Probiotic/Prebiotic:

Good and bad bacteria naturally exist in your gut, mouth, and on your skin. Prebiotics are nutrients that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in and on your body by feeding them. While at the same time starving and crowding out the bad bacteria that cause digestive problems, bad breath and body odor. Promoting their growth will help support a healthier balance of bacteria with more of the good and less of the bad.

How are prebiotics different from probiotics?

Both probiotics and prebiotics work to promote a healthier microbiome, for the gut, mouth, or on the skin. The difference is that, while probiotics are bacteria known to be beneficial to the body. Prebiotics are nutrients that promote the growth of the good bacteria that already exist in or on your body. Prebiotics are like fertilizing a troubled patch of grass to help it grow in more fully. While probiotics are like tossing extra patches of sod on top of the grass. Allowing the good bacteria to thrive is important for maintaining a healthy balance.

Prebiotics are a special form of dietary fiber that acts as a fertilizer for the good bacteria in your gut. Probiotics are live bacteria that can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods. A helpful metaphor to understand the difference between a prebiotic and a probiotic may be a garden. You can add seeds — the probiotic bacteria for the purposes of  this discussion. The prebiotic fiber would then be the water and fertilizer that assists the seeds to grow and flourish.

What is a microbiome? Isn’t it just in the gut?

Just as distinct climates and regions on earth allow for different species of plants and animals to live in them. There are also different environments that exist in the gut, mouth, underarms and on the skin. These areas on the body support a unique ecosystem of microorganisms to thrive in each of those regions of the body. This ecosystem of microorganisms is often referred to as a microbiome. Our prebiotic formula focuses on the microorganisms that live in the gut or intestinal tract.

How this works:

Prebiotic fiber is a non-digestible part of foods which goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon.

This fermentation process feeds beneficial bacteria colonies (including probiotic bacteria) and helps to increase the number of desirable bacteria in our digestive systems (also called the gut) that are associated with better health and reduced disease risk.

Benefits of prebiotics in controlling bad bacteria

Researchers have found that prebiotics are helpful in increasing the good bacteria already in the gut that reduce disease risk and improve general well being. [Florowska 2016] Prebiotic fiber is not as fragile as probiotic bacteria because it is not affected by heat, stomach acid, or time.  Nor does the fermentation process differ depending on the individual.

Scientific literature indicates that increasing prebiotic fiber intake supports immunity, digestive health, bone density, regularity, weight management, and brain health.

Why take supplements when we can eat fiber rich foods?

It is clearly vital to nourish a healthy bacterial mix in the colon. We can start with a foundation of healthy eating, focusing on fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. While also avoiding processed food products and sugary foods and drinks to promote health. However, it is sometimes difficult with a typical modern diet that includes processed foods and high amounts of sugar and synthetic ingredients to eat enough fermented foods and foods high in fiber.

Research has determined that for best results prebiotic should include the two types of fiber derived from the chicory root and other plants, inulin and oligofructose (not a sugar), a subset of inulin. Our Prebiotic formula includes oligofructose-enriched inulin (OEI) naturally derived from the chicory root. It is a full-spectrum prebiotic fiber that nourishes bacteria on both sides of the colon and inhibits the growth of undesirable microbiota.

The problem with probiotics:

Supplementing with both probiotics and prebiotics can be helpful, but it is important to understand that probiotics are fragile. Probiotic bacteria in supplements are only effective if they are alive. They can be killed by heat, stomach acid, or simply die with time. In addition, since hundreds of types of probiotics are available, it is hard to determine which strains are beneficial.

There are hundreds of probiotic species available. Which of these species are best for the average healthy person is still unknown. They must compete with the over 1000 bacteria species already in the gut. Probiotics must be kept alive to be active. They may be killed by heat, stomach acid, or simply die with time.

FUNCTION: Our vegan Prebiotic formula is a dairy free formula that helps to restore and repopulate beneficial bacteria or flora in the intestinal tract. A bacteria or flora balanced intestinal tract is conducive to good health in general and colon and vaginal health in particular. Proper balance and maintenance of intestinal flora helps to prevent certain diseases such as candida albicans or yeast infections which is caused by an over growth of negative bacteria.

Ingredients: Ginger, Black Walnut Hulls, Cloves, Neem, Pau D’ Arco Bark, Goldenseal, Carrot Powder, Oregon Grape Root, Yarrow, Apple Pectin, Garlic, and Tumeric