The Truth About Prebiotics And Probiotics

Fact: your digestive system houses bacteria known as prebiotics and probiotics. But there is no need to be alarmed. These bacteria are considered as the good guys. In fact, they are the ones responsible for eliminating the bad bacteria as well as inhibit yeast growth in your intestines.

Also, these prebiotics and probiotics help the body in producing vitamin K and ensuring that the immune system works properly.

What are prebiotics?

These are non-digestible elements. When eaten, prebiotics can be very beneficial to your health. To be more precise, prebiotics can stimulate the best growth of helpful bacteria.

What are probiotics?

They are living microorganisms that can be found in your gastrointestinal tract. They can also be found on yogurts, dairy products and pills. Just like the prebiotics, taking probiotics may offer certain health benefits.

In 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations – not the FDA -- defined "probiotics" as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host." WebMD

What are the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics?

There are a number of benefits you can obtain from prebiotics and probiotics. Probiotics may help lessen the symptoms of a digestive condition known as lactose intolerance. They may also help boost the immune system and prevent diarrhea and colon cancer.

Prebiotics on the other hand are known for being able to relive diarrhea and constipation. They also may lessen the chances of having type-2 diabetes and osteoporosis.

How do prebiotics and probiotics work?

The role of prebiotics and probiotics are very different but are essential to each other. The probiotics will enter the intestinal tract and help regulate many different bacteria in order to promote digestion as well as nutrient absorption. Prebiotics on the other hand act as a fertilizer to (healthy) bacterial growth. Prebiotics assists probiotics by feeding and promoting probiotics growth.

The difference between prebiotics and probiotics

There are a number of differences between the two good bacteria. Prebiotics are not affected by cold, acid, time or heat while probiotics have to be kept alive so such elements are needed to be considered. They can be killed by heat, cold or even by time.

Also, note that prebiotics are capable of nourishing the good bacteria that everyone already has in their intestinal tract, while the probiotics needs to compete with over a thousand of other bacteria present in the intestines.

There are a lot of ways for you to get the amount of good bacteria that you need and one of those is to obtain them naturally. You can eat dairy products to get probiotics and you can eat chicory, oats, onion, garlic and bananas for prebiotics.

There are also probiotics and prebiotics supplements, which have certain advantages. For one, they are packed in convenient, easy to swallow pills. Secondly, probiotics you get from, say, eating yoghurt offer transient effects. They do not colonize your guts, which is what you want and what you might get with good quality supplements.