Microbes (such as bacteria, yeast, archaea) are completely intertwined with our health, going so far as to play an integral role in our development as humans, our behaviours, our organ function, and our defense against disease causing factors. Both intentionally, or as a positive additional impact, products and foods have been developed that modify, improve, or take advantage of the trillions of microbes that call our body a home for a net beneficial health effect. Loosely these are subdivided into pre-, pro- and postbiotics.
Prebiotics are compounds or mixtures that can stimulate the growth of target beneficial microbes often located in the gastrointestinal tract or sometimes skin. Often these are specialized plant fibers or carbohydrates that are not processed by your (the host) metabolism, but rather that of the microbe’s so they can have a growth advantage or produce useful molecules to help your health in response. Examples of naturally existing prebiotics can be in foods like garlic, asparagus or even pasta that has been reheated after refrigeration. There are also dedicated prebiotic products on the market that may target microbial populations for improving health.
Probiotics are probably the most well-known microbial supplement and are defined as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” (Hill et al., 2014). Despite humans consuming fermented foods containing live microorganisms since food preservation existed (pre-neolithic), probiotics were popularized heavily by companies like Yakult and Danone in yoghurt drink products containing beneficial live strains of Lactobacilli. However, the regulations and the burden of evidence needed to be classified as a probiotic have become more stringent, so many of the products on the market may not actually be true “probiotics” at all.
Postbiotics refer to ‘non-living’ microbially derived preparations that can confer a beneficial health effect. Research into the mechanisms of how microbes interact with their hosts and each other has revealed that live microbes are not always necessary for a beneficial health effect and that dead fragments, or molecules they had already produced and secreted can have an equally positive impact. For example, Reuterdent is a dental tablet that contains the postbiotics of Limosilactobacillus reuteri which can help prevent plaque forming bacteria and have also been associated with anti-inflammatory properties.
In summary, pre-, pro- and postbiotics are all ways in which we can harness the power of microbes to improve our health, but they accomplish this in different ways.