Living Synergistically with our gut flora 

With 70-80% of the human body’s immune cells residing in the gut microbiota (gut flora), there is a strong rationale that the gut plays a very significant role in developing and sustaining immune balance. So, there is no surprise that the commercial world of ‘gut health’ is booming with new products being launched on a daily basis, boasting benefits of prebiotics, probiotics and the all new Synbiotics.

So what are prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics?

According to the World Health Organisation, Probiotics are microorganisms which when delivered in sufficient quantities improve the gut microbiome and confer a health benefit to the host. Prebiotics, however, directly influence the development of the gut microbiome by promoting the growth of healthy bacteria. Prebiotics are essentially the food (fibre) that allow probiotics to flourish.

Synbiotics is a term created to describe a combination of prebiotics and probiotics that have been specifically formulated to work harmoniously together to improve your gut. (A synergistic relationship is one where two or more substances, when combined, create a greater effect than the sum of their separate effect (3)).  

Not all bacteria are the same and there is much debate around which prebiotics and probiotics have the greatest effect. The fact is, what will work best may be completely individual and based on several factors including your environment, exposure to antibiotics, pollution, just to name a few. But just like the importance of diversity of your diet, introduction to a range of pre and probiotics to balance out your gut flora can contribute to a number of astounding benefits such as prevention of diarrhea and constipation, modulate immune responses and may contribute to the synthesis of nutrients to improve their bioavailability (2).

• Immunity
  Microbes build up our adaptive immunity, allowing the “good” microbes to fight and overpower the “bad” microbes that cause our body harm, ie illness. The more diverse ecosystem of microbes in our gut, the stronger our immunity and less prone to sickness we are.

• Nutrition and Metabolism
  Filling your body with good food and nutrients is pointless if you’re body isn’t absorbing it. Gut bacteria plays a key role in the absorption and synthesis of micronutrients, in particular B vitamins and Vitamin K.
  
• Mood and Behaviour
  Hormones, neurotransmitters and immunological factors released from the gut are known to send signals to the brain. A healthy, diverse gut microbiome can positively help your mood, including depression and anxiety, as well as regulate hormones. There is a lot of unpack here, so for more information see scientific article by Clapp et al (1).  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835/

Bottom line:

• Diet is the key driver in shaping your gut microbiome…
  • Try eating a diverse range of foods, in particular fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans
  • Consuming Probiotics – this increases the number of “good” bacteria for the body to thrive
  • Consuming high fibre foods or supplements allow good bacteria to flourish, improving gut dysbiosis.
  • Eat fermented foods – these are broken down by yeast or bacteria and help good bacteria to your gut. Eg yoghurt, kefir
  • Synbiotics are a unique blend of pre and probiotics working synergistically together to modulate the gut microbiota.
    

Filling your body with fresh, sustainable, functional foods is the key to improving health. As Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.  If you are wondering if trying pre, pro, or synbiotics will be helpful for you, remember that the gut microbiome is essential for the digestion, absorption and utilisation of nutrients from food consumed- fuelling your body.

Give CleanFit’s Protein Shakes or Bars a try now and start embracing our microbe friends to let your gut thrive!

References:

1. Clapp M, Aurora N, Herrera L, Bhatia M, Wilen E, Wakefield S. Gut Microbiota’s effect on mental health: the gut-brain Axis. Clin Pract. 2017;7(4):987. doi: 10.4081/cp.2017.987. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2. Pandey K.R., Naik S.R., Vakil B.V. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics—A review. J. Food Sci. Technol. 2015;52:7577–7587. doi: 10.1007/s13197-015-1921-1. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
3. Oxford English Dictionary. (2022) reference, Oxford: Oxford University. [Online] [Accessed on 19th May 2022] https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com