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Do Probiotics Need Prebiotics to Work?

Aug 11, 2011 | By Charis Grey
Do Probiotics Need Prebiotics to Work?
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Probiotics are micro-organisms that can deliver health benefits when consumed live. Prebiotics are foods that pass through the human digestive system and serve as food for the probiotic micro-organisms that inhabit the intestinal tract. Since probiotics provide health benefits only when they remain live in the human body and they need a food source to stay alive, probiotics do indeed need prebiotics in order to work.

Normal Intestinal Flora

Beneficial bacteria normally inhabit the human body in large numbers. About 100 trillion bacteria are typically found inside each person, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. This bacterial colony resides largely in your colon and forms a microenvironment referred to as your "normal flora." When this internal colony of probiotic micro-organisms is decimated, as can occur following a course of antibiotic medication, your gastrointestinal system can be vulnerable to infection by harmful bacteria.

Probiotics Explained

Foods and supplements containing probiotic micro-organisms help support your normal bacterial flora and keep out harmful pathogens. The health benefits of ingesting live microbes were first noted by Elie Metchnikoff, a Nobel laureate and scientist who noticed that Bulgarian peasants who ate lots of yogurt containing live bacterial cultures often lived to be over 100 years of age.

Prebiotics and Fermentable Fiber

The probiotic microbes that inhabit your intestinal tract depend on fermentable fiber as a source of nourishment. Your body is incapable of breaking down fermentable fibers, so they pass through your stomach and intestines undigested until the probiotic microbes consume them and use them as an energy source.

Effects of Prebiotics on Probiotics

A study conducted at the School of Food Biosciences at the University of Reading found that subjects who consumed a diet high in prebiotic foods increased their intestinal populations of beneficial bacteria by 133 million cells, whereas those who consumed a diet high in probiotic foods saw little change in the size of their intestinal bacteria numbers. Though more research is needed, it appears that consuming prebiotics may be a more effective way of increasing probiotic health than consuming probiotics.

Sources of Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotic microbes are found in fermented dairy products such as yogurt, kefir and cultured buttermilk, as long as these products have not been subjected to processes such as pasteurization, which can kill probiotic microbes. Probiotics are also available as nutritional supplements sold in natural food stores.

Prebiotics occur naturally in a range of fiber-rich foods, such as onions, garlic, whole grains, honey and artichokes. Some manufacturers of processed foods are also adding prebiotics to their products so that they can increase their fiber content and capitalize on the rising popularity of prebiotic foods.

References

Article reviewed by Eric Lochridge Last updated on: Aug 11, 2011

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