As a gastroenterologist, one of the most common questions I get from my patients is about "probiotics" and "probiotics". I sometime spent one third of my whole visit teaching them. They always want to know what type of probiotic and prebiotic supplements they need to take. I sometimes spend one third of the office visit teaching them around this important subject.

Probiotics are the microorganisms that are presumed to affect our "gut microbiome" in a positive way. Two major strains of bacteria found in majority of probiotics are "Saccharomyces boulardii" and "Lactobacillus acidophilus". Probiotics are naturally found in fermented foods such as greek yogurt, kefir, kimchi, tempeh, kombucha, pickles and sauerkraut. While probiotic supplements are known to have beneficial effects in our gut health, probiotic supplements are not recommended for routine use. Probiotic industry is unregulated and bioavailability of these supplements is matter of question. Stomach acid may degrade these microorganisms before they reach to our large intestine where majority of our gut microbiome reside.

Prebiotics are source of food for our gut microbiome. The major prebiotic is the dietary fiber coming form various plants. Unlike probiotics, fiber supplements have proven beneficial effect on gut health, cardiovascular health and metabolism. The fiber found in the supplement is more bioavailable since they are not structural bound with other nutrients such as amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and elements.

Listen to this episode to learn all great details about probiotics and probiotics.

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