The Difference Between Probiotics & Prebiotics

When it comes to bettering and maintaining good health (especially gut health), it is a team effort. You try your best by avoiding sugary and starchy foods, eating nutritious meals, and getting plenty of exercise that targets several parts of the body. Nonetheless, even after taking all the correct precautions, your body is still in need of probiotics. As it is commonly known to many, probiotics are minute bacteria that reside in your stomach and digestive tract. Differing from the damaging forms that can lead to disease and infections, probiotics work to sustain a strong and healthy environment inside your gut. Researchers have studied and observed how exactly probiotics aid the body and have found the beneficial bacteria to have a positive effect on digestion, especially for individuals who live with gastrointestinal disorders. Additionally, studies have discovered that probiotics may be helpful for illnesses separate from the digestive system such as rheumatoid arthritis and even asthma.

Many healthy individuals search for supplements and foods that include probiotics because of its multitude of benefits. Furthermore, fermented foods such as kimchi, yogurt, kombucha, and sauerkraut, are also accessible in a supplement form. Due to this increase in demand, several manufacturers have also begun to promote prebiotics separately or alongside probiotics. Considering there is only a single letter difference between them, many shoppers may confuse the two or think both terms are interchangeable. Although both sound similar and have a few commonalities, probiotics and prebiotics are completely different.

If you want to take advantage of probiotics and prebiotics, it is essential for you to learn and understand what they are, how they affect your health, and how they interact with each other. Teaching yourself the differences will make sure that you do not get confused the next time you go shopping. Look over the following infographic for further information.