All what you need to know behind the word"Prebiotics"

We have talked a lot about Fibers that are good for your intestinal transit and digestion.

• But what do you really know about Prebiotics?
• Are the Dietary Fibers all act as Prebiotic Fibers?
• Prebiotics are just regular fibers?

The answer might be obvious but these are actually not quite the same ingredient...because some are insoluble fibers and others are called soluble fibers. The insoluble fibers will boost your bowel movement and avoid the constipation, while prebiotics as soluble fibers will support your Gut Health and Wellbeing.

Let's find out more in this article:

1. Where can we find prebiotics?
2. How do they work and associated health benefits?

The prebiotics term is derived from the Latin preposition “pre” which means “before” and the Greek word “biotic” meaning “bios” or “life".

Your body and especially your digestive system is home to trillions of bacteria, both good and bad forming a total weight in your gut between 1.5KG and 2.5KG which can vary for each individual. In the other hand, Prebiotics are a kind of fiber extracted from special plant roots, fruits, grains, beans that keep feeding healthy bacteria also called Probiotics to grow in your gut that keeps you away from bad bacteria like the pathogenic ones (S. aureus, Salmonella, E. coli, C. difficile, H. pylori, etc.). This makes your digestive system work better and more efficiently to prevent you from some health issues. The addition of Prebiotics + Probiotics is oftenly called a "synbiotic" as a metabolism synergy appears when both are together.

1. Where Do You Find Them?

Not all dietary fibers are prebiotic with a positive effect on your gut microbiome. You’ll find naturally present prebiotics in many fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Some examples of food with their prebiotic amounts and their daily serving amount:

• Raw asparagus: Fiber By Weight= 5.0%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 120 grams.
• Raw bananas: Fiber By Weight= 1.0%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 600 grams.
• Chicory root: Fiber By Weight= 64.6%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 9.3 grams.
• Jerusalem artichoke: Fiber By Weight= 31.5%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 19 grams.
• Raw dandelion greens: Fiber By Weight= 24.3%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 24.7 grams.
• Raw Garlic: Fiber By Weight= 17.5%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 34.3 grams.
• Raw leeks: Fiber By Weight= 11.7.%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 51.3 grams.
• Cooked onions: Fiber By Weight= 5.0%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 120 grams.
• Raw wheat bran: Fiber By Weight= 5.0%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 120 grams.
• Baked wheat flour: Fiber By Weight= 4.8%, Amount of Daily Serving Needed= 125 grams.

Some other sources of prebiotics:

• Tomatoes, Soybeans, Green vegetables, Legumes (peas and beans), Oats, Barley, Berries, etc.

It is recommended to take 5g minimum to 20g of prebiotics a day to have a Happy Gut.

 From International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)

The intake of higher amounts could cause some unwanted effects like gas or bloating due to gut bacteria metabolizing too much prebiotic fibers.

Some innovative food products have been added with prebiotics. You might hear this called fortified. They include:

• Bread (traditional baguette, whole grain, whole wheat, Rye bread, etc.)
• Cereal (morning cereals, diet en-cas, etc.)
• Cookies (whole wheat, quinoa cookies,etc.)
• Baby formula (milk powder, rice powder, etc.)
• Yogurt (combined with selected probiotic strains)
• Food supplements (capsules or sachets)

These product will usually not express the term probiotic directly on the label but will instead write these terms:

• Inulin
• Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)
• Galactooligosaccharides (GOS)
• Xylooligosaccharide (XOS)
• Oligofructose
• Chicory fiber
• Jerusalem artichoke

Prebiotics are naturally present in the maternal milk and babies can get them from their mother’s milk called Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HMO) which are beneficial for the baby's gut colonization and gut health for a stronger immunity development.

Did you know that honey has also a prebiotic effect on our gut microbiota?

2. How Do They Work?

Prebiotics are carbohydrates (polysaccharides) your body can't digest directly. So they enter your lower digestive tract, where they act like fertilizers to help the healthy bacteria grow. Without prebiotics, good bacteria will lack of good food (digestible fiber) and energy for their optimum metabolism.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Prebiotic Supplements?

In addition to feeding your good gut bacteria, prebiotics have proven health benefits when consumed regularly in enough quantities:

The current main health benefits are as the following:

1. Bone health

2. Immune systen enhancement

3. Heart health and cholesterol reduction

4. Mental health

5. Leaky gut prevention

6. Eczema

7. Obesity and weight control

Let's find out more details on how prebiotic can benefit our health:

1. BONE HEALTH

Prebiotics increase the absorption of calcium and magnesium according research on post-menopausal women. (1) A deficiency of estrogen in menopause is associated with a decreased absorption of calcium while magnesium deficiency is also linked to bone loss. The study demonstrated that oligofructose could improve the absorption of minerals and lead to healthier and stronger bones.

2. IMMUNE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT

There is evidence that prebiotic supplements can boost the immune system in times of anxiety or increased stress. One study published in 2011 was carried out on 419 healthy college students to examine the benefits of prebiotic supplementation. (2)

The students randomly separated into three groups received either 5 grams, 2.5 grams or no prebiotic supplement for an eight week period leading up to, during and following their final examinations. The students who received prebiotic supplements suffered fewer gastrointestinal problems such as constipation, diarrhea, indigestion or abdominal pain.

Those who received the highest 5 gram supplement experienced 40% fewer days with cold and flu. These findings suggest that prebiotic supplements might have a beneficial protective effect on the system especially during times of stress.

3. HEART HEALTH AND CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and it is predicted to remain the world’s biggest killer for decades to come. A reduction in cardiovascular disease is a priority and there is some evidence to suggest that prebiotics can work to reduce cholesterol levels and improve the health of your heart but the results of research have been mixed and the evidence is inconclusive. (4)

Research has however indicated that prebiotics might reduce cholesterol levels. One study on 23 people with high lipids demonstrated that a combination of soy protein and a prebiotic (FOS) might reduce LDL cholesterol. (5)

4. MENTAL HEALTH

It seems an odd concept that the bacteria inhabiting your gut could have any sort of effect on your brain but recent research carried out by researchers at Oxford University has demonstrated that it does. (6) According to the study, consuming prebiotics affected emotional responses as well as the levels of stress hormones produced by otherwise healthy volunteers.

The researchers at Oxford sought to discover whether prebiotics had a similar affect in lowering anxiety as probiotics.

Volunteers were separated into three groups taking either a placebo or one of two types of prebiotic for a three week period. At the end of the three weeks volunteers were required to complete a set of tasks to test emotional processing.

The results were conclusive. Volunteers that took a certain prebiotic (B-GOS) paid more attention to positive words and less to negative words than those in the other groups. What is more, those taking the same prebiotic had a reduced level of cortisol- a stress hormone in examined saliva at the conclusion of the study.

It is worth noting that volunteers who took another type of prebiotic – FOS – demonstrated neither of these beneficial effects. Previous studies had already demonstrated that B-GOS stimulated intestinal microbe growth more than FOS and this study highlighted the difference.

When considering a prebiotic supplement, it is important to realize that all prebiotics are not created equal.

5. LEAKY GUT PREVENTION

Maintaining a healthy balance of gut flora is essential; these good bacteria help to line the colon and protect the body from pathogens. When this lining is weakened, the intestines can become permeable and can cause harmful bacteria and pathogens to enter the blood stream. This condition is often referred to as ‘leaky gut’ syndrome and can lead to a number of complaints.

6. ECZEMA

Prebiotic supplements in baby formulas might help prevent the development of eczema and dermatitis according to research. It is already established that mother’s breast milk contains naturally produced prebiotics which promote the healthy development of the infant’s immune system and protect against allergies.

The study carried out in Germany and published in 2006 sought to test the ability of prebiotics to reduce incidence of skin allergies in high risk infants whose mothers could not breast feed their children. After 16 months, significantly fewer of the children fed the prebiotic formula had developed symptoms of eczema compared with the control group. (3)

The study also showed that the group taking prebiotic formula had significantly greater levels of beneficial stomach microbes compared to the group fed with normal infant formulas. The researchers concluded that prebiotic supplements could improve the immune system by changing the gut bacteria. This leads to a reduction in the chance of atopic dermatitis developing in children who are at risk of skin allergies.

7. OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL

Several studies have shown that certain prebiotics, specifically inulin type fructans can alter the composition of gut microbes and moderately aid weight loss in obese people. (7)

Prebiotic supplements are available in several different forms and are relatively cheap. They are considered to be perfectly safe but if you are thinking about purchasing a supplement, it is certainly worth spending the time to research their content as many appear to contain no more than processed corn and vegetables. Whether you feel it is worth spending that money on supplements or try to add more prebiotic fiber diet depends entirely on you.

Taking care of your Gut Health is your Top Priority and only natural, low processed foods, food supplements and good nutrition with enough physical activity will allow you to reach this Goal for Good Health.

I hope this article made you understand more what is behind the term "prebiotics" and their importance and more aware of our gut health.

Wishing you a Healthy Week!

Arnaud

If you liked this article, you can also join this incredible LinkedIn Group dedicated to Microbiome, Probiotics & Prebiotics, Health and Nutrition topics, with already more than 1500 active members.

Click here to read my previous article entitled "Insight on Probiotics: Active supporters of our Health".

Sources:

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17298707
2. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/6/1305.full
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2066015/
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2904929/
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20096897
6. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-014-3810-0
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23135760
8. https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/prebiotics-overview
9. https://www.prebiotin.com/foods-containing-prebiotics/
10. https://healthyfocus.org/7-proven-benefits-of-prebiotic-supplements/