With greater interest in gut health, many people are looking towards supplements to improve their digestive systems and overall wellness. Two of the first that many come across are probiotics and prebiotics.
In fact, it's not uncommon to mistake these for being the same thing! The reality is that they work synergistically together to improve gut health, but play distinct roles.
Prebiotics and probiotics: what are they and how are they different? More importantly, do you need to supplement them?
Key Point You Need To Know!
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What's The Difference Between Prebiotics And Probiotics?
Key Point You Need To Know!
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Improving gut health has become an increasingly popular point of conversation in the fitness world. Reaching far beyond the bathroom, gut health influences:
- How you absorb nutrients
- Regulates immune responses
- Controls inflammation
- Maintain metabolic function,
- Protects the integrity of your intestinal barrier (leaky gut)
In the quest to optimize gut health, Probiotics and Prebiotics have become major points of interest. But what are they?
Often spoken about together, probiotics and prebiotics serve very different roles in gut health.
- Prebiotics are specialized plant fibers that act as food for probiotics, supporting their growth and activity within the digestive system.
- Probiotics are live microorganisms, typically bacteria or yeast, that enhance the balance of gut flora.
What Are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are non-digestible foods, usually specific types of fiber, that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the colon. In this sense, they act as the fuel for probiotics by feeding and promoting their growth (Yoo et al., 2024).
Prebiotics perform several critical functions in the body and are foundational for maintaining a resilient and diverse gut ecosystem.
Key Functions Of Prebiotics:
1. Feeding beneficial bacteria: Prebiotics are the primary energy source for beneficial gut microbes. This helps them grow and outcompete harmful bacteria.
2. Producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): When fermented by gut bacteria, prebiotics produce SCFAs, which support gut lining integrity, metabolic health, and inflammation control (Sarita et al., 2025).
3. Improving digestion and nutrient absorption: By improving microbial balance, prebiotics help regulate bowel function and support more efficient nutrient extraction.
4. Regulates immune and inflammatory responses: A healthy gut plays a direct role in both immune signaling and inflammation regulation. This is crucial for improved recovery and overall health.
Examples Of Prebiotics And Food Sources
- Inulin- Chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus
- Fructooligosaccharides- Bananas, garlic, onions, wheat, chicory root
- Galactooligosaccharides- Legumes, beans, dairy
- Beta-Glucans- Oats, barley, certain mushrooms (shiitake, maitake)
- Resistant Starch- Green bananas, cooked-and-cooled potatoes, cooked-and-cooled rice, legumes
- Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum (PHGG)- Derived from guar beans
- Acacia Fiber (Gum Arabic)- Derived from acacia tree sap
- Pectin- Apples, citrus fruits, pears
- Arabinoxylans- Whole grains
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are essential for your health, especially your digestive system. Often referred to as your "good" or "helpful" bacteria, probiotics help maintain or restore balance within the gut microbiome (Sarita et al., 2025).
Probiotics play several critical roles in your overall health and performance.
Key Functions Of Probiotics:
1. Supporting microbial balance/ prevents dysbiosis: Probiotics help maintain and increase the beneficial bacteria in the gut. This prevents the overgrowth of harmful microbes and maintains gut microbe stability (Bhatia et al., 2025).
2. Enhancing digestion and nutrient absorption: Certain probiotic strains assist in producing enzymes and breaking down food. This helps improve the absorption of essential nutrients to optimize energy production and recovery (Jäger et al., 2019).
3. Produce beneficial metabolites: During fermentation, several beneficial metabolites are formed, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocins. These directly inhibit pathogenic bacteria and improve the gut lining.
4. Strengthening immune function: Probiotics can strengthen your immune system and improve responses to disease and illness. This can potentially reduce the risk and duration of illness (Mohr et al., 2020).
5. Reducing gastrointestinal distress and inflammation: Probiotics may decrease gut permeability and inflammation. This helps support recovery, comfort, and consistent training performance (Mohr et al., 2020).
Examples Of Probiotics
- Yogurt (with live & active cultures)
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut (unpasteurized)
- Kimchi
- Miso
- Tempeh
- Kombucha
Common Probiotic Strains:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Bifidobacterium lactis
- Bifidobacterium longum
Probiotics Vs. Prebiotics: Which Is More Important For Gut Health?
Key Points You Need To Know!
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Probiotics and prebiotics both play essential roles within the gut ecosystem and are complementary in nature.
Here's a good way to think about their relationship;
- Probiotics = Seeds
- Prebiotics = Soil and Fertilizer
- Gut Health = The Garden
- Health & Wellness = Flowers
If you speak to farmers, they will tell you the most important factor is healthy soil and fertilizers. This creates the environment where seeds are planted and grown. However, if the soil is poor, it doesn't matter what you plant or do.
Therefore, there's a good reason to believe that one is more important.
Why Are Prebiotics More Important For Gut Health?
From a foundational standpoint, prebiotics are arguably more important long-term.
Here's why:
- The majority of your gut microbiome is already established.
- Feeding existing beneficial bacteria supports sustainable ecosystem balance.
- Fermentation of prebiotics produces short-chain fatty acids, which directly support gut lining integrity, inflammation control, and metabolic health.
Probiotics can be powerful, especially for introducing new beneficial strains for specific symptoms. However, they are generally transient and require prebiotics to thrive.
Prebiotics are more important for maintenance: They support your entire gut ecosystem of bacteria already living inside you. This is why focusing on a diet high in fiber is key to long-term gut health.
Probiotics are key for temporary imbalances or specific symptoms: They are most effective when your gut flora has been disrupted, such as after taking antibiotics or during digestive distress.
One further point is that you don't "need" to consume probiotics, as your body already has good bacteria. While they definitely help to improve your digestive system, it's not 100%" necessary".
However, you need to eat fiber and prebiotics through a diverse diet as the foundation of gut health. In fact, lack of fiber is a major nutrient issue that affects a large portion of the population.
Do I Need To Supplement Both Probiotics And Prebiotics?
Key Points You Need To Know!
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Supplementation with probiotics and prebiotics is dependent on the individual and their dietary needs. However, taking both can be a good strategy.
This strategy is called a synbiotic approach with the goal of synergistically improving gut health. For many people, this can be the best option.
What Are The Benefits Of Taking Probiotics And Prebiotics?
There are numerous benefits of combining the supplementation of both probiotics and prebiotics. The overarching purpose is to ensure the person actually benefits from the probiotics, and prebiotics are required for the fermentation.
1. Improved probiotic survival: Prebiotic fibers can increase the likelihood that supplemented strains remain active in the gut (Gurry, 2017).
2. Possible increase in health effects. Some research suggests a synbiotic approach can improve certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease (Hijová, 2023).
3. Greater short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production: More fermentation results in more SCFAs that support gut lining integrity and inflammation control.
3. Enhanced microbial diversity: A synbiotic strategy may promote a more balanced ecosystem compared to probiotics alone.
4. More durable effects: Pairing probiotics with prebiotics may help extend benefits (Besora-Moreno et al., 2025).
Probiotics And Prebiotics: Final Say
We've been ignoring our gut health and its effect on our health for too long. Regardless of what your fitness goals are, you should start taking actionable steps to specifically treat your gut, and part of that is with prebiotics and probiotics.
As we acknowledge this fact, we have begun offering a probiotic with a prebiotic supplement, taking the symbiotic approach. Our probiotics are packed with all the compounds you need to optimize the effects so you can start feeling 100% again!
FAQ: Prebiotics Vs Probiotics: What's The Difference And What Should You Take?
1. What's The Difference Between Prebiotics And Probiotics?
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria and create a healthy environment. Probiotics are live microorganisms that add beneficial bacteria to your gut and can address disorders or target specific disorders.
2. Are Prebiotics Or Probiotics More Important For Gut Health?
Both are important, but prebiotics are foundational. Your gut already contains trillions of bacteria, but without adequate fiber intake, those bacteria cannot thrive, even if you take probiotic supplements. For most people, improving fiber intake is the first step in improving gut health.
3. Should You Take Prebiotics And Probiotics Together?
Taking prebiotics with probiotics is called a synbiotic approach and is thought to be the best strategy. It can improve probiotic survival and activity because the prebiotic fiber provides fuel for the supplemented bacteria.
4. Who Should Consider Taking A Probiotic Supplement?
Probiotic supplements may be helpful after antibiotic use, during digestive distress (such as IBS), while traveling, or during periods of high stress when immune function may be compromised.
5. How Can You Increase Probiotics And Prebiotics?
To increase probiotic consumption, include fermented foods in your diet. To optimize prebiotic consumption, consume more fiber and hit the recommended 25–38 grams of fiber per day.
References
- Bhatia, A., Sharma, D., Mehta, J., Kumarasamy, V., Begum, M. Y., Siddiqua, A., Sekar, M., Subramaniyan, V., Wong, L. S., & Mat Rani, N. N. I. (2025). Probiotics and Synbiotics: Applications, Benefits, and Mechanisms for the Improvement of Human and Ecological Health. Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 18, 1493–1510. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S501056
- Besora-Moreno, M., Llauradó, E., Valls, R. M., Pedret, A., & Solà , R. (2025). Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Sarcopenia Parameters in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrition reviews, 83(7), e1693–e1708. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae145
- Gurry T. (2017). Synbiotic approaches to human health and well-being. Microbial biotechnology, 10(5), 1070–1073. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.12789
- Gutiérrez-Nájera, J., & Mendoza-Núñez, V. M. (2025). Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Body Fat, Skeletal Muscle Mass, and Body Mass Index in Individuals ≥45 Years Old: A Systematic Review. In vivo (Athens, Greece), 39(3), 1220–1236. https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.13927
- Hijová E. (2023). Benefits of Biotics for Cardiovascular Diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 24(7), 6292. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076292
- Jäger, R., Mohr, A. E., Carpenter, K. C., Kerksick, C. M., Purpura, M., Moussa, A., Townsend, J. R., Lamprecht, M., West, N. P., Black, K., Gleeson, M., Pyne, D. B., Wells, S. D., Arent, S. M., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Kreider, R. B., Campbell, B. I., Bannock, L., Scheiman, J., Wissent, C. J., … Antonio, J. (2019). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Probiotics. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-019-0329-0
- Mohr, A. E., Jäger, R., Carpenter, K. C., Kerksick, C. M., Purpura, M., Townsend, J. R., West, N. P., Black, K., Gleeson, M., Pyne, D. B., Wells, S. D., Arent, S. M., Kreider, R. B., Campbell, B. I., Bannock, L., Scheiman, J., Wissent, C. J., Pane, M., Kalman, D. S., Pugh, J. N., … Antonio, J. (2020). The athletic gut microbiota. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 17(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00353-w
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- Sarita B, Samadhan D, Hassan MZ and Kovaleva EG (2025) A comprehensive review of probiotics and human health-current prospective and applications. Front. Microbiol. 15:1487641. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1487641
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- Yadav, M., Sehrawat, N., Sharma, A. K., Kumar, S., Singh, R., Kumar, A., & Kumar, A. (2024). Synbiotics as potent functional food: recent updates on therapeutic potential and mechanistic insight. Journal of food science and technology, 61(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-022-05621-y
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