Food is metabolized by gut microbes, which also help bolster our immune systems. The last few years have seen a large increase in the amount of research being conducted on gut health in general. There is still much to be learned about the big picture, but a few areas of research have jumped ahead of the pack.

These areas of research include probiotics and prebiotics. You’ve probably heard both of these terms at one point or another. But what’s the difference between them?

Probiotics Vs. Prebiotics

It’s actually very simple to break down: Probiotics are actual bacteria (healthy bacteria) while prebiotics is basically food that enriches the diet of probiotic bacteria. So, probiotics: are healthy bacteria. Prebiotic: food for probiotic bacteria.

Fiber is the most common content in prebiotics. Gut bacteria are able to manufacture some prebiotics on their own, but enriching the food supply for probiotic bacteria has been the area of focus for recent studies.

“Dietary fibers are more complicated than you may think because there are so many subtle differences in their chemical makeup,” says Julie Stefanski, registered dietitian, nutritionist, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. 

“Researchers are studying prebiotics as a possible aid to many health conditions, including allergies, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, skincare, and also how they could bolster the health of lungs and the reproductive tract. Prebiotics are even being studied as an intervention for COVID-19 with the idea that a healthy immune system — bolstered by diet and nutrition — can help your body fight off viral infections. If some of the research pans out, prebiotics could fuel a new generation of food products.”

What’s In Prebiotics?

Prebiotics contain mostly complex carbohydrates that are low-digestible. Microbes in the gut use these fibers, which can help strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Prebiotics are healthy foods but can be hard to digest without the right mix of probiotic bacteria.

Foods like lentils, bananas, onions, and whole grains make up the base of a prebiotic-friendly diet. Some fermented foods that contain prebiotics also pack double the benefit and contain probiotics as well. They include sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kombucha, among others.

Most prebiotics is low-digestible, complex carbohydrates. Some examples of prebiotics are whole grains, bananas, onions, legumes like chickpeas and lentils, and greens. If you choose 

The Future of Prebiotics and Probiotics

Current research is looking at many things. At the top of the list are combinations of prebiotics and probiotics that work together to aid the digestive system.

“Prebiotics are not as simple as adding asparagus to the diet. When you think about something like food, we are very cautious when we use this kind of language. We think there has to be a really deep commitment to understanding the components of food that affect functions of the microbiota that in turn affects humans.” 

“In a recent series of papers in Cell, Elife, and Cell Host & Microbe the team studied how prebiotic fiber is selectively used by gut microbes by designing a biosensor — a series of artificial food particles attached to microscopic glass beads. A color label helps track the beads. The team sent the nutrient-decorated beads into the intestinal tracts of specialized mice with specific human gut communities.” 

Research like this is allowing us to look at prebiotics and postbiotics like never before. Finding the optimal balance between probiotics and the prebiotics they consume is the goal while discovering how to properly apply that relationship to our diet is the end game. 

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The global probiotics market has grown tremendously in the last couple of years; especially in the supplement form. In 2021, the probiotics industry was >48 billion dollars with a 22% increase in probiotic supplements from 2019 to 2021. This increasing use of probiotic supplements is due to the evidence that probiotics support GI health. Further, clinical research has demonstrated the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infections, abdominal pain in children, and infant colic to name a few.

Reacting to the increase in consumer demand and growth in the industry, researchers are developing novel probiotic strains at a fast pace while considering the impact of processing, storage, gastrointestinal survivability, and functionality of the cells. A key consideration during formulation is compatibility with other ingredients. Probiotic strains may be encapsulated to ensure survivability in the GI tract, during processing, and for application when added to different food matrices such as powders, bars, gummies, infant formula, and pet food.

The most widely used probiotic strains belong to two main genera, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, due to their abundance in the human gut and GRAS status. Species of other genera such as Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Streptococcus are also used as probiotic supplements.

Irrespective of probiotics with multiple strains or single strains, in capsule, powder, or as an additive in a food matrix, the level claimed on the label needs verification. Mérieux NutriSciences offers this verification in CFUs or AFUs and has experience with a variety of probiotic strains and their applications. Our services also include testing for contaminants to ensure the safety of probiotics for human consumption.

To qualify as probiotics, strains need to be viable and have a health benefit when consumed. Clinical studies help identify the minimal and optimal doses that probiotics exert on a favorable outcome. Biofortis, Mérieux NutriScience’s sister company, offers clinical research testing to demonstrate GI survivability and health benefit claim studies.

Our Mérieux NutriScience laboratory and Biofortis Research clinical trial services will support you through your product lifecycle and beyond ensuring a high-quality probiotic formulation supported by data.

We are eager to help!

Contact Us

1. International Probiotics Association Europe. Global and European probiotic market insights 2018-2021. IPAEurope website. https://www.ipaeurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Market-data-probiotics-2018-2021.pdf
2. Probiotics in Disease Prevention and Treatment https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6656559/
3. The Development of High-Quality Multispecies Probiotic Formulations: From Bench to Market. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468868/
4. Encapsulated probiotic cells: Relevant techniques, natural sources as encapsulating materials and food applications – A narrative review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996920307079#:~:text=Several%20techniques%20are%20currently%20available,%2C%20%26%20Tzia%2C%202020

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The research focused on modulating the effects of related metabolic processes to learn about how they contribute to healthy aging.

What is Frailty Syndrome?

Frailty Syndrome is a condition commonly found in geriatric patients that embodies a generally elevated risk of health issues and decline. Symptoms commonly associated with Frailty Syndrome include:

• Exhaustion
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Notable slowing down (activities taking much longer than they should)
• Difficulties with formerly easy tasks

Frailty syndrome has been linked to sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and many types of muscle weakness associated with aging. Frailty Syndrome has been identified as a risk factor for dementia.

Ongoing research into Frailty Syndrome has specifically focused on the combinations of factors that may lead to its development. Scientists agree that aging and major health conditions are large contributing factors to developing Frailty Syndrome but are still researching how FS causes issues for major systems throughout the body.

Gut Microbiota & Frailty Syndrome

Gut microbiotas are grouped into three enterotypes; Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Ruminococcus. These enterotypes constitute the main gut microbiome and appear similarly in various age groups. Gut microbiomes are also modulated by epithelial morphology, genetic characteristics of the host, epithelial immune components, and exposure to external compounds. 

Aging impacts intestinal permeability, which modifies microbes and metabolites in circulation, affecting the immune system. Aging influences the brain-intestine axis and the intestinal microflora, which in turn, affects the gut microbiome via a bidirectional relationship. 

The microbes in the gut react to stressors that affect immune responses. Age also alters activities of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA)––evident through the modifications in circadian cortisol levels.

Malnutrition predisposes individuals to cognitive frailty and affects cognitive problems associated with frailty syndrome. Deficiencies of nearly all micronutrients are a characteristic of Frailty Syndrome.

Supplementation to help Frailty Syndrome is easily achievable. Antioxidants eliminate free radicals, thereby decreasing the oxidative stress that is associated with a decrease in cognitive function.

Probiotic & Prebiotic Supplementation for Frailty Syndrome

Changes to lifestyles and diets can aid in the long-term maintenance of healthy gut microbiota, which can help with healthy aging and avoiding Frailty Syndrome. Preventing malnutrition and improving gut-microbiome composition go a long way in preventing frailty as the aging process sets in. Probiotic and prebiotic supplementation offers a modality in such intervention.

While supplementation may not ‘cure’ Frailty Syndrome directly, it can be beneficial toward the treatment of conditions that may lead to FS if left untreated.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs.

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Biotic supplements aren’t typical vitamin and mineral products. How are they different? Let’s take a quick look at the definitions of probiotic, prebiotic, and postbiotic.

Probiotics, Prebiotics, & Postbiotics

The biotics sound so similar that you may think it will be a hassle to remember what each one does. It’s actually very simple to break down: Probiotics are actual bacteria (beneficial bacteria) while prebiotics is basically a food that enriches the diet of probiotics and our healthy endogenous microbiota.

Prebiotics are generally non-digestible carbohydrates, or dietary fibers,  Gut bacteria are able to manufacture some prebiotics on their own; however, providing prebiotics that targets specific beneficial gut bacteria and probiotics from supplements has been an area of focus for recent studies.

Postbiotics are bioactive compounds that develop when probiotic bacteria feed on prebiotic food (mainly fibers) in your intestinal tract (e.g., colon). Postbiotics are technically considered waste products of probiotic bacteria metabolism, but they offer many health benefits to the host (you!).

To sum up: probiotics contain healthy live bacteria, prebiotics are food for probiotics and for your own beneficial bacteria, and postbiotics are bioactive compounds secreted from the probiotics that have potential health benefits.

Probiotics and Beauty Products

Probiotics used in beauty products may be enhanced with prebiotics and postbiotics but often show up on ingredient lists alone. This is what surprises people most; living organisms are often the main ingredient in modern beauty products. Why?

Different ‘good’ bacteria are used in probiotic products, depending on the goals for the product. Probiotics used in skin care products often look to exfoliate the skin or provide benefits to skin softness. Some skincare products with probiotics aim at helping alleviate heavy acne. Others look at creating a ‘more diverse microbiome’ on the skin to promote overall skin health.

As probiotics are mostly helpful bacteria, there isn’t really anything to worry about if your beauty products contain them. Biotics in general has pronounced effects when used as an internal supplement for the gut. This means there shouldn’t be any actively harmful effects when applied externally. If you have specific concerns about beauty products with probiotics, talk to your dermatologist.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs.

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