Our digestive system is colonized by a whole series of bacteria that form a complex group called intestinal microbiota . These bacteria live in symbiosis with our intestine in a delicate balance, which can be affected by food, stress, diseases, or some medications. The consumption of foods with prebiotics and probiotics can be useful to maintain this balance.
The main difference between both comes from the fact that some contain live microorganisms and the others are a special type of dietary fiber. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines probiotics as live microorganisms that when administered in an adequate amount produce a beneficial effect on the health of the host. That is, they are those in which there are bacteria that help strengthen our immune system, these bacteria can also survive a digestion reaching the colon alive and helping to restore the intestinal flora that may have been altered for any reason.
We find them mainly in fermented milk products (yogurts, cheeses). Its consumption supposes a help in the digestion of some nutrients of the diet as the lactose, the starch and the proteins, besides that it facilitates the absorption of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, or phosphorus.
On the one hand, nutritionally speaking they are very rich, and they help us digest food by producing vitamins, reduce cholesterol absorption and on the other hand they have a therapeutic purpose in the treatment of disorders.
It is recommended to take them especially in stages of growth, pregnancy, lactation, periods of stress, attrition at work, accelerated rhythm of life, when there are digestion problems, etc.
On the other hand we have prebiotic foods. Prebiotics are not living organisms but rather a type of non-digestible fiber that has beneficial effects on health by stimulating the growth of a specific class of bacteria in the colon. Unlike live bacteria of probiotics, prebiotics are only life-supporting substances as energy supplements for beneficial bacteria.
These substances are added to some foods to encourage the selective development of our intestinal flora . In short, a prebiotic food serves to enhance another probiotic, ie they are complementary.
The substances best studied for their prebiotic effect are the oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, fructoligosaccharides found in fruits and vegetables. These substances are also added to some foods to encourage the selective development of our intestinal flora and that helps to combat constipation. Examples of some foods where they are present: bananas, asparagus, garlic, tomatoes, leeks, whole wheat, artichokes, onions, lentils or chicory.
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