Have you ever heard the expression, “Go with your Gut?”
As it turns out, that might be the best health advice you’ll hear this week!
Maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal tract has effects that go far beyond a happy tummy. In fact, a balanced gut microbiome may be the cornerstone of whole-body health.
Research has found that gut health is at the root of a healthy immune system, endocrine (hormone) system, cardiovascular system, skeletal system, brain and skin.
Poor gut health may also cause a large number of health issues, from asthma to allergies to auto-immune diseases [1].
The key takeaway? When your gut’s happy, you’re happy!
What can you do to give your gut what it needs? You can start by supporting a balanced gut microbiome with prebiotics and probiotics.
But first, you need to discover what’s really going on with your digestive health (get ready, because it’s crazy).
What is the Gut Microbiome?
Scientists have called the gut microbiome “the most important discovery for human healthcare in decades” [1].
It’s the largest internal organ in the body, and yet we’ve only just discovered it in the past two decades.
How did we miss an entire organ?
The microbiome remained elusive because it’s not human. Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microorganisms, most of which are types of bacteria.
Yes, you heard that right: trillions. About 100 trillion, to be precise. That means there are about 10 times more bacteria in your gut than there are human cells in your body [2]!
Luckily, these bacteria are friendly.
They live in your gut and help you perform vital functions for everyday health. They control appetite, digestion, metabolism, immune system function, hormonal release, and much more. Studies have found that the gut microbiome plays a role in developing bone and muscle mass [3,4].
Additional research has found that certain microbes are partially responsible for heart disease and strokes [5]. It’s also become clear that microbes greatly impact mental health, particularly anxiety and depression [6].
This has led scientists to believe that probiotic foods may someday be prescribed for mental health conditions [1]. So, yeah…your gut microbiome does a lot of heavy lifting.
And your digestive health in good standing is a big deal.
What Makes a Healthy Gut Microbiome?
It’s easy to see why the gut microbiome is considered so significant for holistic health.
When you feel happy and healthy, you have your gut biome to thank. Whenever you feel sick, your gut biome may be the cause.
But what’s the difference between a happy gut and a sad one? Research has found that diversity is the key to supporting a healthy gut [2].
The more bacteria, the better!
Adding good bacteria to your microbiome may improve its performance and relieve certain conditions.
Because of this, scientists are paying more attention to the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics for overall digestive health.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are good bacteria.
These are the bacteria that live in your gut and help you perform essential tasks like digesting food, fighting infection and removing waste. There are already probiotic bacteria living in your gut. If there weren’t, you wouldn’t be alive.
But some things can negatively affect your bacteria population, reducing it or throwing it off balance. These include antibiotics, stress, processed foods and refined sugars, and lack of sleep.
If your gut microbiome is in crisis, you may want to add more good bacteria to your gut, in the form of probiotic foods or supplements, to support a diverse gut microbiome.
What are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are ingredients that support the growth and health of probiotic bacteria.
They are kind of like food for your probiotics, as they help good bacteria grow and thrive. If you have a healthy diet, the food you eat probably provides your gut microbiome with all the prebiotic fuel it needs.
But if you don’t consume many foods that are rich in prebiotics, such as apples, bananas, garlic and onions, you may need to give your gut bacteria a helping hand by taking a prebiotic supplement.
Benefits of a Pre+Probiotic Balance
If holistic health starts in the gut, then probiotics and prebiotics are elements of foundational nutrition.
Research is still uncovering all the ways that our gut microbiome affects our daily lives, but we know that supporting a diverse and balanced microbiome has the following benefits.
- Whole body balance: A balanced gut keeps your entire body in balance, regulating hormones, inflammation, appetite and many more daily ups and downs that keep you chugging along.
- Digestive relief: Signs of an unbalanced gut include diarrhea, bloating, gas and aches. A healthy microbiome may relieve these issues while promoting smoother digestion and metabolic health.
- Immune strength: About 80% of your immune system is in your gut, and immuno-responses are triggered by gut bacteria [7]. A probiotic and prebiotic balance is essential for a strong and well-functioning immune system.
- Healthy aging: A lack of gut bacteria diversity may lead to muscle and bone frailty as well as cognitive decline, causing you to age more quickly [8]. A healthy pre+probiotic balance has a powerful antioxidant effect that slows down wrinkles and keeps you spry.
- Clear Skin: Poor skin complexion can stem from an unbalanced microbiome. Probiotics and prebiotics can help regulate inflammation that causes breakouts and redness while neutralizing bad bacteria that causes skin problems.
- Weight management: The gut microbiome affects how you store and burn calories. It also triggers cravings. Probiotics and prebiotics have been found to curb cravings and reduce body fat [9].
- Healthy blood sugar levels: More and more research continues to support the role probiotics play in blood sugar management, heart health and GI health. All three of these areas are critical to managing diabetes. Probiotics may help lower insulin and glucose levels in the bloodstream over time [12].
- A clear mind: The gut microbiome is directly linked to the brain. That’s what it means to have a “gut feeling!” A healthy gut can improve cognitive performance and mood. An unbalanced gut can make you feel stressed and foggy [10].
Eat More of these Probiotic Foods
Want to boost the diversity of your gut microbiome and improve your digestive health? Add more of these probiotic foods and drinks to your diet!
Probiotic foods:
- Yogurt
- Cheese (blue, swiss, provolone, parmesan, gouda, aged cheddar)
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Pickles
Probiotic drinks:
- Kombucha
- Kefir
- Drinkable Yogurt
- Apple cider vinegar
As you may have noticed, not many of these foods and drinks are commonly found in the American diet. And the ones that are (such as cheese) are often pasteurized, which kills any good bacteria present.
If you don’t get many of these ingredients in your diet, consider adding a pre+probiotic supplement to your daily routine.
Support Your Gut with a Pre+Probiotic Supplement
Introducing good bacteria into your gut microbiome is always a good thing, but not all prebiotic and probiotic supplements accomplish that.
The massive importance of a balanced gut microbiome is a relatively recent discovery, so there is a vast variety of supplements out there promising to improve gut and overall digestive health.
But what makes a good pre+probiotic supplement?
- The right bacteria: There are lots of bacteria in your gut. A probiotic supplement should include the ones that will do you good without causing side effects like an upset stomach. Look for diverse strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.
- Diversity: A balanced blend of bacteria in each probiotic dose will introduce more good bacteria into your system. The more, the merrier—especially for Americans, who lack diversity in their gut microbiomes [11].
- Strength in numbers: Your gut contains trillions of microbiota, so you need to add quite a few to make a difference in your health. A pre+probiotic supplement should contain at least 1 billion bacteria units (known as CFUs).
- An effective delivery system: In order for pre+probiotics to join your microbiome, they must survive the journey through your stomach acid and digestive tract. Supplements with liposomal delivery protect each microbe in a liposomal shield, helping more bacteria reach their destination.
- Prebiotics + Probiotics: Most supplements only include probiotics in their blend of microbes. Prebiotics are also necessary for a thriving and diverse gut microbiome.
Luckily, choosing a potent pre+probiotic supplement isn’t difficult. Manna Liposomal Pre+Probiotic contains a diverse blend of 40 billion bacteria CFUs and prebiotic fuel.
Our team of scientists and nutritional experts spent countless hours developing a blend of microbiota-supporting probiotics to support healthy digestion, skin, metabolism, immunity and whole-body balance.
And thanks to our NanoFuse liposomal delivery system, up to 10x more bacteria from each dose will find a new home in your gut as compared to non-liposomal delivery.
Manna Liposomal Pre+Probiotic may be the key to improving your health from its foundations on up. We can’t make any promises, but we’ve got a gut feeling!
FAQs
A good prebiotic and probiotic supplement should contain diverse strains of beneficial bacteria, a high number of colony-forming units (CFUs), an effective delivery system to protect the bacteria, and a combination of both prebiotics and probiotics to support overall gut health.
A balanced gut microbiome offers numerous benefits, including improved digestion, stronger immune function, better skin health, effective weight management, enhanced mental clarity, and healthy aging.
You can improve gut health by consuming a diet rich in probiotic and prebiotic foods, managing stress, getting adequate sleep, and avoiding processed foods and antibiotics when possible. Taking a prebiotic and probiotic supplement can also support a balanced gut microbiome.
The gut microbiome is a complex community of trillions of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, that live in your digestive tract. These microorganisms play a crucial role in various bodily functions, including digestion, metabolism, and immune response.
Gut health impacts the entire body, influencing the immune system, endocrine (hormone) system, cardiovascular system, skeletal system, brain, and skin. Poor gut health can lead to numerous health issues, including allergies, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
- https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/11/unlocking-the-gut-microbiome-and-its-massive-significance-to-our-health
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433529/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7933548/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6933299/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.903570/full
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01479-w
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33803407/
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aac8469
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7333005/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7601389/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/11/02/immigrants-arrive-with-flourishing-gut-microbes-then-americas-diet-trashes-them/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26161741/
