What are postbiotics and why should they be part of your daily routine?
First, there were probiotics, a term postulated in 1908 by 1908 Elie Metchnikoff describing the use of good bacteria to help our health and wellness. Then in 1995 came prebiotics, a term coined to describe the non-digestible fiber or fuel that probiotics and our gut microbiome need to grow, stay healthy, and thereby keep us healthy. In recent, we have found a new addition to the benefits of probiotics and yeasts, Postbiotics.
What are Postbiotics?
Postbiotics are basically the byproducts of the fermentation process carried out by probiotics and gut bacteria in the intestine. These also by-products found in fermented products like yogurt. In other words, as probiotics feed on prebiotics, postbiotics are produced. They are basically the “waste” of probiotics. This does not sound too healthy, but postbiotics as important an may be more important than probiotics and prebiotics.
What can Probiotics do for my health?
Under normal conditions, our gut bacteria and probiotics metabolize prebiotics in our gut and produce essential fatty acids, protein, and other compounds that constitute postbiotics. However, as we age and change our diets and take medications, our gut good-to-bad gut bacteria profile changes and so the postbiotics they produce. Therefore, to ensure that we do the best for our gut health, research has shown that adding postbiotics along with prebiotics and probiotics to our diet can help reinforce the healthful impact of all three. Postbiotics help our gut and body-wide health in many ways. They provide us with a concentrated form of the postbiotics our gut bacteria normally make. They also provide us with different kinds of postbiotics, as they are made by different yeast and bacteria that may not be part of our gut microbiome.
Although fermented products like yogurt, kefir, and sourdough contain postbiotics there are few dedicated postbiotics products on the market. One of the best-known postbiotic products is EpiCor. EpiCor is made using bakers’ yeast, which is fermented with special ingredients to produce a postbiotic that can not only maintain good gut health but also has postbiotic components that can boost immunity and prevent cold and flu symptoms. Other benefits of postbiotics are;
1. Supports probiotics
2. Treats Diarrhea
3. Antimicrobial properties
4. Reduces Inflammation
How can I add postbiotics to my diet?
We are just realizing the value of postbiotics and the best way to add postbiotics to your diet is to use fermented products like yogurt, kefir, and sourdough. At SuperBio we have also been working to improve the availability of postbiotics, by developing SuperBio Immune Defense. A new product that combines the benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics all in one product.
Bottom Line!
As we learn more about how our gut bacteria work and how they are intertwined with our own health and wellbeing, we can see that it is possible to maintain health naturally.