Prebiotics are a type of fiber that serve as nutrients for probiotics, which are tiny living microorganisms, including bacteria and yeast and usually associated with the ones that we get from foods (and supplements) that are thought to have beneficial effects in the body. The lactobacillus and bifidobacteria that we get from yogurt, for example, are some of the more common types of probiotic bacteria. Both prebiotics and probiotics may support helpful bacteria and the gut ecosystem.
And never heard about Post-biotics?
Post-biotics is a relatively new term that’s been coined to refer to the metabolic byproducts of those probiotic bacteria. Metabolic by-products is a polite synonym of “waste products.” In other words, as probiotics feed on prebiotics, post-biotics are produced. These bacteria produce and excrete compounds into our digestive tracts, which seem to be responsible for many of the beneficial effects of probiotics.
ROELMI HPC has designed a post-biotic molecule aiming to rebalance the skin microbiome affected by external stresses like air pollution or salty/chlorinated water and is currently working on heat-inactivated probiotics with prebiotic and immune-mimetic effect directly on the skin.
But the frame is not yet completed…
We must consider also the action of Para-biotics.
We define parabiotic as everything which could be an alternative to living probiotics (like tyndallized bacteria). One probiotic of human origin does not have to be alive to reduce markers of inflammation and promote health.