Probiotics and prebiotics are promising ways to harness microbial diversity to improve immunity and overall health. Many aspects of immunological and gastrointestinal health are inextricably related to the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome.
Dr Debojyoti Dhar, Co-founder and Director, Leucine Rich Bio, says, “The term “probiotics” refers to live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host whereas prebiotics are defined as a substrate that is selectively utilized by the host microorganisms conferring a health benefit to the host. Some examples of probiotics are Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve etc. Prebiotics are generally equated with dietary fibers but they may also be derived from non-fiber substrates such as polyphenols.”
Certain prebiotics probiotics have been demonstrated to affect the gut barrier’s function by influencing intestinal epithelial cells; they have also been shown to control host innate and adaptive immune responses by altering the actions of dendritic cells, macrophages, and T and B lymphocytes.
“Prebiotics and probiotics not only strengthen immunity but also improve other aspects of one’s health. Consumption of adequate quantity of pre and probiotics ensure a good diversity of the beneficial microbes in the body,” shares Dr Dhar.
Although one can buy various prebiotic and probiotic supplements easily available in the market yet it would be imperative to check one’s gut microbiota profile through new generation gut microbiota tests like BugSpeaks (India), Microba (Australia), Viome (USA) etc. Maintaining good gut health depends on taking gut friendly foods containing natural prebiotics and probiotics.
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