The reason for confusion is pretty obvious. Not only do the words differ by only one letter, but they target similar benefits: improving overall health by improving digestive health through nourishing a healthy colon.

We'll summarize the similarities and differences between prebiotics and probiotics here, then we'll discuss each item in a bit more detail:

Now, let's discuss these in a bit more detail:

Prebiotics are nondigestible substances that pass through the stomach and small intestine unchanged. Many substances have been proposed as prebiotics, but thus far only two fructooligosaccharides: oligofructose and inulin, meet the complete medical definition of "prebiotic". The compound created from these two prebiotics together is called Oligofructose-Enriched-Inulin and is considered a "full-spectrum" Prebiotic. So when we say "prebiotics" we mean those two substances only.

Other "possible" prebiotics ranging from polydextrose to isomalto-oligosaccharides do not have enough research or proven benefit to qualify. Some foods presented as "prebiotics" in and of themselves simply contain prebiotics. For example we often see honey presented as "a prebiotic," while it is more accurate to simply say that honey contains a small amount of prebiotics (as do many other foods).

Prebiotics enter the colon where they nourish beneficial bacteria. These beneficial bacteria number in the TRILLIONS in your colon, and there are thousands of different species of good bacteria. The beneficial bacteria, typically within the hundreds of species under the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter families, create many health benefits through their action in the colon.

Probiotics are supplements that contain living organisms, bacteria. While many people now call the actual bacteria "probiotics" this is not technically accurate. A Probiotic is the supplement containing these bacteria. Once consumed and in your system, the bacteria are just "bacteria" not "probiotics." However, for simplicity's sake, we will occasionally refer to the bacteria themselves as "probiotic"

Typically these bacteria are the same Lacto- and Bifido- bacteria that are nourished by prebiotics. However, a probiotic supplement typically contains just a few strains - or even just one - of bacteria rather than the hundreds that exist in your colon. Nobody is quite sure if favoring these few strains over the others has unforeseen consequences.

Prebiotics benefit from their simplicity. They are, simply, very special fibers that nourish the good bacteria while not helping bad bacteria. Because of this, they are pretty impervious to damage. Heat does not harm them. They don't "die" just from the passage of time. Acid does not harm or degrade them.

Probiotics by contrast are living organisms. If they are no-longer-living (AKA dead!) when they reach your colon, they cannot provide any health benefit. Probiotics therefore must be carefully sustained. They must not be subjected to excessive heat during transport and warehousing. They should typically be refrigerated to ensure the bacteria remain relatively dormant and don't die simply from "old age". And the bacteria can be killed by acid.

This latter is significant when you take them: That's because your stomach is a rather antibiotic environment. The powerful acid of the stomach kills most bacteria. If you happen to eat a little Salmonella or E. Coli bacteria, that's a good thing! But the good guys die too. Probiotic supplements often counteract that with capsules that are claimed to 'get through' the stomach before dissolving. Or, they address it through sheer numbers: Some probiotics offer tens-of-billions of bacteria per dose, with the intent that enough make it through to take hold.

Do not overlook the impact of heat either. ANY product you buy that has been cooked or pasteurized (i.e. most dairy and canned goods) CANNOT by definition have any living good bacteria (unless they have been added back later - as with some yogurts). Also, if you cook probiotic food (e.g. you use yogurt in a cooked recipe - perhaps a sauce on the stove) the bacteria will also be killed.

Your colon contains trillions (with a "T"!) of bacteria - more than all the 'human' cells in your body. More than all the stars in the milky way galaxy. It is a number possibly too big to really comprehend. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of strains of bacteria in your colon. In fact, it is likely that each person's colon "microbiota" is as unique as fingerprint.

Prebiotics nourish all the good bacteria, particularly in the lacto- and bifido- families, preserving your "fingerprint".

Probiotics typically contain a few, or even just one, strain of bacteria. These bacteria are typically from the same bifido- and or lacto- families, but may or may not match your particular microbiota. One concern with probiotics is whether favoring a few strains that come in supplements might crowd out other beneficial strains along with the bad bacteria. For example, by favoring a strain that reduces diarrhea, are we inadvertently 'crowding out' a strain that helps you absorb key nutrients like Calcium or Magnesium?

Both prebiotics and the bacteria in probiotics are naturally-occurring substances. Prebiotics have been identified in over 36,000 plant species. The good bacteria contained in probiotic supplements naturally occur in fermented foods such as Kefir and Sauerkraut (though they are almost certainly destroyed if those foods are pasteurized..) So if that yogurt you bought was pasteurized - killing the bacteria - they actually had to add some bacteria back into it afterward. Or, if you bought a jar of sauerkraut that was canned with heat, it probably no longer contains beneficial bacteria.

Additionally, some companies have now both trademarked and patented their "own" bacteria. Trademarked bacteria are naturally occurring strains not "owned" by the company, but they have given them a 'consumer friendly' name which that company uses instead of the actual scientific name. So if you see a product that says it has "Defensis Maximus" bacteria... It's likely just a strain of Lactobacillus with a fancy name.

Patented bacteria are actually engineered by a company from naturally occurring bacteria. Because they are now a "proprietary" strain, that company can then patent and "own" that strain of bacteria. Both can be combined, with a patented engineered bacteria also being given a "consumer friendly" name.

Prebiotics create an important secondary impact in the colon. By nourishing the good bacteria, they induce these bacteria to create Short-Chain-Fatty-Acids. SCFAs or "energy pods" as we like to call them. The key factor here is that these SCFAs slighly lower the pH of the colon, creating an environment that is friendly to good bacteria, but inhospitable to bad bacteria, which prefer a higher pH basic-to-alkaline environment. The good bacteria introduced through Probiotic supplements probably produce SCFAs too, although research has not yet demonstrated this.
 

This may be due to the 'drop in the bucket' scenario: while "X Billion" may sound like a lot of bacteria, adding them to "X Trillion" of existing bacteria likely means an addition of 0.1% or less... IF they all survive!

It may just not be enough to create strong impact. A friend of ours put it this way: "If I take a 50-gallon drum of water and put in an eye-dropper-full of beer, I don't get a barrel of beer."... And since beer, like your colon, is fueled by the fermentation action of living organisms, it's actually a pretty good analogy!

Prebiotics have been extensively researched since their identification in 1995. This research has typically been done at research-oriented universities, often in Europe where awareness of prebiotics is highest. This research is frequently performed within the "food science" department or "health science" department. A good summary of this research is available in our Prebiotics Research Library.

Probiotic benefits are also extensively researched. Also frequently in the food science department of leading universities. A good source of research is pubmed.org, seaching for "probiotic". There are two things to consider in this research, however. Research was performed, typically, with known-to-be-viable bacteria, and the "packaging and keeping alive" issue remains very relevant. If probiotics work, but _your_ probiotics are dead, you get no benefit. Also, you may wish to consider that much of the research was sponsored by corporate entities - typically large yogurt producers. While that doesn't make it "bad" research, it should be properly revealed and noted.

Many authorities suggest that 4g daily of prebiotic fiber is a good serving. In Europe, recommendations are typically higher, toward 8g. Some researchers suggest significantly higher servings daily for those with active digestive disease - 15g daily or more.

There is truly no authoritative guideline about effective levels of probiotics. Manufacturers suggest anywhere from 5 MIL CFUs to 500 BIL CFUs, with 50 BIL CFUs being the largest commonly-seen serving size.

one area where BOTH prebiotics and probiotics are the same is that they must not bring excess calories, carbs, sugar, fat or other undesirables to the dietary mix. All too often probiotics come with a hefty dose of sugar in yogurt. One must be careful that in trying to get benefit from probiotics, one doesn't overdo it in other areas.

Similarly, prebiotics sometimes arrive via a "fiber bar" or similar. Some bars can be little more than candy with chocolate icing, lots of sugar - often high-fructose corn syrup - etc. Again, something that delivers 25% of your daily prebiotic need but 50% of your daily sugar limit isn't a "good deal." Prebiotics and probiotics are both available in a supplement format with virtually no "overhead" of calories, sugar, etc. and we suggest this should be considered as a more neutral delivery mechanism.

In the case of either prebiotics OR probiotics, any product that does not tell you the exact relevant content may not be a good choice - or at least is not an informed choice!

A prebiotic food or supplement should indicate the exact prebiotic used in its ingredient list, and the exact amount of prebiotic fiber per serving. Just listing the standard "dietary fiber" required on a nutrition label doesn't tell you nearly enough. 10g of fiber could mean 10g of prebiotic, 0.001g of prebiotic or anything in between!

A probiotic food or supplement should give a bacterial count, often expressed in CFUs (colony forming unts). Also be aware that any probiotic offering a bacterial count may caveat that: Look for an asterisk or note somewhere on the package that has words like "*Bacterial count at time of packaging." That doesn't mean it's a "bad" probiotic, but you should be aware of it nevertheless. It makes proper storage of the probiotic, as well as its date of packaging/date of expiration that much more critical.

We also feel it important that a prebiotic or probiotic product list ALL ingredients used, not "Proprietary Blend" or similar.

And yes, for the record, our business is selling a supplement with a full-spectrum prebiotic and without excessive carbs, calories, sugar, fat, salt, etc.

If you're ready to get started with Prebiotin, click here.

If not, we hope you've found this article educational!