Last week’s Brain Booster was Go with your gut — a deep dive into all things gut health. It was another very long segment so I ended it after the Health Headline. That means if you haven’t watched or listened to last week’s episode, I strongly recommend you do so before you listen to this one because last week I explained the rationale for what I’m talking about today.
When it comes to gut health, What’s Missing from Modern Medicine is a nuanced, personalised approach. No two people have the same microorganisms living in their gut or on their bodies — not even identical twins. Everyone has a unique microbial identity, just as we have a unique fingerprint. This has led to crime scene investigators using not only fingerprints, but also bacterial prints — referred to as ‘touch microbial forensics’ — to track down criminals. Your bacterial inhabitants are uniquely yours, and when you touch something, you leave some of them behind.
Our unique microbial signature is also why manufactured probiotic supplements often fail to deliver the hoped-for benefits. The bacteria contained in the probiotic don’t establish colonisation in our gut, and we just poop them out. But before we go on, a few definitions.
Probiotics are live micro-organisms, believed to provide health benefits when we consume them.
The prefix pro means ‘in favour of’, and bio refers to ‘life’ or ‘living organisms’. Natural probiotics — also known as dynamic probiotics — are live bacteria and yeasts that develop naturally in food via fermentation. The most common natural probiotics are yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso, tempeh and kombucha. There’s no argument that these foods provide broad health benefits because the micro-organisms they contain are alive and active.
Manufactured probiotics, in contrast — also known as static probiotics — are isolated laboratory-cultured bacterial strains that are freeze-dried and packaged in precise amounts into daily supplements. But are they the ones you need for your specific condition?
Prebiotics, on the other hand, are non-digestible plant fibres that pass through your stomach and small intestine and act as fertiliser to stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in your colon. Therefore, prebiotics are food for probiotics.
Natural prebiotics occur in specific plant foods such as onions, garlic, leek, asparagus, fennel, artichokes and chia seeds. All prebiotics are fibres, but not all fibres are prebiotics. To be classified as a prebiotic, a fibre has to pass through your stomach undigested, and selectively feed only the beneficial bacteria in your gut. All whole fruits and vegetables contain fibre because it forms their structural framework, but not all fruits and vegetables contain prebiotics …
* * * * *
Today’s Whether Report addresses the question: I’d like to know whether I should take probiotics when I’m given a course of antibiotics? I’ve received conflicting advice and don’t know what to do.
This situation is a common conundrum because the relationship between probiotics and antibiotics is one of the most debated topics in gut health. The short answer is: it depends on your primary goal. The confusion stems from a paradox in the scientific data. While probiotics are effective at preventing immediate side effects like diarrhoea, they can slow down the long-term recovery of your native unique microbiome. Tune in to hear the details.
* * * * *
Click here to watch the episode on my YouTube channel, or listen to Healing with Dr Helena on your preferred podcast platform. I’ll publish a new episode every Monday, and you’ll receive an email notification that morning. Please subscribe to my podcast or YouTube channel so that you don’t miss an episode, and send your whether questions to: podcast@drhelenapopovic.com
If you’re happy for me to play your voice on my podcast, you can provide an audio file. Otherwise, you can type your question for me to read out.
I very much look forward to answering your questions, and exploring how we can all build a smarter brain, stronger body and deeply fulfilling life.
Please share this Health-e-Byte with anyone who is interested in gut health.
