Healthcare
Sustainable patient nutrition: A strategic imperative for today’s healthcare leaders
The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of trillions of helpful and potentially harmful microbes that interact with different body systems. Although microorganisms have been studied as a source of disease since the 17th century, research into pathogens such as bacteria and viruses also led to widespread improvements in sanitation and public health safety, and ultimately to the discovery of the “human microbiome.” Vigorous research over the past twenty years has expanded understanding of this ecosystem.1,2 While they are found throughout the body (such as on the skin and in the mouth), the most abundant number of microbes live in the intestinal tract or gut.2-4
How the gut microbiome supports health
The community of microbes in the human gut has been referred to as a vital hidden organ, influencing metabolism, immune function and disease risk.5 Research continues to demonstrate the important role a healthy gut microbiome plays in supporting overall health and well-being. Helpful microbes are involved in a powerhouse of functions. These include breaking down potentially toxic food components, synthesizing certain vitamins and minerals, producing beneficial compounds, strengthening the intestinal barrier, and communicating with the nervous system through a gut-brain axis.3,5
Disruptions in this ecosystem (“dysbiosis”) affect the healthy balance of good gut bacteria and promote the overgrowth of pathogens.4 Dysbiosis is associated with many serious health issues, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), autoimmune conditions, mental health disorders and certain cancers.3-6
Clarifying the different “biotics”
Probiotics
Probiotics are living bacteria that have beneficial qualities for human health. Foods that are fermented, such as yogurt and sauerkraut, may contain probiotics.3,4,6 However, a fermented food is only considered a probiotic if it is not heat-treated or overly processed, and at least one of the bacteria strains in the food is a member of a well-studied species known to confer probiotic health benefits.7
Sourdough bread, for example, is not really a probiotic food since baking denatures the cultures used in its fermentation.7 To be a probiotic, a microorganism must be alive when administered, must be documented to have a health benefit, and must be administered at high enough levels to confer the benefit.8
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are food for healthy microbes. Starches, fiber, and even substances in breastmilk induce the growth of these good bacteria. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains like wheat, oats, and barley are natural sources of prebiotics.4,6,9 The most studied prebiotics to date are specific types of fiber. However, not all dietary fibers are prebiotics. Different fibers may or may not meet the prebiotic criteria of being utilized by gut microbes to provide specific health benefits.8
Symbiotics
Synbiotics combine both a live microbe (often a probiotic) and a source of food for microbes (often a prebiotic). A synbiotic brings two distinct ingredients together to produce a health benefit.8 Synbiotics may be administered or can be naturally produced by the microbes in the body.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are whole or partial non-living microbes that also have health benefits. Postbiotics are often confused with metabolites (molecules produced by living microorganisms, such as short-chain fatty acids or SCFAs), but metabolites themselves do not qualify as postbiotics. The study of postbiotics is a rapidly expanding field of science.8
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