The Difference Between Prebiotics and Probiotics
If you have looked with any depth into nutrition, you have likely run across information about prebiotics and probiotics. Sometimes people assume that these terms means the same thing, but there are significant differences. Understanding the difference between these two can be a little bit tricky, but it is certainly worth your time to do so. We decided that to help you break down the variances so you can understand how each of these supplements can benefit you and the specific aspects of your nutrition plan.
The Basic Idea
Prebiotics and probiotics both play an essential role in your health. Probiotics are live bacteria that are found in a variety of different types of foods that can help promote good digestive health and the flora of your intestinal tract. Several health benefits have been linked with probiotics.
Prebiotics are not bacteria at all but are actually considered food for the “good” bacteria within your digestive system. This helps to ensure that these bacteria can grow and multiply to keep your digestion functioning at peak efficiency. Prebiotics are typically made of carbohydrates, primarily fiber, that is not digestible by humans. Instead, the bacteria consume the prebiotics.
The Benefits of Probiotics
The idea of bacteria being a beneficial part of your health can seem like a contradictory statement with our typical understanding of bacterial infections, sickness, and basic hygiene. However, some bacteria have evolved to thrive in our intestinal system, and it benefits their survival to keep us in great shape. In fact, these bacteria offer a variety of different benefits for us.
- Protection – There are several different fungi and harmful bacteria that enter or try to grow within our bodies every day. Fungi or bacteria can enter the body by eating something, touching something, or otherwise coming into contact with something that has trace amounts of it. Probiotics can aid a strong immune system. The good bacteria can play a significant role in stopping the spread or replication of certain types of bacteria and fungi in your digestive system.
- Nutrition – Probiotics do not just simply hang out in the gut and fight off potentially infectious bacteria. These specialized bacteria also produce vitamin K and short-chain fatty acids. Vitamin K is responsible for helping your blood clot and can prevent or help slow bleeding. The short-chain fatty acids are the food preferred by the cells that line the colon. These cells help to keep a strong barrier against viruses, bacteria, and infection. When infections are found in the digestive tract, they can cause inflammation that has been linked to increases in cancer. Keeping these cells well-fed can help reduce your chances of getting cancer.
Keeping Probiotics Happy
Probiotics can be damaged by a variety of factors that we put into our systems every day. Diet, infection, and sickness can all play a significant role in reducing the number of healthy bacteria in our systems and leave us more susceptible to adverse health issues. While many foods contain benefits for probiotics, you can always increase your intake by adding prebiotics to your diet.
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