Prebiotics Probiotics - What is the difference?
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Prebiotics and probiotics, what are thay and how do they contribute to our overall health and well being? It is important to know the difference because each plays a different role in healthy digestion. Let me explain...
There is growing awareness of the link between diet and health and this is driving demand for food products in addition to what we typically eat day to day. Prebiotic and probiotic are examples of these foods and when incorporated or added to the daily diet can beneft the gastorintestinal tract. Prebiotics are a more recent discovery while probiotic foods have been around for longer and are better understood. Let's look at each.
Prebiotics are a functional food
Prebiotics are considered a 'functional food', typically carbohydrates (although not in all cases), that stimulate the growth or activity of good bacteria in the digestive system. These 'good bacteria' are beneficial to our health in that they improve the efficiency of the digestive process. The main effect of prebiotics in the diet is to promote the number of good bacteria that help with digestion and this includes probiotics. In addition, they are understood to improve the absorbtion of minerals like calcium and magnesium. They may also help with gastroenteritis, stomach imflamation, imflamatory bowel disease and could reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Probiotics are the good bacteria in the gut
Probiotics, like lactobacillus, are the good bacteria that live in the gut and contribute to the process of digestion. These same bacteria are found naturally in certain foods like sauerkraut and yogurt.
Dysbosis
Dysbosis is a condition that results when bad bacteria and yeast become overgrown in your intestinal tract. It is commonly linked with disorders like yeast infections, irritable bowel syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. One of the most common causes for Dysbosis is taking antibiotics because antibiotics kills all bacteria in the gut, good and bad. So it is often a good idea to supplement your diet with probiotics after a course of antibiotics to replace the good bacteria.Prebiotic and Probiotic Supplements
Probiotics are readily available as dietary supplements but not all probiotic supplements are created equal. Visit the home page to see the results of our review of the best probiotic supplements on the market today..
High Rated Probiotics
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Resources:
Prebiotic nutrition on Wikipedia
More on prebiotics and probiotics from International Food Information Council
Prebiotic Probiotic information at about dot com
Squidoo Lens containing books and other information on Probiotics
