Postbiotics are evidence that the microorganisms in our gut are doing what they are meant to. What are they? Why are they crucial for great gut health? How do I get more of them? …
“The most important indicator of your gut microbiome health is the postbiotics”
DR. RAJSREE NAMBUDRIPAD, INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE SPECIAL
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What are postbiotics?
We know that prebiotics are the fuel source for the probiotics, which are the live microorganisms that live in our gut. After the probiotic microorganisms ingest the prebiotics, the waste that is then produced is postbiotics. Dont worry, this is a good thing. They are beneficial metabolites. They are enzymes, secreted proteins, short chain fatty acids, vitamins, secreted biosurfactants, amino acids, peptides, organic acids, etc.
by way of example, the bacterial fermentation of fibre in the gut creates short chain fatty acids, which are beneficial for things like maintaining the lining of our gut, reducing gut inflammation, improving immunity, better sleep, reducing weight loss resistance, help with allergies, and much much more.
Another big benefit of postbiotics is that they lower ph levels making it more suitable for good bacteria to thrive, but at the same time this environment prevents the growth of bad bacteria.
The reason why prebiotics and probiotics are encouraged, is to boost postbiotics.
This means that the end goal IS postbiotics.
Read that again…
How to increase postbiotics
You can boost postbiotics in your diet by increasing your dietary intake of certain foods. We talked about these in previous posts, check out this one for the top prebiotics, and here for my go-to probiotics. But that’s not all.
There is one particular kind of postbiotic that is best known for its gut-healing abilities. Therefore a great one if you have a leaky gut. This little gem is called Butyrate.
Butyrate feeds the cells that line your gut, ultimately helping to regenerate and protect the barrier that is damaged if you have a leaky gut. It also helps to boost immunity and suppress inflammation.
The best foods to boost butyrate are butter and ghee. This is because butyrate is a short chain fatty acid found in milk. Butter and ghee are both created through a process of extracting the fat from milk. Ghee has a slightly higher fat content over butter. Either way though, always opt for grass fed sources for a better nutrient profile.
For my friends who avoid dairy, some other sources that provide a butyrate boost are foods high in pectin like apples, nuts like almond, and foods high in resistant starch like under-ripe bananas or cooked cold potato. These foods are specifically good at boosting butyrate because they contain resistant starch or pectin. Note that I specifically said cold potato because there is more resistant starch when consumed chilled. Similarly resistant starch is higher in bananas when left a little under ripe, before it gets all those brown spots.
Postbiotic supplementation
It’s always best to consume nutrients from food sources, but if you don’t fancy butter and cold potatoes you can skip the middle man. If you want to directly boost postbiotics, you’ll need to supplement. Ideally a supplement with butyrate. Unlike pre and probiotics though, research on postbiotics is relatively new, and many studies are currently in motion. That said there is some research that is starting to suggest that many of the health benefits we attribute to probiotics, may actually be the benefit from postbiotics.
If you choose to supplement it’s worth knowing the benefits of postbiotic supplementation over probiotic supplementation.
Probiotics are live microorganisms. For this reason, some people don’t tolerate probiotics well as it can cause mild stomach discomfort. This is not an issue with postbiotics as there is no live bacteria introduced to your system. Making it a better option if you do experience stomach discomfort, are immune compromised, have an immature immune system or if you have a leaky gut.
“Postbiotics could potentially be a way to send anti-inflammatory signals to the immune cells of your gut, without introducing bacteria”
Jessica Blanchard, Registered Dietitian.
Another benefit to postbiotics is that they are easier to transport and store because there is no requirement of refrigeration to maintain live microorganisms.
Given postbiotics is still pretty new you’ll often find them paired with both pre and probiotics in supplements. A couple of good ones are
This fantastic 3 in 1, which also contains butyrate: Complete Gut Health+ by MaryRuth’s, 3-in-1 Prebiotic + Probiotic + Postbiotic. It’s also vegan and pretty allergy friendly too.
If you need or prefer a powder instead of a capsule, Reboot Cleanse Powder, Probiotics + prebiotics + Postbiotics is a fantastic alternative.
Bringing it all together
Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics are all vital for good gut health. Postbiotic supplementation can provide a much needed boost to stimulate a healthy gut, particularly if you have leaky gut or are immune compromised. That said, if you are able to maintain good gut health without supplementation that is best. Even if you do choose to supplement though, it’s not like you can take it, forget about it and continue with a terrible diet. You need to feed the good bacteria to keep them thriving.
If you don’t know what to eat for optimal gut health make sure you check out my other posts or head over to my YouTube channel.
Supplements should always be consumed along with a healthy diet packed with prebiotic and probiotic foods.
Have you ever heard of parabiotics , or ghost-biotics? That’s what we are going to talk about next.
See you soon.
