Prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. Which do you choose?

Start with the difference

The simplest place to start is what each category describes: something microorganisms use, live microorganisms, or preparations of inactivated microorganisms.^{1, 2, 3}

A simple rule of thumb, not a full definition. For all three, a documented health benefit is part of the definition.^{1, 2, 3}

Prebiotics: something microorganisms use

Prebiotics are often described as “food for gut bacteria”. That is a useful rule of thumb, but it isn’t just any food.

The substance must be selectively used by microorganisms in the body, and that use must provide a documented health benefit. Inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are among the studied examples.¹

Fibre and prebiotics are not the same thing. Many prebiotic substances are fibre, but not all fibre is prebiotic.¹

Probiotics: live microorganisms

Where prebiotics are something microorganisms use, probiotics are the microorganisms themselves. They must be alive and provide a documented health benefit when given in adequate amounts.²

That is why fermented food isn’t automatically probiotic. The fact that microorganisms were used to make a food doesn’t mean the live microorganisms in it provide a documented health benefit.²

Postbiotics: a different starting point

Postbiotics are based on microorganisms that have been deliberately inactivated. The preparation can contain whole cells, their components and other substances that remain after the process.⁴

The microorganisms don’t need to be kept alive. That sets postbiotics apart from probiotics and can matter in practice for production and storage.³

The effect and safety still have to be studied for the specific preparation. Bacteria that happen to have died in a product don’t automatically make it a postbiotic.^{4, 5}

Do you need all three?

No. The names describe different categories, not a required order. “Pre” doesn’t mean everyone has to take a prebiotic supplement first, and “post” isn’t a required final step.^{1, 2, 3}

What matters is the evidence for the specific formulation and use, not just the name of the category.⁵

What does Biotics contain?

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.

Before you choose, check the ingredients and the recommended use. General research on a category is not the same as evidence for a specific product.⁵