About Gut Microbiome and Prebiotics
Prebiotics are substances which act as a food for the human microbiome. New research suggests that prebiotics may be much more important that probiotics. Instead of adding or supplementing with new bacteria, we should focus on feeding what is already present. There are thousands of species that make up the microbiome with large variations in the numbers of these bacteria that are present. To further complicate matters, these ratios are very individualized and vary from person to person. Therefore, an individualized approach should be taken with regards to probiotic supplementation and distributing the same probiotic supplement to a large group of individuals could be detrimental at worst and a waste of money at the very least. The fact is, there is not a one size fits all approach to probiotics, however this is not the case with prebiotics. This is because the microbiome loves vegetables and high fiber foods. The problem is that the average american is only eating roughly half of the recommended daily fiber. As a result the microbiome is suffering. A much more refined way of promoting the microbiome is to simply provide the necessary substances they feed on, and let the flora come into a proper balance based on the individual makeup. Within a balanced microbiome, the beneficial flora (Good Bugs) fight off the pathogenic flora (Bad Bugs) and give us good health. The prebiotics in Gut Food and Repair are backed by scientific studies and have been proven to feed and enhance the beneficial flora.