Did you know that bacteria is an essential part of your gut health?
In your GI tract, there are communities of bacteria called our gut microbiome. These bacteria help break down our food, support our immune system, and more.
When you hear “bacteria", you may think of infections or diseases, but there are good bacteria too! Believe it or not, our gut has trillions of them!
Instead of trying to kill these bacteria, it’s important to fuel and strengthen the healthy ones. They help keep our digestive systems running smoothly.
They also play a role in several other things like hormone and blood pressure regulation.
But, how can you protect and promote healthy bacteria in your gut? One of the best ways is by taking prebiotics.
So what are prebiotics, and how do they work?
Let’s dive into what prebiotics are and what role they can play in your health and even fitness goals!
What Is a Prebiotic?
Prebiotics are the nutrients that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. More specifically, prebiotics are dietary fibers that feed those bacteria.
When bacteria in your gut break down prebiotics, they produce short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids then become an energy source for cells in the large intestine.
Think of prebiotics as a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest. Your stomach acid and digestive enzymes literally can't break them down. But, this isn't a bad thing!
In fact, it allows them to survive the digestive cycle to reach and fertilize the GI tract. This happens more so in the colon where they are broken down, but not absorbed.
There are several types of prebiotics out there. The three most common types of prebiotics are:
• Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)
• Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
• Trans-galacto-oligosaccharides (TOS)
These are types of soluble fiber, which means they are able to dissolve in water.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, does not dissolve in water.
While both types of fiber are beneficial in their own way, insoluble fiber makes for a better prebiotic. Soluble fiber is fermented more and feeds bacteria in the gut. Insoluble fiber creates bulk in your stool but doesn’t feed bacteria as much (1).
So, when you hear about prebiotics, just remember we're talking about soluble fiber.
What Is the Difference Between a Prebiotic and a Probiotic?
Probiotics and prebiotics sound similar, but there are key differences between them.
Probiotics are live bacteria that support your health. You can get them from plenty of different foods and supplements. Probiotics play a major role in our immune system, digestion, and our ability to fight pathogens (2).
Prebiotics are types of dietary fiber that feed the probiotics in your gut. Taking prebiotics helps those healthy bacteria grow and thrive.
So, both prebiotics and probiotics play a major role in your gut health!
Trust me, I’ve been taking probiotics and a prebiotic supplement for a while, and I notice a big difference! I feel better, get sick less often, and my digestion has been more regular.
All good things that come with a healthy gut!
Why Should I Take a Prebiotic?
We’ve talked about the importance of prebiotics a little so far. But trust me, they offer quite a few more benefits than meets the eye.
So, what are prebiotics good for specifically?
Prebiotics are an essential part of your GI health and can affect so many aspects of the rest of your body.
Some of the benefits of prebiotics include:
• Regulating bowel movements, and improving constipation (3)
• Creating neurotransmitters that help your brain and gut communicate, and affect mood (4)
• Helping maintain hormones that impact appetite and appetite suppression (5)
• Improving bone density by helping your body absorb calcium (6)
• Keeping your stress hormones in check (7)
• Increasing the production of good bacteria while decreasing the bad bacteria (7)
• Potentially aiding in weight loss by helping regulate appetite, metabolism, and hormones (5)
...and seriously, this is just to name some of the "bigger" things they can help support.
At this point, you're probably wondering: "How can I get more prebiotics?" Well, for one, you'll find prebiotics in a variety of different foods.
Foods That Contains Prebiotics
Prebiotics are mainly found in carbohydrate-type foods. After all, prebiotic fiber is a type of non-digestible carbohydrate.
You’ll get prebiotics from food groups like fruits, veggies, and whole grains:
• Green vegetables like artichokes, green beans, asparagus, and broccoli
• Fruits such as apples, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, apricots, carrots, peaches, and berries
• Barley, chicory, dandelion greens, garlic, and konjac and yacon root
• Flaxseed, oats, rice, and wheat
• Soybeans and legumes
Heck, some foods can even have prebiotics added to them. This can actually be a common practice in different breads, cereals, and yogurts.
When you're shopping, look for ingredients like:
• Galactooligosaccharides
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Oligofructose
• Chicory fiber
• Resistant starches
• Pectin
• Inulin
All of these can be added to foods and supplements to increase the fiber content. You can typically find them on the ingredients list, so pay attention to the foods you buy at the grocery store.
How Do I Get More Prebiotics?
It’s best to get as many of your prebiotics from naturally occurring, whole foods as possible. Getting enough isn’t always easy, though.
If you’re like most people, you likely aren’t getting nearly enough. In fact, only about 5% of the population gets enough prebiotic fiber on a daily basis (8).
That’s where a good prebiotic fiber supplement can help. I’m actually part of the 95% that doesn’t get enough. It’s hard to have a perfect diet, and with so many things to focus on it can feel impossible.
Women need about 25 grams per day, while men need about 38 grams per day (9).
That’s why I personally use a fiber supplement. I’m not getting anywhere close to that amount without one! It makes my life a whole lot easier by giving me one less thing to focus on.
The one I use, and recommend, is 1st Phorm's Multi-Fiber. It has 9 grams of prebiotic fiber in each scoop, and the flavors taste awesome! All I do is add it to water and drink it down at any point throughout the day!
The mango pineapple is my favorite flavor, but everyone has their own preferences. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Don’t continue living your life without getting all the prebiotics you need. Trust me, your gut will thank you when you start giving it the prebiotics it needs.
Give Multi-Fiber a try here!
If you have any questions or need any help, just know that's what we're here for!
We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central.
References:
(1) Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis RH Jr, Ferreri S, Knudtson M, Koraym A, Waters V, Williams CL. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutr Rev. 2009 Apr;67(4):188-205. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x. PMID: 19335713.
(2) Bodke H, Jogdand S. Role of Probiotics in Human Health. Cureus. 2022 Nov 9;14(11):e31313. doi: 10.7759/cureus.31313. PMID: 36514580; PMCID: PMC9733784.
(3) Naseer M, Poola S, Uraz S, Tahan V. Therapeutic Effects of Prebiotics on Constipation: A Schematic Review. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2020;15(3):207-215. doi: 10.2174/1574884715666200212125035. PMID: 32048977.
(4) Ansari F, Neshat M, Pourjafar H, Jafari SM, Samakkhah SA, Mirzakhani E. The role of probiotics and prebiotics in modulating of the gut-brain axis. Front Nutr. 2023 Jul 26;10:1173660. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1173660. PMID: 37565035; PMCID: PMC10410452.
(5) Cerdó T, García-Santos JA, G Bermúdez M, Campoy C. The Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity. Nutrients. 2019 Mar 15;11(3):635. doi: 10.3390/nu11030635. PMID: 30875987; PMCID: PMC6470608.
(6) Whisner CM, Weaver CM. Prebiotics and Bone. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1033:201-224. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-66653-2_10. PMID: 29101657.
(7) Bevilacqua A, Campaniello D, Speranza B, Racioppo A, Sinigaglia M, Corbo MR. An Update on Prebiotics and on Their Health Effects. Foods. 2024 Jan 30;13(3):446. doi: 10.3390/foods13030446. PMID: 38338581; PMCID: PMC10855651.
(8) Quagliani D, Felt-Gunderson P. Closing America's Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016 Jul 7;11(1):80-85. doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079. PMID: 30202317; PMCID: PMC6124841.
(9) Ioniță-Mîndrican CB, Ziani K, Mititelu M, Oprea E, Neacșu SM, Moroșan E, Dumitrescu DE, Roșca AC, Drăgănescu D, Negrei C. Therapeutic Benefits and Dietary Restrictions of Fiber Intake: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 26;14(13):2641. doi: 10.3390/nu14132641. PMID: 35807822; PMCID: PMC9268622.
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