What is the difference between a pre- and a probiotic, and what exactly is a postbiotic then?

It's quite simple! Probiotics are the bacteria from our gut that are supposedly particularly useful for the digestion of nutrients and the protection of our intestinal lining. These usually include lacto- and bifidobacteria. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are dietary fibers that provide food for the supposedly good bacteria and help them grow, such as inulin or oligofructose. Postbiotics, however, are fermented foods like sauerkraut, which provide the metabolic end products of probiotics. These are usually very healthy for us because they already contain the converted nutrients, which are generally more digestible or bioavailable for us. This includes pre-digested proteins, converted vitamins, and secondary plant compounds in more easily absorbable forms. In addition, anti-nutrients like gluten, casein, and lectin are largely broken down in postbiotics.

Looking at international studies, it is clear that pre- and postbiotics have the best effect on our health. While postbiotics can often be consumed through fermented foods, the intake of prebiotics is not always easy. Especially patients with intestinal problems do not tolerate these so-called soluble fiber products, because they regularly contain hard-to-digest complex sugars (FODMAPs), anti-nutrients like gluten and lectin, and the general digestive capacity is already overwhelmed.

Probiotics are so ineffective because their bacterial strains usually do not find a breeding ground in the intestine and are mostly excreted again. Markers in the gut test, which show the metabolic end products of bacteria, such as lactate or short-chain fatty acids, almost never increase after ingestion.

Prebiotics and their effects

The situation is quite different with the administration of prebiotics: Studies, published in international top journals such as Nature, have shown that prebiotics help the intestinal lining to significantly reduce inflammatory reactions – for example, in allergies and autoimmune diseases. However, the administration of isolated fibers without the addition of the complete plant is not useful. Inulin powder, for example, has been identified in leading international studies in mice as highly toxic to the liver. Bacteria only understand fiber when it is embedded in the plant and not when it has been isolated. In that case, it allows the fiber to migrate to the large intestine, where it is apparently toxically degraded and burdens the liver.

For this reason, ONE Life Sciences has developed Pre Bioma. Here you will find fiber-rich plant products that do not contain FODMAPs or anti-nutrients that can irritate the intestines and promote inflammation. The bacteria responsible for digestion and protection use this product as food and multiply like a protective film for your gut. Our patients report amazing improvements in a short time.

Dr. Kay Bredehorst

(Founder and developer of Cell Education - a training platform for cell therapy with over 40,000 doctors)