For optimal health, it is good to understand what prebiotics versus probiotics are. Theoretically both strengthen intestinal flora and defenses, but with different strategies.
Prebiotics
We talk about non-digestible food ingredients – carbohydrates, almost always -. They are made up of large molecules that are part of the food fiber and that favor the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, beneficial microbes of our digestive system.
They abound in foods rich in fiber, for example, asparagus, artichoke, carrots and bananas.
Probiotics
On the contrary, these contain live bacteria.
Sometimes these are new microbes, which were missing or lost due to infection or antibiotic treatment; and others, are intended to regenerate an existing population, decimated or weak.
The most common natural probiotic is yogurt, made from fermented milk with various microorganisms in it.
Moreover, the prebiotic occur naturally in many foods, so it is not necessary that people take supplements prebiotics.
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HOW DOES THE BODY BENEFIT FROM PREBIOTICS AND PROBIOTICS?
Both play complementary roles for our intestinal health and work as a team to support your intestinal microbiome.
They work together to maintain the balance of healthy bacteria by helping to populate living microorganisms (probiotics) and feeding those microorganisms (prebiotics).
A 2017 review found that probiotics can relieve symptoms of depression , but the authors point out that additional studies are needed to confirm this.
It is possible that probiotics have this effect because there is a link between the intestine and brain health.