Probiotics is a term that is talked about very often. Even so, in most cases, it is a term that is not fully understood or that can even be confused with prebiotics.
The trend for probiotics and prebiotics is making its way into our society, and below we will find out what makes them similar and what differentiates them.
What are probiotics?
Later we will see that to know what prebiotics are, we must first know what probiotics are. Probiotics refer to all living microorganisms that we house in our intestines. They are generally lactic acid bacteria (They produce lactic fermentation), and concepts such as intestinal microbiota or intestinal flora refer to just this.
These microorganisms produce effects such as:
- Decreased risk of suffering cardiovascular problems.
- Improved immune response.
- Improved lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.
- They favor the digestibility of the lactose.
- They increase the absorption of calcium.
- They produce vitamin K2 or menaquinone.
Certain studies have also shown that the microbiota of obese subjects is different from that of healthy subjects, and it has been observed that some microorganisms are capable of helping to lose weight.
Why have probiotics become popular?
The popularity of probiotics is due to the fact that they can be administered to food in amounts that have been shown to be safe and even beneficial because of the effects previously discussed. They generally do not cause harm except in immunocompromised people.
As they are lactic acid bacteria, it is to be expected that they are found in fermented dairy foods such as yogurt or kefir, although they are also found in picklesIt is precisely these bacteria that provide them with the sour taste.
The problem with their fame is that these are said to help you lose weight, and not all strains are the same or produce the same effects. This effect has so far been shown to occur if the Lactobacillus gasseri specifically, and unfortunately what people are going to take for granted is that probiotics lose weight, and this is not the case. The only thing that makes you lose weight is the caloric deficit (with the exception of certain pathologies, such as weight loss that can occur due to excess consumption of a vitamin, such as A), and there is no miracle product that improves your physique without compromising your health.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are components of food that we cannot digest, and their intake favors the growth and proliferation of probiotics. They usually refer to the fiber, since we are unable to digest it, but our microbiota is capable of partially fermenting it.
The increase in fiber consumption favors the growth of the intestinal microbiota, thus preventing pathogenic microorganisms from adhering to our intestines causing problems. Is fiber consumption therefore favorable? Of course, although we already knew that.
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