Prebiotics

Prebiotics are beneficial sources of food for probiotic bacteria. Bacteria metabolise/ferment prebiotics, and this supports their growth and activity.¹Gibson GR, Hutkins R, Sanders ME, Prescott SL, Reimer RA, Salminen SJ, Scott K, Stanton C, Swanson KS, Cani PD, Verbeke K, Reid G. Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Aug;14(8):491-502. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2017.75.²Davani-Davari D, Negahdaripour M, Karimzadeh I, Seifan M, Mohkam M, Masoumi SJ, Berenjian A, Ghasemi Y. Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods. 2019 Mar 9;8(3):92. doi: 10.3390/foods8030092.³Carlson JL, Erickson JM, Lloyd BB, Slavin JL. Health Effects and Sources of Prebiotic Dietary Fiber. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Jan 29;2(3):nzy005. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzy005. The best-known prebiotics include dietary fibres such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS).⁴Belorkar SA, Gupta AK. Oligosaccharides: a boon from nature’s desk. AMB Express. 2016 Dec;6(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s13568-016-0253-5. These prebiotics are not digested by human enzymes but are fermented by probiotic gut bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, or Roseburia, to name but a few.⁵Lordan C, Thapa D, Ross RP, Cotter PD. Potential for enriching next-generation health-promoting gut bacteria through prebiotics and other dietary components. Gut Microbes. 2020;11(1):1-20. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1613124.⁶Sanders ME, Merenstein DJ, Reid G, Gibson GR, Rastall RA. Probiotics and prebiotics in intestinal health and disease: from biology to the clinic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 Oct;16(10):605-616. doi: 10.1038/s41575-019-0173-3.

The following roles highlight the significant impact of prebiotics on human health:

1. Gut health support: Prebiotics promote a healthy gut environment by improving gut barrier function, maintaining optimal acidity (pH) levels, and enhancing the diversity and balance of the gut microbiome.⁷Holscher HD. Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Gut Microbes. 2017 Mar 4;8(2):172-184. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756.⁸Thomson C, Garcia AL, Edwards CA. Interactions between dietary fibre and the gut microbiota. Proc Nutr Soc. 2021 Sep 23:1-11. doi: 10.1017/S0029665121002834.
2. Immune system regulation: Prebiotics help regulate immune responses, supporting the development and function of immune cells, enhancing immune defence mechanisms, and potentially reducing the risk of certain infections and allergies.⁹Pujari R, Banerjee G. Impact of prebiotics on immune response: from the bench to the clinic. Immunol Cell Biol. 2021 Mar;99(3):255-273. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12409.
3. Anti-inflammatory effects: Prebiotics have anti-inflammatory properties, helping to reduce chronic inflammation throughout the body, which is associated with various health conditions.¹⁰Looijer-van Langen MA, Dieleman LA. Prebiotics in chronic intestinal inflammation. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2009 Mar;15(3):454-62. doi: 10.1002/ibd.20737.¹¹Pavlidou E, Fasoulas A, Mantzorou M, Giaginis C. Clinical Evidence on the Potential Beneficial Effects of Probiotics and Prebiotics in Cardiovascular Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 14;23(24):15898. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415898.
4. Metabolic health: Prebiotics contribute to metabolic health by regulating blood sugar (glucose) and lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels. They improve insulin sensitivity and have the potential to support weight management.¹²He M, Shi B. Gut microbiota as a potential target of metabolic syndrome: the role of probiotics and prebiotics. Cell Biosci. 2017 Oct 25;7:54. doi: 10.1186/s13578-017-0183-1.¹³Lattimer JM, Haub MD. Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients. 2010 Dec;2(12):1266-89. doi: 10.3390/nu2121266.
5. Nutrient absorption and digestive function: Prebiotics support the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, promoting healthy digestion. They also enhance the production of digestive enzymes, contributing to overall digestive health.¹⁴Grundy MM, Edwards CH, Mackie AR, Gidley MJ, Butterworth PJ, Ellis PR. Re-evaluation of the mechanisms of dietary fibre and implications for macronutrient bioaccessibility, digestion and postprandial metabolism. Br J Nutr. 2016 Sep;116(5):816-33. doi: 10.1017/S0007114516002610.¹⁵Capuano E. The behavior of dietary fiber in the gastrointestinal tract determines its physiological effect. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Nov 2;57(16):3543-3564. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1180501.

The Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Test features information on 19 different prebiotics including:

Arabinan, arabinogalactan, arabinoxylan, beta-glucan, chitin, Cellulose/Hemicellulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactan, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), guar gum, isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), inulin, mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), omega 3 fatty acids, pectin, resistant starch, xylooligosaccharides (XOS), xylan, and xyloglucan.

Please refer to the individual entries for more specific benefits related to these individual prebiotics.

Where to find your information on prebiotics in the Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Test

The Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Test features information on the 19 aforementioned prebiotics in the prebiotics report where you’ll also find your prebiotic score. Guidance on how to work with your prebiotic score will be featured in your personal action plan. Please note that this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your GP or another qualified health provider if you have any questions about the impact of prebiotics on your health.

Important disclaimer

The Chuckling Goat Gut Microbiome Handbook is an educational resource built to translate complex science into plain English. The information provided on this page is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your GP or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Always check with your GP for interactions with medications/health conditions before changing your diet or starting to take food supplements.

References

• 1
  Gibson GR, Hutkins R, Sanders ME, Prescott SL, Reimer RA, Salminen SJ, Scott K, Stanton C, Swanson KS, Cani PD, Verbeke K, Reid G. Expert consensus document: The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of prebiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017 Aug;14(8):491-502. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2017.75.
• 2
  Davani-Davari D, Negahdaripour M, Karimzadeh I, Seifan M, Mohkam M, Masoumi SJ, Berenjian A, Ghasemi Y. Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods. 2019 Mar 9;8(3):92. doi: 10.3390/foods8030092.
• 3
  Carlson JL, Erickson JM, Lloyd BB, Slavin JL. Health Effects and Sources of Prebiotic Dietary Fiber. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018 Jan 29;2(3):nzy005. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzy005.
• 4
  Belorkar SA, Gupta AK. Oligosaccharides: a boon from nature’s desk. AMB Express. 2016 Dec;6(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s13568-016-0253-5.
• 5
  Lordan C, Thapa D, Ross RP, Cotter PD. Potential for enriching next-generation health-promoting gut bacteria through prebiotics and other dietary components. Gut Microbes. 2020;11(1):1-20. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1613124.
• 6
  Sanders ME, Merenstein DJ, Reid G, Gibson GR, Rastall RA. Probiotics and prebiotics in intestinal health and disease: from biology to the clinic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 Oct;16(10):605-616. doi: 10.1038/s41575-019-0173-3.
• 7
  Holscher HD. Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota. Gut Microbes. 2017 Mar 4;8(2):172-184. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756.
• 8
  Thomson C, Garcia AL, Edwards CA. Interactions between dietary fibre and the gut microbiota. Proc Nutr Soc. 2021 Sep 23:1-11. doi: 10.1017/S0029665121002834.
• 9
  Pujari R, Banerjee G. Impact of prebiotics on immune response: from the bench to the clinic. Immunol Cell Biol. 2021 Mar;99(3):255-273. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12409.
• 10
  Looijer-van Langen MA, Dieleman LA. Prebiotics in chronic intestinal inflammation. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2009 Mar;15(3):454-62. doi: 10.1002/ibd.20737.
• 11
  Pavlidou E, Fasoulas A, Mantzorou M, Giaginis C. Clinical Evidence on the Potential Beneficial Effects of Probiotics and Prebiotics in Cardiovascular Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 14;23(24):15898. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415898.
• 12
  He M, Shi B. Gut microbiota as a potential target of metabolic syndrome: the role of probiotics and prebiotics. Cell Biosci. 2017 Oct 25;7:54. doi: 10.1186/s13578-017-0183-1.
• 13
  Lattimer JM, Haub MD. Effects of dietary fiber and its components on metabolic health. Nutrients. 2010 Dec;2(12):1266-89. doi: 10.3390/nu2121266.
• 14
  Grundy MM, Edwards CH, Mackie AR, Gidley MJ, Butterworth PJ, Ellis PR. Re-evaluation of the mechanisms of dietary fibre and implications for macronutrient bioaccessibility, digestion and postprandial metabolism. Br J Nutr. 2016 Sep;116(5):816-33. doi: 10.1017/S0007114516002610.
• 15
  Capuano E. The behavior of dietary fiber in the gastrointestinal tract determines its physiological effect. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Nov 2;57(16):3543-3564. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1180501.

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!