You’re probably seeing more and more advertisements pushing prebiotic fibres lately. From gummies, to powders, to capsules, and more, there is a huge explosion of prebiotic products, and with all this information flying around, it’s difficult to know why you should take prebiotics and which one to choose.
It’s great that there is more awareness spreading about the gut microbiome and its importance in general health, but all the marketing chatter can lead to confusion.
What is a probiotic vs. a prebiotic? Should I be taking a probiotic or a prebiotic, or both, or neither?
Let’s break it down:
Probiotics are good bacteria that help your gut.
Prebiotics are food for good gut bacteria.
Probiotic foods, such as fermented cultures like yogurt and kefir, as well as probiotic supplements, directly provide good bacteria known to help human gut health. So why not simply give probiotics and call it a day? Although probiotics have much evidence to improve the health of the gut microbiome, studies show that their effects are often short-lived if you do not feed them their preferred food source: prebiotic fibres.
You can take whopping doses of probiotic bacteria, but studies have shown that without feeding them fibres to grow and colonize your gut, they will not anchor in your digestive system well, and you clear much of these probiotics within 1-2 days if you’re having regular bowel movements (Han et al 2021). Without prebiotic fibres, the probiotic effects are brief, and you never really get much traction in re-colonizing your gut with healthy bacteria long-term. You need to feed the good bugs for them to stick around!
Microbiome: A Pillar of Human Health
Since the early 2000s, there has been an explosion of microbiome research, and the term microbiome has become a hot buzzword in the scientific community and world of supplements. We now know that the gut microbiome is a virtual undiscovered organ in the large intestine that weighs between 2-5lbs, produces the majority of our bodies’ neurotransmitters and short-chain fatty acids, and whose imbalance is associated with a wide range of human diseases. There are more bacterial cells in your gut microbiome than actual human cells in your entire body! In a way, you are more bacteria than human, and your body is a symbiotic world that hosts the bacterial overlords! I am being dramatic for effect, but the microbiome is clearly a pillar of human health. However, precisely mapping which microorganisms are “good” vs “bad” is still murky, but we do know that there are certain “keystone” bacterial groups that are clearly associated with better human health.
The ABCs of Bacterial Groups
The most established keystone bacterial groups are what we here at NutriChem like to call “The ABCs”: A is for Akkermansia, B is for Bifidobacterium & Bacteroidetes, and C is for Clostridia Clusters IV & XIVa. Always remember your ABCs, since these are the basic foundational bacterial types that all humans want to grow to improve their gut health, and overall health! The issue with many of these keystone bacterial groups is that they are anaerobic, meaning that they are destroyed by oxygen. Your large intestine is contained within an airtight sealed membrane, and much of these good bacteria that live in there do not like oxygen. They like low oxygen environments and fermentative metabolism (meaning metabolism without oxygen, which is unlike our own human cells). This is why you will not yet see these ABC bacterial groups marketed in probiotic products- they cannot be stored on a shelf or even in a fridge because they cannot be exposed to oxygen. If they are exposed to regular, ambient earth oxygen levels, they die.
How to get these good ABCs growing consistently in our gut microbiome?
You provide the food that they like to help them colonize: prebiotic fibres. Prebiotic fibres can be stored at normal O2 levels, and we can simply ingest them to work their magic. Once they arrive in the large intestine, our ABC bacteria gobble them up, anchor deeper into our guts, and thrive in the longer term. And when these bacteria thrive, they provide us with all kinds of critical metabolites that we cannot make ourselves, such as serotonin and short chain fatty acids. We are in a lifelong symbiotic relationship with our gut bacteria. We provide them with a home world in our large intestine, and they provide us with some of our most essential biochemicals in return.
Why Fibre?
Furthermore, fibre is a crucial part of any diet for simple bowel regularity. Most North Americans do not meet the Health Canada-recommended guidelines for daily fibre intake of 25g for women and 38g for men. So, what would be the most efficient and effective way to get enough fibre, keep our guts regular, grow the beneficial ABC bacterial groups, and improve gut health?
Enter NutriChem’s GI Manager.
GI Manager is a prebiotic fibre supplement that feeds these multiple groups of beneficial probiotic bacteria and helps to stimulate regular bowel movements. It is the only complete fibre supplement that contains this proprietary combination of the 3 most clinically studied fibres- SolNul, Sunfibre, and Microbiome X. These 3 prebiotic fibres help to grow all of your ABCs. SolNul, a fibrous potato starch, helps to grow Akkermansia (Bush et al 2023). Sunfibre, a hydrolyzed guar gum fibre, helps to grow Bifidobacterium and Bacteroidetes (Ohashi et al 2015). And Microbiome X, a polyphenolic flavonoid prebiotic, helps to grow Clostridia Clusters IV and XIV (Xiong et al 2023). This product hits all 3 of our ABCs!
When to take GI Manager?
If you suffer from bloating, gas, stomach discomfort, chronic constipation, or you are just looking for long-term digestive support, GI Manager can help to regulate proper gastrointestinal functioning. If you have Crohn’s Disease, IBS, IBD, or any other severe diagnosed gastrointestinal condition, consult with your healthcare provider before starting GI Manager as some GI conditions can be worsened by prebiotic fibres. However, for healthy adults looking for a safe and effective fibre source that can be used long-term to manage digestive health, GI Manager can provide significant benefits.
Come into NutriChem today to chat with one of our healthcare professionals about fibre and GI Manager, or check out our website if you are interested in starting your gut health journey with GI Manager!
References
Bush JR, Baisley J, Harding SV, Alfa MJ. Consumption of Solnul™ Resistant Potato Starch Produces a Prebiotic Effect in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2023 Mar 24;15(7):1582. doi: 10.3390/nu15071582. PMID: 37049425; PMCID: PMC10097138.
Cronin P, Joyce SA, O’Toole PW, O’Connor EM. Dietary Fibre Modulates the Gut Microbiota. Nutrients 2021, 13, 1655. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051655
Han S, Lu Y, Xie J, Fei Y, Zheng G, Wang Z, Liu J, Lv L, Ling Z, Berglund B, Yao M, Li L. Probiotic Gastrointestinal Transit and Colonization After Oral Administration: A Long Journey. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2021 Mar 10;11:609722. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.609722. PMID: 33791234; PMCID: PMC8006270.
Ohashi Y, Sumitani K, Tokunaga M, Ishihara N, Okubo T, Fujisawa T. Consumption of partially hydrolysed guar gum stimulates Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria in the human large intestine. Beneficial Microbes. 2015;6(4):451-5. doi: 10.3920/BM2014.0118. Epub 2015 Feb 12. PMID: 25519526.
Xiong HH, Lin SY, Chen LL, Ouyang KH, Wang WJ. The Interaction between Flavonoids and Intestinal Microbes: A Review. Foods 2023, 12, 320. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12020320
