How Prebiotics are beneficial for your health?

Although prebiotics may be a new word for a lot of us, we consume prebiotics our whole life. Infact, we do have some during lunch as well. It has been from the beginning. However since the time we have learnt that the invisible army inside our body thrives on Prebiotics, we have realised its true health potential. Similar to Mitochondria which is our body’s energy powerhouse, Prebiotics is our gut’s powerhouse.

What are prebiotics? Why have we taken so much time to understand its beneficial impact? We have discussed briefly about prebiotics in our earlier blog. We are going to elaborate about this superfood in detail given that almost 90% of folks still have obscure knowledge about gut & its friend-Prebiotics.

Prebiotics are a group of nutrients that are fermented by beneficial bacteria. It is referred to as non-digestible food that is beneficial for the host( human body) by selectively stimulating the growth of specific bacterias in the colon( large intestine). This selected fermented ingredient changes the micro-bacterial composition in the gut & hence  improves host( human) health.

What should prebiotics do?

1. Resistant to stomach acid & not absorbed in GI tract.
2. Fermented by gut bacteria.
3. Not digestible in the small intestine.

It is important to note that not  all prebiotics are carbohydrates & not all fibres are prebiotics. How is this possible? Many fibres have similar effects. Perplexed?

Prebiotics are substances that feed beneficial bacteria. These bacterias in turn produces short chain fatty acids(SCFA) such as Butyrate which offer enormous health benefits.

Prebiotics through their intestinal presence changes the composition & diversity of gut bacteria since they are energy sources for various beneficial bacteria. If prebiotics are present, gut bacteria can replicate & multiply itself, thereby changing the make up of gut microbiome. The more energy is available, more bacteria it can multiply. The biggest benefit through Prebiotics consumption is production of short chain fatty acids such as Butyrate as depicted in the above diagram.

So what benefits we can derive through short chain fatty acids?

1. Improved cardiovascular & metabolic Heath
2. Improved immune function
3. Enhanced cognitive function
4. No mood swings
5. Metabolites for other beneficial bacteria 

However again there is no one solution fit all approach. Different bacteria can ferment or metabolic only certain prebiotics depending upon the genes they possess & length of prebiotic molecule. Having said this, let us explore & deep dive into different types of prebiotics.

Prebiotics are grouped based on their chemical structure. There are many types, however the majority are a subset of oligosaccharide carbohydrates. Oligosaccharide means few sugar molecules are clubbed together.

Going back to basics, carbohydrates are classified as :

• Monosaccharides – single sugar units e.g., fructose and glucose
• Disaccharides – 2 monosaccharide units joined e.g., sucrose, lactose etc.
• Oligosaccharides – 3 to 10 monosaccharides
• Polysaccharides – more than 10 (often hundreds) monosaccharides e.g., starch, fibre

Some of the common prebiotics groups & relevant food sources are:

1. Fructo Oligosaccharide: Chicory, Onion, Asparagus, Artichoke, Leeks, Jicama, Yacon
2. Galacto Oligosaccharide: Legumes, Beans, Artichoke, Jerusalem, Chickpeas, breast milk
3. Mannan Oligosaccharide: Konjac plant, Saccharomyces boulardii
4. Xylo oligosaccharides: Plant Fibre, Microalgae
5. Pectic oligosaccharides: Apple, Oranges, Lemon, Grapefruit.
6. Plant Polyphenols: Vegetables, Fruits, Cereals, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa Powder
7. Fermentable Fibres: Green Bananas, Sweet Potato, Cooked rice, leafy greens, nuts, berries, seeds, Broccoli Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Beetroot.

List of prebiotic whole-food sources

This is where FODMAP comes into picture

Some of us may not be able to tolerate many of the prebiotic rich foods mentioned here & this is the reason why low FODMAP may be beneficial. So what is FODMAP?

F~Fermentable

O-oligosaccharides

D~disaccharide

M~monosaccharide

A~and

P-Polyols

You may have observed many of these terms have been used to describe prebiotics. These structures are difficult to digest & can only be digested in the large intestine by gut bacteria. FODMAP is used as a dietary treatment for those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.

So which FODMAP have prebiotics?

Foods that have the following:

1. Fructose & Fructans: Fructose is found in many fruits such as apple, cherries, watermelon & some vegetables such as asparagus, high fructose corn syrup & honey. Fructans are found in many foods such as Barley, Rye, Wheat, Garlic & Onion
2. Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS): This include Legume, beans, Jerusalem artichoke
3. Polyols: Sugar alcohol found in artificial sweeteners
4. Lactose: These are found in milk products

So it is important to understand what specific prebiotics will marry your gut bacteria makeup. Understanding your gut bacteria is the solution to this. Sign for our Gut intelligence solution here.