It is no secret that a healthy diet and regular exercise are important for maintaining a healthy weight, but what you may not know is that your gut health is just as important.
The good bacteria in your gut play a crucial role in your overall health and prebiotics are a great way to improve the efficiency of that good bacteria. You have probably heard of probiotics - but what are prebiotics? What is the difference between probiotics and prebiotics? And how can prebiotics benefit your health?
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. Unlike probiotics, which are live bacteria that are introduced into the gut, prebiotics are simple carbohydrates that serve as food for probiotics and other beneficial bacteria.
When these bacteria feed on prebiotics, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. This has a number of health benefits.
While prebiotics are found naturally in a variety of foods, such as onions, garlic, and bananas, they can also be added to supplements and other products.
What are the benefits of prebiotics?
Prebiotics are a type of fibre that acts as food for probiotics. Probiotics are the helpful bacteria that live in our gut that are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system, as they help to break down food, absorb nutrients, and fight off bad bacteria. Here are some of the benefits of prebiotics:
Improved digestion
When we eat prebiotics, they travel to the large intestine unchanged. The probiotics then feed on the prebiotics, which helps them to grow and flourish. In turn, the probiotics help to keep our gut healthy and improve digestion.
Prebiotics can be found in a variety of foods, including bananas, onions, leeks, garlic, artichokes, and oats. Including prebiotics in our diet is an easy way to improve gut health and digestion.
Additionally, prebiotics have been shown to promote regularity, improve the absorption of calcium and other minerals, and reduce inflammation throughout the body. So if you are looking for a way to improve your digestion, prebiotics may be worth considering.
Improved immunity
In a similar way to improving digestion, prebiotics have been shown to improve your immune system. They support your gut health and, in turn, help your bodys ability to fight off infection.
Some studies have shown that prebiotics can help reduce the risk of developing respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal infections, as well as improve the symptoms of allergies and asthma.
Additionally, prebiotics can help reduce inflammation throughout the body which can be a major contributor to many chronic diseases.
When taken as part of a healthy diet, prebiotics have a number of benefits that can help promote weight loss. Prebiotics are a type of fibre which naturally fills your up faster.
Help you lose weight
When taken as part of a healthy diet, prebiotics have a number of benefits that can help promote weight loss. Prebiotics are a type of fibre which naturally fills your up faster.
This can help to reduce overeating and snacking, as well as promoting regularity. Additionally, prebiotics have been shown to increase the production of satiety hormones which tell your brain that you are full.
This can help you to eat less throughout the day and lose weight over time. Additionally, prebiotics can also reduce the amount of fat that is absorbed by your body from the food you eat and control the sugar levels in your blood.
Reduced cholesterol
When gut bacteria are well-fed, they are able to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have a number of health benefits. One of these benefits is the ability to reduce cholesterol levels.
SCFAs help to reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the gut, and they also promote the excretion of cholesterol by the liver. As a result, prebiotics can play an important role in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
strong>Improved absorption of some minerals
Prebiotics promote the absorption of essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which have beneficial effects on bone mineralization. The SCFAs created by prebiotics aid in the acidification of the gut lumen, allowing the minerals to be more soluble and resulting in an increase in calcium-binding protein expression in the large intestine.
Nutritions impact on human health is well recognized; nevertheless, there is still a lot of ignorance surrounding some of the critical dietary components that aid human metabolism. Prebiotics are required additions to meals and may have a beneficial impact on human health.
Gut microbiota imbalances are linked to numerous diseases, and prebiotics appear to be a nonpharmacological treatment for them. Prebiotics offer a wide range of health benefits that can be enjoyed by everyone. So if you are looking for an easy way to improve your overall health, make sure to add prebiotics to your diet!
