This landed in my inbox and indeed reminded me of Dr Michael Mosley's advice with regard to Probiotics. In one of his excellent TV programmes he mentioned how Prebiotics can be thought of as the "manure" to help Probiotics flourish in the gut.
In fact he experimented with taking Probiotic powders before bed, due to being an insomniac, and he found they helped him to sleep better. He was very impressed.
This is what the equally excellent Chris Kresser explains!
"Last week I saw a patient, Xavier, who came to see me for a number of different conditions, including eczema, prediabetes, depression, and anxiety.
As we reviewed his stool test results, I pointed out that he had very low levels of beneficial gut bacteria. Xavier replied:
“I don’t understand how that’s possible! I’ve been taking probiotics for years.”
I understand his frustration and confusion. Until recently, scientists believed that taking probiotics was the best way to increase the levels of healthy gut bacteria.
However, recent research has shown that while probiotics have numerous benefits, they don’t quantitatively increase beneficial gut microbes over the long term.
If probiotics don’t do this, what does?
Fiber.
When we eat protein, carbohydrates, and fats, enzymes in our gut break down these larger molecules into smaller molecules that we can absorb. But that doesn’t happen with fiber. Instead, it passes through our stomach and small intestine completely intact before entering the colon, where it becomes “food” for the beneficial microorganisms that live there.
And unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past 20 years, you know how critical those gut microbes are to your overall health!
Unlike probiotics, studies have shown that fiber does increase the levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut. (Fiber is also referred to as a “prebiotic,” which is defined as a nutrient that is not digestible by humans but that increases the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.)
So, if you have low levels of beneficial bacteria, don’t forget to include fiber/prebiotics in your strategy, along with probiotics.
They support each other: the probiotics are the beneficial bacteria themselves, and the prebiotics are the food these bacteria need to thrive.
I hope this helps clear things up for anyone who, like Xavier, has been confused about the different roles of probiotics and fiber/prebiotics in supporting a healthy microbiome.
In health,
Chris
P.S. On a different topic, make sure to check out my recent article on the connection between poor thyroid function and high cholesterol. This is a little-known, but common cause of high cholesterol, and most doctors are not aware of it."
Personally I find Chris Kresser who was also featured in the Broken Brain Docu-series, very centred, who has very pertinent advice to offer.😉
Poppy the 🐈
Autoimmune disease does not increase risk from Covid 19
Sorry no link, it's from an ad site, but still a good read: Improving Thyroid Hormone Conversion
So glad I went to nutritionist
