What you need to know about pre and probiotics
Words: Sarah Tarca // @tarca
image: The Tonik // The_tonik
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you probably know a little about gut health by now, and “probiotics” aren’t exactly news to you either. Similarly, prebiotics are quite the household name these days with everything from ingestible supplements to OTC beauty products including them in their ingredients listing.
But, other than knowing that they’re great for your gut how much do you really know about probiotics and prebiotics? Like, how do they actually work? What’s the difference between probiotics and prebiotics? And do you really need either – or both – in your life?
I certainly didn’t. Which is why I quizzed Cate Lilja, Nutritional, herbal, and complementary medicine scientist, and Co-Founder of ingestible beauty supplement, Skin Food Elixir by Optima Nutricosmetics to find out.
Prebiotics and probiotics: the basics
First things first: What is the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? One expert described it to me once as seeds vs fertilizer. Whereas prebiotics feed the good bacteria, enouraging it to keep growing (fertilizer), probiotics are living bacteria that inhabit and are good for our gut (seeds).
Cate explains further: “‘Probiotic’ is a broad term given to a group of bacterial species that, when consumed in certain quantities, can elicit a health benefit. Each of these species works in a different way and performs a different function in the gut.” One way they work is by essentially muscling out the bad bacteria, competing (and winning) in the race for nutrients. Alternatively, they can also work by producing antimicrobial compunds that literally kill off the bad bacteria. Other probiotics are less agressive on the killing front and will instead play a more supportive role, promoting the cause of good bacteria different to themselves, helping to aid in a healthy gut wall and working with the immune system to regulate inflammation and fight pathogens.
Prebiotics are a different story. “Prebiotics are used as food by the good microbes in our gut - thus increasing in number and contributing to a healthy diverse microbiome,” says Cate. These include things like dietary fibre and also complex carbohydrates. “You may have also seen prebiotics and probiotics marketed together as synbiotics. These blends are designed to either address multiple aspects of gut health or enhance the effect of both the pre and probiotics,” Cate says.
“Prebiotics are used as food by the good microbes in our gut - thus increasing in number and contributing to a healthy diverse microbiome”
navigating The Probiotic jungle
Things get slightly more confusing when you delve further into the different probiotic strains and then try and work out which is the right one for you. Probiotic “types” are determined by the species of bacteria they contain – and each will help optimise or treat different conditions in the body (like IBS, or eczema). Additonally, some probiotics will be better for short term usage (if say, you need a boost while on antibiotics), while others will be best as part of a long-term strategy. Which is why, before you randomly start grabbing the first thing you see at Chemist Warehouse, you should do your research, and consult with your healthcare professional when need be. Cate also warns that you need to take into account the quality of your supplement (so go with trusted brands) and to follow the storage instructions to the letter as probiotics are notoriously unstable at room temperature.
So where to start? If gut health is your major concern, Cate says; “there are shelf stable strains available, such as Bacillus coagulans, that assist with maintaining general gut health by promoting the growth of other good bacteria species in the gut and assisting with nutrient absorption. These are spore forming - meaning they are actually dormant until they reach your gut.”
the good gut formula
What is the magic formula then for great gut health then? Prebiotics, probiotics – or both? Perhaps not surprisingly, there is no simple answer to that. Gut health is adversly affected by many factors like diet, some medications and antibiotics, alcohol, stress and even too much – and of course lack of – exercise. “There are also certain food additives that can impact the microbiome throwing it out of balance, like emulsifiers that are used in processed foods which can disrupt the microbiome and cause low grade chronic inflammation in the gut wall,” Cate says. There is no quick fix – rather it’s a mix of long term changes to your lifestyle and diet, supported by pre and probiotics to give your gut a boost.
“Gut health is complex with lots of factors affecting it - so there is no magic bullet,” Cate says. “For optimal gut health you really need to support healthy populations of bacteria in your microbiome as well as support your own gut cells with daily nutritional requirements. To do this it can be very beneficial to take both a pre and probiotic, in combination with a varied plant-based diet which will provide a range of soluble fibres, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals essential for maintaining the health of the gut and microbiome.”
If you’re keen get some gut health goodness into your life (as well as glowing skin) you can try Optima Nutricosmetics’ ingestible beauty supplement, Skin Food Elixir (which has prebiotics, probiotics and the highest dose of collagen in the market). The team have given our readeres a special discount of 20% . Just enter the code Wayward (case sensitive) at the checkout. Enjoy!