The Lowdown on Probiotics and Prebiotics

Prebiotics and probiotics are hot topics, and for good reason.

We have a community of organisms living within our body called the microbiome (small life). These are largely in the gut but everywhere, including the skin. These guys govern so many processes within the body, and scientists are constantly discovering more and more about what they do.

Often when we think about the microbiome when we think gut health, but actually we know that the health and balance of these organisms can affect:

- Energy

- Mood

- Sleep

- Skin health

- Immunity

- Inflammation

- Hormonal balance

And much more...

Our probiotic bacteria are the good guys (pro=for and bio=life). They work to regulate digestion and maintain balance in many many other areas of the body. We also have less helpful organisms (eg candida) which we need but in small amounts, and the balance between the helpful and less helpful organisms is the key to health of the gut and therefore the rest of the body. If our digestion is out of whack (which could be partly due to an imbalance in the microbiome) this can affect our nutrient absorption and therefore the health of all other body systems.

Prebiotics are the food for the probiotics, and are made of fibre which the good guys feed on. The less helpful organisms feed on sugar and starches and absolutely thrive in the presence of alcohol and after antibiotics, when our probiotic bacteria get wiped out.

There are many things we can do to support a healthy microbiome balance such as:

• Eat a diet rich in a variety of fibre: fruit / veg / nuts / seeds / wholegrains

• Minimise sugar and starches (white flour based products / bread / white rice / pasta)

• Avoid / minimise alcohol

• Take probiotic/prebiotic supplements. These can be used safely and regularly to maintain a healthy balance, and medicinally to treat digestive issues and other concerns related to a microbiome imbalance.

There are a wide variety of supplements available, however certain strains of probiotics are known to help treat certain conditions (eg saccromyces boullardi helps to heal leaky gut which is a causative factor with allergies and autoimmunity). Like with all medication and supplementation though, the cause of our concerns should be investigated and treated as well as using these, otherwise when you stop, the issue will return.

The science on probiotic medicine is absolutely fascinating, and I'm seeing some great results from using specific probiotics and prebiotics medicinally. One of the safest and most effective treatments available on the market.