Prebiotic foods are extremely healthy foods that have very important benefits and properties for the health of the people who take them.
What are prebiotics?
The prebiotics are a special type of dietary fiber, which consumed at certain times, offers great health benefits. They tend to be framed within the group of so-called functional foods, although before talking about their qualities we must explain what they consist of.
In the particular case of prebiotics, we are faced with foods made up of large molecules, mostly carbohydrates (both oligo and polysaccharides) and which are part of dietary fiber. Of course, it should be noted that not all fibers present or possess an activity with prebiotic benefits.
Delving a little deeper into their composition, they basically consist of oligosaccharides and non-starch polysaccharides poorly digested by different human enzymes, which means that they are actually poorly absorbed.
In this way, as they are indigestible substances by our digestive system, they help in a very positive way when it comes to promoting both the growth and the activity of beneficial bacteria for our intestines, modulating both the activity and the composition of the microbiota.
Among other interesting aspects, they help positively when it comes to increasing the population of “good” bacteria (such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria).
What are its most important functions?
Precisely for this main question, knowing what benefits and properties prebiotic foods have for the body and, therefore, for the health of those who take or eat them, can be really useful.
As we discussed in a very summarized way in a previous article, prebiotics are components of food that are not absorbed in the small intestine, but that when they reach the colon, they tend to favor the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria, like lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
For this reason, some of the most widely used prebiotics are linked to the genera of the L. Casei strain (DN-114 001), Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus.
One of the most natural examples of food that it contains these bacteria is breast milk, which in fact is considered the functional food par excellence, and which is the recommended food for the first six months of life.
What benefits do they offer us?
Among the most important benefits of prebiotic foods, for example, the existence of fundamental components such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates stand out.
In turn, they contain a high amount of oligosaccharides , which play an important role in promoting a bifidogenic intestinal flora , since they act as prebiotic agents, being resistant to the digestion of the digestive tract, and reaching the colon where they are fermented by the microflora. Resident.
For example, medically prebiotics have been used to decrease diarrhea, or to treat constipation. Whereas probiotics have been used in order to increase the population of beneficial bacteria in the intestines after an episode of diarrhea from the use of antibiotics.
In addition, they help in a positive way when it comes to increasing the body’s defenses against pathogens, reducing the risk of certain intestinal infections.
What are its differences from probiotics?
As we have mentioned, we must differentiate foods with prebiotic functionality from those considered probiotics, since their functions and benefits are certainly different.
The main difference is found in its composition. And it is that while probiotics contain live microorganisms, which administered in adequate amounts tend to produce a beneficial effect on health, prebiotics are a type of indigestible fiber, not containing living organisms.
Both offer interesting health benefits, although as they quote from Infosalus, at the moment the scientific evidence regarding the positive effects of this type of food or food product is still small. However, this has not prevented its use from being widely spread over the past few years.
In what foods can we find prebiotics?
We can find prebiotics in many foods, actually, probably in more quantity than you might suspect or think at first. We mainly highlight the following:
- Inulin-rich foods: artichokes, chicory, bananas, wheat, barley and oats.
- Foods rich in Raffi nose and stachyose: legumes, sweet potato and potatoes.
- Foods rich in fructooligosaccharides: garlic, leek and onion (they are also rich in inulin), and asparagus.
As we can see, following a varied and healthy diet we will provide the body with the sufficient amount of prebiotics that we need regularly.
