Postbiotics or probiotics? Live isn’t the only option

Deliberately inactivated

To make postbiotics, microorganisms are grown before they are inactivated. The finished preparation can contain whole inactivated cells, their components and substances formed during growth.^{2, 3}

Not alive doesn’t necessarily mean biologically inactive. What matters is the finished preparation: a documented health benefit is part of the scientific definition.²

Isolated substances from bacterial metabolism are not enough on their own to meet the definition. The preparation must also contain inactivated microorganisms or their components.³

A practical advantage of postbiotics

Live microorganisms have to be kept alive. When developing probiotic products, it is therefore important that enough of them survive throughout the shelf life.^{1, 2}

With postbiotics, that need disappears. This can make production and storage simpler. It is a practical property that sets postbiotics apart.²

The advantage concerns how the microorganisms are handled. On its own, it is not proof of a better effect. Follow the storage advice for the product you choose.^{2, 3}

Common to both: a documented health benefit is part of the scientific definition.^{1, 2}

Probiotics: live microorganisms

Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide a documented health benefit when given in adequate amounts. So it isn’t enough for a product to contain live bacteria. The evidence is part of the definition too.¹

Probiotic products can contain different bacterial strains, and some contain specific yeasts. That is why results from one product can’t simply be transferred to another.⁵

Do good bacteria have to “settle” in the gut?

Not necessarily. Many studied probiotic microorganisms only stay in the gut temporarily. They can still be active as they pass through.⁴

Permanent colonisation is therefore not a requirement for a probiotic effect. That is worth bearing in mind when comparing live and inactivated microorganisms.⁴

Get to know Biotics

The postbiotic ingredient GIVE™ in Biotics was developed in collaboration with Midtvedt Innovation AS, based on more than 60 years of Professor Tore Midtvedt’s research into microorganisms.^{6, 7}

On 27 September 2018, Professor Tore Midtvedt was appointed Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav for his services to medical microbiology.⁸

Biotics contains fermented protein hydrolysate, bitter fennel extract and peppermint oil.

That is a concrete starting point for assessing the product. Read the ingredient list and the recommended use, and tell general research on postbiotics apart from studies of the formulation you choose.³