PREbiotics plus PRObiotics = SYNbiotics for IBS
It’s getting sexier by the minute!
The reason I have produced all the material below, about the role of PRObiotics and PREbiotics in IBS management, is to lay a foundation for discussion of Align ™, the new PRObiotic for IBS that has FDA approval and is supported by clinical trials. There is a lot of hype about Align ™ in the online community of people with IBS, and I want users and prospective users to know that both the PRObiotic such as Align ™ and the PREbiotic such as Heather’s Organic Tummy Fiber ™ should be used together. Using PRObiotic and PREbiotic together produces a SYNbiotic effect in managing IBS.
That means that you cannot drop the need to change to a higher-fiber diet “just because.” Just because, that is, there is now an over-the-counter pill that is designed and patented, researched and FDA-approved, only for IBS. You still need to increase your daily intake of a soluble fiber to between 30 and 40 grams a day to manage your IBS. Align(tm) or the NSI Probiotics, or other probiotic formulas do not work magically all by themselves–they need PREbiotics to provide the right environment.
The importance of using both is underlined in the following quote:
The main reason for using a synbiotic is that a true probiotic, without its prebiotic food, does not survive well in the digestive system. To enhance viability, not only on the shelf but also in the colon, the product must allow for much greater attachment and growth rate of the healthy bacteria in order to minimize the growth of harmful bacteria.
Without the necessary food source for the probiotic, it will have a greater intolerance for oxygen, low pH, and temperature. In addition, the probiotic will have to compete against other bacteria that will take over if its specific food source is not available. Therefore, a “symbiotic” product (probiotic + prebiotic = synbiotic) makes for a better choice.
http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/biotics/synbiot.htm
, accessed 7/8/07.
Below this post you will see a series of posts that are a primer on PREbiotics and PRObiotics in managing IBS.
[…] PREbiotic and PRObiotic = SYNbiotic This soy yogurt has all the ingredients of a SYNbiotic (PRObiotic and PREbiotic). For a more general and technical view of the ingredients of soy yogurt, go to this site. […]
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