Probiotics And Prebiotics

Not only can you find probiotics as supplements at your local pharmacy and health store but they can also be found in many foods especially fermented milk and vegetables. Foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchee, miso, kombucha, pickles, buttermilk, natto, and cheese.

                               

Probiotics have been used to treat many different conditions including both infectious and non-infectious disease. They've been specifically used in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diarrhea, enteritis, skin conditions such as eczema, allergies, inflammation, colds, oral health, immune deficiency diseases and even some types of cancers. 

The combination of prebiotics and probiotics have also proven to help different kinds of allergies by reducing both allergy and asthma symptoms and reducing the use of asthma medication.

Prebiotics can be found in vegetables and fruit.  **"They act like fertilizers that stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut."  You can find them in foods like bananas, grapefruit, apples, watermelon, nectarine, dates, figs, mushrooms, cabbage, onion, garlic, asparagus, eggplant, artichokes, oats, wheat bread and pasta, barley, cocoa, flaxseed, chickpeas, red kidney beans, and baked beans. 

So what's the difference between prebiotics and probiotics?

Prebiotics are the non digestible compounds in foods that feed the healthy bacteria in our gut. They help to protect some of the major systems in our body, systems like our immune and central nervous system, gastrointestinal system, and cardiovascular system. 

Probiotics are micro organisms found in fermented foods that help our bodies digest food. There are several types and each type of probiotic has it's own unique benefits.  So while the two may sound a lot alike they are two very different things.  And, * "Contrary to what you may think, probiotics don’t make their way into your gut and set up ‘camp’ but rather, have a ‘transient’ effect meaning that when you consume them, they do a specific job, and then they leave your gut."




Sources:

*cdhf.ca/health-lifestyle/probiotics-vs-prebiotics/
**mayoclinic.org/prebiotics-probiotics-and-your-health/art-20390058
drbrianlum.com/post/what-are-the-best-probiotics-for-allergy-symptoms
trifectanutrition.com/blog/prebiotic-foods-to-support-digestive-health
healthline.com/ " 11 Probiotic Foods That Are Super Healthy"
allrecipes.com
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.688137/full " Impact of Probiotic Bacteria on Respiratory Allergy Disorders" Laboratory of Microbiome Immunobiology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8064452/ National Library of Medicine, "Probiotics as a Possible Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of Allergies. A Narrative Review" Pub. March 21, 2021.