Search Body Detox

Boost Probiotic Benefits with Prebiotics

http://blog.drdavidwilliams.com/blog/dr-david-williams/0/0/boost-probiotic-benefits-with-prebiotics

Prebiotics are substances that bacteria feed on or ferment, and are necessary to maintain a healthy bacterial balance. Most prebiotics are oligosaccharides, or long-chain sugar molecules. They’re considered to be indigestible fiber, and they mostly are, at least from our perspective. But from the perspective of the bacteria, they’re quite digestible.

Whey is a particularly effective prebiotic because of the sugars it contains. (There’s one more reason to start your day with a whey protein shake.) However, many other foods and compounds are also effective as probiotics. One that’s gotten some exposure lately is inulin, from chicory root.
 
Another that’s receiving increased attention is the kiwifruit. Studies from Hong Kong and elsewhere show that eating kiwi decreased constipation and laxative use in constipated patients by improving bowel transit time. (World J Gastroenterol 07;13:4771–4775)

Some of the benefit of kiwi comes from the fiber contained in each piece. The fruit also contains enzymes that aid in digestion and improve bowel motility, the pulsations that help move food through your digestive tract. I know that kiwi isn’t the cheapest variety of fruit available in your grocery, and it’s a very seasonal item in most parts of the country. In addition, the participants in the studies I mentioned were eating around three pieces of the fruit a day.

For those reasons, I’ve been looking for substitutes for kiwi. It turns out that the best substitute is a concentrate of kiwi itself. This concentrate maintains all the enzyme activity of the whole fruit, while packing the prebiotics into a much more convenient form.

Prebiotics are often combined with probiotics to create what’s called a synbiotic. Research in animals shows that synbiotics can help reduce the risk of colon cancer. (Food Chem Toxicol 2009 Dec 21)

Synbiotics also improve healing in patients who have undergone surgery or experienced significant injury. Trials in Greece with trauma patients showed that treatment with synbiotics reduced inflammation and the risk for pneumonia and blood infections, as well as length of stay in intensive care and the amount of time spent on mechanical ventilation. (J Trauma 09;67:815–821) (World J Surg 06;30:1848–1855)

If you find that you’re currently taking a probiotic supplement, and you’re not seeing the probiotics benefits you expected, it could be due to a lack of appropriate prebiotics.

For more information on probiotic benefits, body digestion, or bowel regularity in general, visit Dr. Williams’ Web site. While there, you can also sign up for Dr. Williams’ FREE eLetter or subscribe to his monthly newsletter.