What are prebiotics and probiotics?

Probiotics are live bacteria found in a variety of foods, including yogurts or yogurt drinks. Probiotics work by topping up the ‘good’ bacteria in your gut. When you eat a probiotic food or supplement, millions of live bacteria travel through your digestive system to the colon where they are needed. However before they can reach the colon, they need to pass through the acid environment of your stomach where, sometimes, they can be digested and destroyed.

From current medical research, it is not clear how many bacteria manage to make it or in some cases whether the bacteria that are swallowed are the ones that the body actually needs.

How prebiotics boost good bacteria

Prebiotics are completely different. Like us, good bacteria have their own favourite food, a special type of carbohydrate scientifically known as prebiotics, which they thrive on. These special carbohydrates can be added to everyday food and drink, and because they are ‘non-digestible’, they are not destroyed, digested or absorbed as they travel through your digestive system. Reaching the colon unaltered, prebiotics work naturally in your gut to feed your own good bacteria helping them to grow and multiply. While there are numerous types of prebiotic, Bimuno is the only second generation prebiotic, exhibiting a number of unique benefits not present in other prebiotics.