Prebiotics : What You Need To Know About Prebiotics

Many people have the wrong perception that prebiotics are like probiotics where the living micro-organisms are living in the human body. Prebiotics are not micro-organisms, but some kind of foods which cannot be digested. Unlike normal foods which can be digested immediately upon consumption, prebiotics preserve their original form through our digestive systems thereby promoting the growth of these healthy bacteria in the intestine.

As with the increasing number of healthy bacteria thriving in the intestine, the effect is known as prebiotic effect. It is these excellent environments that allows the healthy bacteria to grow and with a sufficient number of them in the intestine, they are able to ward off invading pathogens and other harmful bacteria and yeasts which in turn promote great health and well-being.

Prebiotics and probiotics work in synergy in promoting great health. Now how do they actually work? As probiotics are live micro-organisms that enters our body through the foods that we eat, a huge number of them are ending up in the intestine. Their role in the intestine is to kill off the bad bacteria and to control the size of their colonies. Besides, these good bacteria also creates an acidic environment which is hostile for the harmful yeasts such as candida to grow, and with that, all these can only be achieved if there is somewhere where these good bacteria can live and reproduce.

This is where the prebiotics come into the picture. As prebiotics are food stuffs that are indigestible and become a great living space for the probiotics to thrive upon reaching the intestine, they nevertheless work in synergy in promoting the health of the host.

This synergy of the prebiotics and probiotics, also known as synbiotics is being researched and developed and it will soon become the next great new product to hit the market.

Generally, prebiotics are simply made up of carbohydrates. They are mainly classified as soluble fiber and can be found in a wide range of foods. In fact, prebiotics can even be classified into two categories, namely the short-chain and long-chain prebiotics. The difference between short-chain and long-chain prebiotics are simply the amount of time that they take to become fermented. As they gradually become fermented, they will nourish the probiotics. Short-chain prebiotics tend to ferment more quickly than long-chain prebiotics and therefore is more beneficial to the probiotics living right at the beginning sections of the large intestine. On the other hand, long-chain prebiotics takes longer to be fermented, so they widely benefits the far-end sections of the large intestine.

Fibers that contains both short-chain and long-chain prebiotics are known as full spectrum prebiotics. Some of the main sources of prebiotics are garlics, onions, asparagus, wheat bran and bananas, and in addition, they are also added to a number of daily foods today such as biscuits, cereals, yogurts and even drinks.

Nonetheless, prebiotics play a very crucial role in promoting our overall health. Studies have also found that they have the potential to prevent and halt the early stage colon cancer. Therefore, if you are thinking of living healthily, then adding prebiotics to your daily food consumption may be the best solution.