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?What is Prebiotic

Prebiotics are a type of fiber that the human body cannot digest. Prebiotics are mostly fermentable carbohydrates which pass into the lower digestive tract and serve as a food source for gut microbiota, acting as nutrients to help them grow. So, with the proper amount of prebiotics in the body, people can optimize the work of the good bacteria that promotes gut health.

As a matter of fact, prebiotics serve as food for probiotics, which are tiny living microorganisms, including bacteria and yeast. Prebiotics may support helpful bacteria and other organisms in the gut and allows your gut microbiota to produce nutrients like short chain fatty acids which leads to a healthier digestive system. Prebiotics also may help with allergy prevention and symptoms of eczema by impacting directly and indirectly on the systems involved in allergic disease development. Studies suggest that eating 3 to 5 grams of prebiotics a day can benefit the health of your gut.

The examples of common prebiotics

  • Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)
  • Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
  • Resistant starches
  • Pectic oligosaccharides (POS)
  • Inulin
  • Non-carbohydrate oligosaccharides
  • Polyphenols
  • Some fatty acids

The Best Prebiotic Sources

Prebiotics occur naturally in some high-fiber foods but are sometimes added to foods. They are also available as a dietary supplement.

Some of the best prebiotic foods are: Onion, Chicory root, Dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichoke, Garlic, Legumes, Leeks, Asparagus, Bananas, Barley, Oats, Corn,  Soybeans, Lentils, Red kidney beans, Almonds and almond skins, Fermented dairy products (such as yogurt, buttermilk and kefir), Heated milk (at least 149 °F), Breast milk, and Foods that prebiotics may be added to.

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?What are Postbiotics

Postbiotics – also known as metabiotics, biogenics, or simply metabolites- are soluble factors (metabolic products or byproducts), secreted by live bacteria, or released after bacterial lysis providing physiological benefits to the host. Recently, postbiotics have emerged as a group of beneficial compounds that can help improve your health. They have been linked to a number of health benefits for the gut, the immune system, and various other aspects of health.  Postbiotics are byproducts of the fermentation process carried out by probiotics in the intestine. In other words, as probiotics feed on prebiotics, postbiotics are produced. Indeed, Postbiotics are the bioactive compounds the probiotic bacteria produce when they consume prebiotics.

 Interestingly enough, they are, indeed, responsible for multiple important health-boosting functions in our gut. Some examples of postbiotics include organic acids, bacteriocins, carbonic substances and enzymes. They result naturally from the existence and survival of microorganisms living in our gut, though they can also be added directly through therapeutic processes. Yogurt, Soft Cheeses, Kefir, Sourdough bread, Buttermilk, and Pickles are some of the sources of postbiotics in food.

Health Benefits of postbiotics

Probiotics and prebiotics have to do with keeping your digestive system healthy and regular, among several other health benefits. Although, postbiotics are much less widely known than both prebiotics and probiotics,  recent research suggest that they have an equally important role, if not more important, in maintaining and improving our health. In fact, many of the health benefits that have been attributed to prebiotics, may indeed be due to postbiotics.

Postbiotics may help to decrease blood sugar and prevent obesity, Supports probiotics, Treats Diarrhea, antimicrobial properties, Support Immune System, and Reduces Inflammation.

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?What is the microbiome

microbiome

microbiome is estimated that at least 100 trillion (10۱۴) microbial cells and millions of viruses reside within the human body, all of which produce various enzymes, chemicals, hormones, and vitamins that can interact with other human cells.

human microbiome

This complex community of microorganisms, which is more commonly referred to as the microbiota, can be of viral, bacteria, archaea, and/or eukaryotic etiologies. Comparatively, the genes that these organisms encode for is known as the microbiome. Gut microbiota (formerly called gut flora) is the name given today to the microbe population living in our intestines. It contains hundreds of trillions of microorganisms. One third of our gut microbiota is common to most of the people, while two thirds are specific to each one of us. In other words, the intestinal microbiota is a sort of individual identity card.

As a result of extensive research that has been conducted over the past few decades, microbial organisms can have significant impacts on the health of humans.

Moreover, the microbiome can determine how the immune system responds to potential pathogens, the rate at which nutrients and energy are absorbed from the diet as well as certain psychological and behavioral states.

When the balance between the gut microbiota and the host is disrupted, which is a condition otherwise referred to as dysbiosis, various health conditions can occur, some of which include malnutrition, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), obesity, neurological disorders, and cancer.

gut microbiome

Early diversification of the microbiome

During fetal development and infancy, the diversity of both the bacteria and viruses that comprise the microbiome is generally low. Since the gut, during these early stages of life, contains oxygen, the microorganisms that are present within the gut at this time are mostly aerotolerant.

As the child develops, these organisms are replaced by anaerobes. This evolution of microbial organisms within the gut is rapid, as studies have even shown that 56% of the virome sequences found within the gut of infants during their first week of life are not present after the second week.

This diversity continues to expand rapidly throughout the first 3 months of life, which is comparable to the virome of the adult microbiome, in which approximately 95% of these microorganisms are conserved over time.

Since virus particles are not present in either formula or breast milk, researchers believe that this early diversification of the microbiome is the result of environmental exposures and maternal contact.

 The steps that could preserve the current state of the gut microbiota

  • Using antibiotics wisely
  • Reducing the number of the unnecessary Cesarean sections
  • Promoting breastfeeding
  • Reducing antimicrobial products in our environment
  • Improving the diet by increasing the amount of fiber and diversity of foods to promote microbial diversity and benefit health
  • Adding functional foods containing pro-, pre- and postbiotics to diets

reference

Grieneisen L, Dasari M, Gould TJ, Björk JR, Grenier JC, Yotova V, Jansen D, Gottel N, Gordon JB, Learn NH, Gesquiere LR. Gut microbiome heritability is nearly universal but environmentally contingent. Science. 2021 Jul 9;373(6551):181-6.

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?What is Gut microbiota Diversity

alpha beta gamma diversity

Gut microbiota diversity corresponds to the number of different species present in an individual. There is every reason to believe that the diversity of gut microbiota is an indicator of the microbiota’s good health. The two primary determinants of an individual’s microbiome diversity include genetics and the environment, which includes antibiotic treatment, cesarean births, and diet. In fact, it has been estimated that a 60% variation in the diversity of the microbiome is environmentally determined and that 30 to 37 % of the gut microbiome diversity is heritable. Alpha diversity is the species diversity present within each forest or grassland patch of the slope. Indeed, alpha diversity refers to the diversity within a particular area or ecosystem, and is usually expressed by the number of species. Beta diversity is represented by the species diversity between any two patches and their communities. Beta diversity shows the different between microbial communities from different environments. Main focus is on the difference in taxonomic abundance profiles from different samples. Gamma diversity of the landscape is the species diversity along the entire range of the mountain slope. Gamma diversity is a measure of the overall diversity for the different ecosystems within a region. Hunter (2002: 448) defines gamma diversity as “geographic-scale species diversity”.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma diversity

A guide to increasing your microbiome diversity

The microbiome has a tremendous influence on the health and disease susceptibility of humans. Although genetics plays some part in determining the diversity of the microbiome, diet has the largest influence; therefore, humans can make certain lifestyle choices that have been proven to increase the diversity and stability of their microbiome. The best way to maintain its diversity is to eat a varied diet, with both animal and plant-based foods, fermented foods containing probiotics, dietary fibers, some of which have prebiotic properties, to exercise, to manage stress and, finally, not to forget to stay hydrated.

Although increasing fiber intake is generally associated with a more diverse microbiome, it should be noted that certain undesirable side effects may occur for individuals who cannot tolerate these high doses of fiber, such as those with IBD.

In light of this information, it is recommended that specific fiber types are consumed based on an individual’s specific microbiota profile.

Not only will this reduce the occurrence and severity of unwanted side effects, but it is expected that the host will experience the physiologic benefit associated with increasing their fiber intake.

Summary

These are a list of practical recommendations which, to the best of our current knowledge, increase the diversity of microbes colonizing your gut:

  • Eat a diverse diet
  • Consume fermented foods with live microbes; they have at least a transient effect
  • Eat washed raw fruits and vegetables, which harbor environmental microbes (not recommended if you have difficulties digesting raw vegetables)
  • Consider consuming probiotic-containing foods/supplements; look up the controlled trials for evidence of health benefits from specific probiotics
  • Consume adequate levels of diverse types of fiber, including prebiotics, to promote a diverse microbiota; this might mean consuming 2-3 kinds of fruits or vegetables in one sitting
  • Breast feed your baby; breast milk contains live microbes and a rich supply of oligosaccharides that appear to enrich good bacteria in the baby’s gut
  • Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
  • Wash hands with soap and water instead of sanitizing

reference

soma Ghosh and Sreemanta Pramanik
Archives of Microbiology (2021) 203:5281–۵۳۰۸ https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-021-02516-y