, microalgae
When you eat foods that contain prebiotics, they boost the quantity and quality of health-promoting gut microbes.
What are postbiotics, and why are they important?
In addition to boosting your microbial profile, prebiotics and probiotics help produce postbiotics.
Postbiotics are bioactive compounds that your gut bacteria produce when they consume prebiotics. Many of the benefits that we receive from prebiotics and probiotics are actually a result of the postbiotics.
When our body goes through any metabolic process, like it does during digestion, waste products are released. We see this during exercise, digestion, and breathing. When prebiotics are fermented, waste products are released as well, but they are referred to as postbiotics.
When eating healthy foods, the postbiotics given off provide benefits for the human body. However, if you eat unhealthy foods, the postbiotics given off can cause damage. Here are some examples of postbiotics:
- Metabolites
- Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) — butyrate is the most common
- Microbial cell fractions
- Functional proteins
- Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS)
- Cell lysates
- Teichoic acid
- Peptidoglycan-derived muropeptides
- Pili-type structures
- Vitamins
- Amino acids
- Lipopolysaccharides
- Enzymes
- Cell wall fragments
Some of the health benefits we receive from postbiotics include: immune support, antioxidants, reducing inflammation, cancer fighting, and cellular protection and support.
How to Improve Your Gut Health with Biotics
The best way to reap the benefits of all the biotics is by eating a diverse and healthy diet. Incorporating foods that are high in naturally occurring polyphenols, probiotics, and prebiotics will provide your body with nutrition and the added benefits of postbiotics.
If you have a hard time digesting FODMAPs, which many of the sources of prebiotics come from, start by taking Atrantil. Atrantil provides your body with easy-to-use prebiotics and polyphenols that can bring balance to your microbiome while helping your body handle the fibers. This will help you ease into consuming these foods without exacerbating your gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, constipation/diarrhea, and cramping.
Once your microbiome is nourished and healthy, your body will be able to handle a more diverse diet so you can take full advantage of the amazing benefits these foods can bring to your life.
Talk to your doctor about if Atrantil or AtrantilPRO is right for you. Grab a bottle here!
