Probiotics vs Prebiotics: Differences, Foods, Benefits and More

Probiotics have created quite a buzz in recent years. In comparison, prebiotic is relatively a new term. Even though they both support a healthy gut, they play very different roles.

Let’s first see what exactly are probiotics and prebiotics before moving to their roles, benefits, and food sources.

What are probiotics?

Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria that are responsible for our overall health. These along with viruses, fungi, and yeast, form the gut microbiome. There are both beneficial and harmful microorganisms among these. The proper balance between them is the key to good health.

Probiotics are beneficial live microorganisms that offer many health benefits when consumed. Probiotic foods and supplements contain these good bacteria, and they help create a healthy and balanced gut microflora.

Probiotics play numerous roles in boosting health. They help reduce inflammation, boost your immunity, even fight depression. (1)

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are the food that the probiotics feed on. They are types of dietary fibers (complex carbohydrates) present in certain foods we eat. Our body is usually unable to digest these fibers. So they reach the intestine nearly intact, ferment in the colon, and act as fodder for the existing gut microflora. (2)

Prebiotics are usually plant-based foods. They contain fibers such as inulin, oligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and resistant starch. (3)

Probiotics and Prebiotics: How Food Intake Impacts Gut Health

A lot of gastrointestinal problems stem from not having sufficient good bacteria in your digestive tract. The intake of probiotic-rich foods supplies ample amounts of beneficial bacteria while prebiotic foods ensure these microbes thrive and multiply, thus helping restore a healthy balance of gut bacteria.

Role of probiotics

Some potential benefits of probiotics are:

GI problems:Probiotics help prevent and treat gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and constipation. They also provide symptomatic relief to people with IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcers, gastritis, etc. (4)
Allergy:Probiotics help reduce the inflammatory responses in people. Eczema shows up as patches on the skin that are dry, inflamed, and itchy. Probiotic foods have been used for reducing the severity of eczema. (5)
Immunity:Probiotics aid in the production of antibodies and strengthen your immune system. They provide a major defense against pathogens. (6)
Weight loss: Probiotics assist in weight loss. They have an appetite suppressing effect and reduce food cravings. They also limit fat absorption in the diet and instead encourage the body to excrete the fat. (7)
Nutrient production: Probiotics produce several essential nutrients such as vitamin K and certain B-vitamins like biotin and vitamin B12. (8)
Acid production: Probiotics produce beneficial short-chain-fatty acids such as lactic acid, butyric acid, and propionic acid. These maintain the right pH in your body and support mineral absorption. Butyric acid also helps feed your colon cellsand keep them healthy. (9)
Recycle Bile: Bile isproduced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It helps digest fat. It is also required for the utilization of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. After use, it is cycled through the intestine by the microbes. For this process to occur efficiently, there should be sufficient amounts of good microbes. (10)
Detoxification: Probiotics help detoxify your body from chemicals and poisons. (11)
Antioxidant:They also act as an antioxidant that can stop the damaging effects of free radicals in your body. (12)

Role of prebiotics

Specific plant fibers act as a substrate for the good microbes to feed on. The human body can’t digest these fibers as we do not have the enzymes required to do so. These fibers, which the microbes feed on, are known as the “prebiotics”.

As the prebiotic fibers reach your intestine, probiotics feed on them, breaking down the fiber. They help us absorb nutrients from these semi-digested fibers, which would otherwise be unavailable to us. Thus the presence of probiotics and prebiotics, in the gut, improves the bioavailability of certain nutrients.

Some examples of prebiotic foods are garlic, onions, asparagus, leeks, etc. Check out the section on prebiotic foods for more examples. As the number of good microbes increases, your gut becomes healthier. (13)

Prebiotics offer many health benefits: (14)

Help in decreasing hunger
Decrease insulin resistance
Reduces cortisol response (15)
Help in calcium absorption
Strengthen immune system
Improve metabolism
Help prevent allergies
Improve triglyceride levels

7 Probiotic-Rich Foods

While probiotics are live microbes, probiotic foods are those foods that contain these live microbes. Most probiotic foods tend to be fermented. The popular foods that are rich in probiotics are:

Yogurt: Yogurt is regarded as one of the best sources of probiotics. It contains lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. It helps improve digestion and bone health.
Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut is a traditional German probiotic food that provides an abundance of good bacteria. It is made using shredded cabbage and salt and is fermented with lactic acid bacteria.
Kimchi: Kimchi is one of the most popular foods in Korea. It is very similar to sauerkraut and is usually eaten as a side dish. Kimchi is mainly made of cabbage although other vegetables such as radish are also used. Spicy seasonings including red chili paste, garlic, and ginger are added.
Kefir: Kefir is traditionally a fermented probiotic milk drink. Water kefir has also gained popularity considering the needs of vegans. It is made by adding kefir grains to cow’s milk. These grains have several strains of good bacteria and yeast, which makes kefir a diverse and potent probiotic.
Miso soup: Miso is a Japanese soup made by fermenting soybean paste with salt. Koji mold, a type of fungus, is used for the fermentation of miso. It contains millions of beneficial bacteria that support brain health, gut health, and boost immunity.
Kombucha: Kombucha is a fermented tea. It can be either green, black or white. This drink is fermented with friendly bacteria and yeast. It contains both the health benefits of tea and probiotics. Kombucha tea is known to promote a healthy immune system.
Pickled vegetables: Pickled vegetables are a great way of incorporating probiotics into your diet. These vegetables are usually left to ferment on their own, with water and salt, by the naturally present lactic acid bacteria. However, in pickles containing vinegar, live microorganisms get killed, so they are not considered probiotic foods.

12 Prebiotic Foods for a Healthy Gut

For a food item to be classified as a prebiotic, it has to meet certain criteria. (16)

They should be able to resist gastric acidity and enzymes
They should be fermented by the intestinal microflora
They should selectively stimulate the growth or activity of intestinal bacteria.

Some of the best prebiotic foods are:

Oats: Beta-glucan is the soluble fiber found in oats. This dodges the digestion and reaches the intestine to act as a probiotic booster. It also lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Overnight oats are a very good source of resistant starch.
Berries: Not only are berries loaded with natural goodness, but they also contain a good amount of resistant starch and inulin that acts as a prebiotic.
Bananas: Bananas are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Inulin is the fiber that acts as a prebiotic in bananas. Unripe green bananas contain resistant starch. This type of starch resists digestion and ferments in the gut.
Apples: Apples contain a type of soluble fiber called pectin. It accounts for 50percent of an apple’s total fiber content. Pectin increases butyrate, a short-chain-fatty acid that feeds the beneficial bacteria and decreases the growth of harmful bacteria.
Onions: Onions contain inulin and oligofructose that promotes the growth of good bacteria in the intestine.
Garlic: Garlic contains inulin and a naturally occurring prebiotic called fructooligosaccharides. It promotes the growth of Bifidobacteria in your intestine. The antibacterial properties of garlic help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
Beans: This protein-packed ingredient contains oligosaccharides that feed the probiotics in the gut. They are high in protein and an excellent source of potassium.
Peas: Peas contain resistant starch that is prebiotic and passes to the colon. Here the gut microbes ferment it to produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids.
Asparagus: Asparagus contains prebiotic fiber inulin. This boosts the growth of probiotic bacteria such as Bifidobacteriaand Lactobacillus.
Leeks: Leeks are also a member of the onion family. They contain around 1.8 g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and have zero fat. Leeks are milder and easier to digest than onions.
Almonds: Almonds are high in dietary fibers and a good source of prebiotics. 100 grams of almonds contains around 12.5 grams of fiber. It also is a nutritional powerhouse of essential nutrients like magnesium, riboflavin, and vitamin E.
Flax seeds: Flax seeds are considered superfoods and a great source of prebiotics. 29 percent of flaxseed is carbs. Of this 95 percent is actually fiber. Flaxseed consumption promotes regular bowel movement.

Side Effects of Probiotics

Even though probiotics give you innumerable health benefits, they may cause mild discomforts in some people.

Digestive problems: Probiotic foods can cause digestive issues such as bloating and constipation. In most cases, starting with a lower dose of probiotic foods or probiotic supplements and gradually increasing their amount over a few weeks helps the body adjust and avoid such side effects.
Headaches: Probiotic-rich foods produce amines such as histamines, tyramine that can excite the central nervous system. An increase or decrease in blood flow to the brain can cause headaches.
Allergies: Increased histamine levels can trigger allergies in people with compromised immune systems.
Infections: In rare cases, probiotic microbes can cause diseases. These are usually seen in people who have undergone surgeries or are suffering from prolonged illness.

Side Effects of Prebiotics

Considering that prebiotic foods are high fiber foods, too much of these can cause constipation and bloating as well. While on a high fiber diet, adequate fluid intake is a must.

Regular consumption of prebiotic foods may not suit everyone. People who should be careful are:

The ones with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or FODMAPs intolerance
People with SIBO (Small intestinal bacterial Overgrowth)

Can you take probiotics and prebiotics together?

The best way to have probiotics and prebiotics is by taking them together. Probiotic foods contain live microbes that cross the acidic environment of the stomach and reach the intestines. However, if the required food critical for their survival (prebiotic) is not present in the intestines, these probiotics cannot survive.

The combination of probiotics and prebiotics is known as “synbiotics”. This combination works synergistically and improves the chances of the survival and multiplication of probiotics. Prebiotic feed and strengthen the probiotic.

Any benefit of the probiotic you are taking will multiply if taken with the right prebiotic. One such example is the Lactobacillus species with milk sugar lactose.

Microbiome therapy: Synbiotics

The use of prebiotic and probiotic together is called microbiome therapy. There are various food sources that contain both prebiotic and probiotic. These are aged cheese, kefir, and certain yogurt.

However, the modern diet often doesn’t provide either one in sufficient amounts. In fact, the American diet meets only 5 percent of the required level of fibers. This makes us susceptible to diseases. Supplements can be a great way to fill in this gap.

The probiotic-prebiotic combination (synbiotic) is replicated in supplements quite well. Most best-selling probiotic supplements are manufactured in combination with specific prebiotics. Look out for the right types of strains, product formula, and shelf life.

Vitalitown Probiotic supplement is packed with billions of live strains of good bacteria and a water-soluble prebiotic fiber blend. It is explicitly designed to pack maximum effect.

Takeaways

Be it smooth digestion, proper mineral absorption, or even the production of certain vitamins, the right balance of gut microflora is a must. Prebiotics and probiotics have their own distinct roles to play in supporting gut health.

Often a little change in your diet or a good probiotic supplement is all you need to boost your prebiotic-probiotic intake.

If you experience any side effects with probiotic supplements, then reduce the dosage or try changing the time of intake. Experiment and see what suits your needs the best.