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Here, we explore the 9 ways you can promote the effectiveness of probiotics and ensure they become permanent residents in your gut.
Having a diverse gut microbiome that’s teeming with ‘good’ bacteria is essential not only for a healthy gut but for your overall health, too.
Many people support their gut health by taking probiotics or eating probiotic-rich foods. That’s great, but there are other things you need to do to ensure these health-promoting microbes take up residence in your gut and exert their many benefits for you.
In this article, we explore 9 ways you can help support the growth and activity of probiotics in your gut, so you can truly reap their benefits.
Prebiotics are an energy source for probiotic bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria,which degrade and transform them into useful products like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)[i]. These SCFAs are released and have beneficial effects on the gut, like strengthening the gut barrier, and beyond.
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) act like prebiotics and can increase the abundance of good bacteria. Our research shows that supplementing our PureHMO 2’-fucosyllactose (2’-FL) increased Faecalibacterium, particularly F.prausnitzii, increased by 173% and Bifidobacteriumby 2582%.
Why not try it for yourself?
Although vegan and vegetarian diets are rising in popularity, being healthy doesn’t mean you need to cut out all animal products. Fruit and vegetables are packed with fiber, one of the key nutrients your good gut microbes need to survive and thrive.
Natural foods are also an important source of polyphenols – naturally occurring plant compounds. Polyphenols support the diversity of the gut microbiome by increasing the abundance of healthy bacteria while suppressing the growth of ‘bad’ bacteria[ii]. Therefore, eating more fruit and vegetables daily can help to keep your gut microbiome happy.
Increase your red polyphenols and fiber intake with Simple Reds and support your Akkermansia community with Organic Apple Peel Powder.
Use this article to understand the difference between different fiber and prebiotics.
Prebiotic fiber nourishes your gut microbiota by promoting an environment that’s optimal for the probiotic bacteria residing in your gut.
A review published in 2019 that included 42 studies, 39 reported changes in microbiota diversity and bacterial abundance following the consumption of cereal fibers[iii]. The reviewers suggested that increasing cereal fiber consumption should be increased for the promotion of good health and gut microbiota diversity.
Several other wholegrain fibers are important for gut health and for lowering the risk of chronic conditions, like heart disease[iv] and type 2 diabetes[v], such as:
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Barley |
Buckwheat |
Bulgar |
|
Corn |
Millet |
Oats |
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Quinoa |
Spelt |
Wild rice |
Multi-strain probiotics are a valuable option for supporting your gut health. These supplements contain more than one strain of bacteria and are generally used as an everyday supplement to support health.
Research involving 50 pregnant obese women found that taking a daily multistrain probiotic, increased the overall alpha-diversity in the gut[vi].
An imbalanced gut can contribute to the development of several chronic diseases, including obesity. Yet in a trial involving overweight and obese children receiving a multistrain probiotic over 12 weeks, the probiotic improved gut dysbiosis and increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – good cholesterol – levels[vii].
Confused about the difference between probiotics and prebiotics? Here we explain what prebiotics are and what makes them different to probiotics.
If you’re already taking a multistrain probiotic and you’re looking for a new way to bolster your gut health. Try our Akkermansia muciniphila daily probiotic.
Resistant starch is similar to soluble fiber in that it helps to nourish the good bacteria in your gut and encourages the production of short-chain fatty acids, like butyrate.
Eating resistant starch has been linked to weight loss through its ability to modulate the gut microbiome[viii]. Some types of resistant starch can lower blood glucose levels after meals in type 2 diabetic patients[ix].
There are five types of resistant starch available:
|
Type |
Examples |
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RS1 |
Grains, seeds and legumes |
|
RS2 |
Green bananas and raw potatoes |
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RS3 |
Cooked and cooled starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, and pasta |
|
RS4 |
Man-made via chemical processes |
|
RS5 |
Made by manufacturers by heating and cooling starchy foods with fats or waxes |
If you’re looking to increase your resistant starch intake to boost your probiotic bacteria, choose foods like green bananas or make pasta salads by cooking and cooling wholewheat pasta. Our Akkermansia Daily Probiotic also delivers 750 mg of resistant starch directly to your gut.
Being physically active has many health benefits, including:
Exercise also positively impacts gut health. Studies show that moderate to high-intensity exercise for 30 to 90 minutes three times per week for eight weeks can positively modify the composition of the gut microbiome[x].
Activities like running, cycling, and resistance training can be particularly beneficial for improving the diversity in your gut and improving the development of friendly bacteria[xi].
Interestingly, probiotics can also contribute to your overall performance, we discuss that more in our blog.
Stress can play havoc with your health in many ways, but it can also have a direct impact on your gut. Stress exposure can change the composition and diversity of your gut microbiota by depleting beneficial species like Lactobacillus [xii].
Interestingly, some probiotic bacteria can help alleviate stress and anxiety in adults[xiii]. Other things you can do to help manage stress include:
If you’re feeling stressed, we discuss how you can feed your gut microbes to help you relieve stress and tension.
Fermented foods are made when microorganisms are added to food. It’s an ancient process adopted by populations to prevent food from being spoiled. However, more recently, fermented foods have become popular amongst health enthusiasts because of their health benefits and strong flavours.
Fermented foods can promote a more diverse gut microbiome and contribute to other functions such as digestion and disease prevention. There are two ways food can be fermented:
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Wild or spontaneous ferments |
Culture-dependent ferments |
|
Naturally occurring microbes in raw food are responsible for the fermentation process. |
Fermented foods are created by adding starter cultures. |
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Why not combine the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics with a well-formulated multistrain synbiotic, like the SuperHMO® Synbiotic Capsules?
Synbiotics are a combination of prebiotics and probiotics that work synergistically together. It means that once they reach the gut, the probiotic bacteria have an instant energy source they can use to become active and sustain themselves in the gut. They were originally developed to overcome some of the survival challenges probiotics faced once they reached the colonic environment[xv].
Good quality synbiotics not only help prolong probiotic bacteria survival but they have also been linked to weight loss and can improve metabolic health.
Probiotics are healthy or good bacteria that can induce health benefits in your gut. However, if you’re looking for the best ways to make sure your gut microbes can thrive well enough for you to reap their benefits, these nine tips are a good place to start.
If you’re looking for high quality, scientifically backed prebiotic and probiotics, explore our shop.
Written by: Leanne Edermaniger, M.Sc. Leanne is a professional science writer who specializes in human health and enjoys writing about all things related to the gut microbiome.
[i] Davani-Davari D, Negahdaripour M, Karimzadeh I, Seifan M, Mohkam M, Masoumi SJ, Berenjian A, Ghasemi Y. Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods. 2019 Mar 9;8(3):92. doi: 10.3390/foods8030092. PMID: 30857316; PMCID: PMC6463098.
[ii] Catalkaya G, Venema K, Lucini L, Rocchetti G, Delmas D, Daglia M, et al. Interaction of dietary polyphenols and gut microbiota: Microbial metabolism of polyphenols, influence on the gut microbiota, and implications on host health. Food Frontiers. 2020 Jun;1(2):109–33. doi:10.1002/fft2.25
[iii] Jefferson A, Adolphus K. The effects of intact cereal grain fibers, including wheat bran on the gut microbiota composition of Healthy Adults: A systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2019 Mar 29;6. doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00033
[iv] Aune D, Keum N, Giovannucci E, Fadnes LT, Boffetta P, Greenwood DC, Tonstad S, Vatten LJ, Riboli E, Norat T. Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. BMJ. 2016 Jun 14;353:i2716. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i2716. PMID: 27301975; PMCID: PMC4908315.
[v] Wehrli F, Taneri PE, Bano A, Bally L, Blekkenhorst LC, Bussler W, Metzger B, Minder B, Glisic M, Muka T, Kern H. Oat Intake and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 26;13(8):2560. doi: 10.3390/nu13082560. PMID: 34444718; PMCID: PMC8398256.
[vi] Halkjær SI, de Knegt VE, Lo B, Nilas L, Cortes D, Pedersen AE, Mirsepasi-Lauridsen HC, Andersen LO, Nielsen HV, Stensvold CR, Johannesen TB, Kallemose T, Krogfelt KA, Petersen AM. Multistrain Probiotic Increases the Gut Microbiota Diversity in Obese Pregnant Women: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study. Curr Dev Nutr. 2020 May 27;4(7):nzaa095. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzaa095. PMID: 32617453; PMCID: PMC7319727.
[vii] Chen A-C, Fang T-J, Ho H-H, Chen J-F, Kuo Y-W, Huang Y-Y, et al. A multi-strain probiotic blend reshaped obesity-related gut dysbiosis and improved lipid metabolism in obese children. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022 Aug 4;9. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.922993
[viii] Li H, Zhang L, Li J, Wu Q, Qian L, He J, Ni Y, Kovatcheva-Datchary P, Yuan R, Liu S, Shen L, Zhang M, Sheng B, Li P, Kang K, Wu L, Fang Q, Long X, Wang X, Li Y, Ye Y, Ye J, Bao Y, Zhao Y, Xu G, Liu X, Panagiotou G, Xu A, Jia W. Resistant starch intake facilitates weight loss in humans by reshaping the gut microbiota. Nat Metab. 2024 Mar;6(3):578-597. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-00988-y. Epub 2024 Feb 26. PMID: 38409604; PMCID: PMC10963277.
[ix] Pugh JE, Cai M, Altieri N, Frost G. A comparison of the effects of resistant starch types on glycemic response in individuals with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2023 Mar 27;10:1118229. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1118229. PMID: 37051127; PMCID: PMC10085630.
[x] Boytar AN, Skinner TL, Wallen RE, Jenkins DG, Dekker Nitert M. The Effect of Exercise Prescription on the Human Gut Microbiota and Comparison between Clinical and Apparently Healthy Populations: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2023 Mar 22;15(6):1534. doi: 10.3390/nu15061534. PMID: 36986264; PMCID: PMC10054511.
[xi] Monda V, Villano I, Messina A, Valenzano A, Esposito T, Moscatelli F, Viggiano A, Cibelli G, Chieffi S, Monda M, Messina G. Exercise Modifies the Gut Microbiota with Positive Health Effects. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:3831972. doi: 10.1155/2017/3831972. Epub 2017 Mar 5. PMID: 28357027; PMCID: PMC5357536.
[xii] Foster JA, Rinaman L, Cryan JF. Stress & the gut-brain axis: Regulation by the microbiome. Neurobiology of Stress. 2017 Dec;7:124–36. doi:10.1016/j.ynstr.2017.03.001
[xiii] Ma T, Jin H, Kwok LY, Sun Z, Liong MT, Zhang H. Probiotic consumption relieved human stress and anxiety symptoms possibly via modulating the neuroactive potential of the gut microbiota. Neurobiol Stress. 2021 Jan 12;14:100294. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100294. PMID: 33511258; PMCID: PMC7816019.
[xiv] Dimidi E, Cox SR, Rossi M, Whelan K. Fermented Foods: Definitions and Characteristics, Impact on the Gut Microbiota and Effects on Gastrointestinal Health and Disease. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 5;11(8):1806. doi: 10.3390/nu11081806. PMID: 31387262; PMCID: PMC6723656.
[xv] Pandey KR, Naik SR, Vakil BV. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics- a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 Dec;52(12):7577-87. doi: 10.1007/s13197-015-1921-1. Epub 2015 Jul 22. PMID: 26604335; PMCID: PMC4648921.
