Metabolic Marvels: How Postbiotics Are Reshaping Our Approach to Gut Health

July 28, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Our bodies are a marvel of engineering. Have you noticed? From our amazing brains to our heart that pumps non-stop to keep us alive. You may not stop to think as often about another complex ecosystem that helps us stay healthy, our gut microbiomes. This forest of microbes plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, from digestion to immune function.

The focus, from a gut health perspective, is still on probiotics, friendly bacteria that live in your gut. However, a new player in the microbiome game called postbiotics is shaking up the field. And they could be gamechangers.

What Are Postbiotics?

Postbiotics are the beneficial byproducts that probiotics, live gut bacteria, produce when they break down prebiotics, a type of fermentable fiber you get through diet. This assumes, of course, that you consume enough fiber. Most people don’t. Think of postbiotics as the remnants that bacteria in your gut leave behind. These byproducts include bioactive compounds with potential health benefits.

Unlike probiotics, postbiotics aren’t living organisms, yet they have the potential to better your health. Instead, they’re non-living metabolites, cell wall fragments, and other cellular materials. Unlike probiotics, they don’t have to survive the treacherous journey through your digestive tract. Stomach acid is the enemy of living organisms. Postbiotics are already dead, yet still useful to your body.

The Diversity of Postbiotics

You might wonder what determines how beneficial postbiotics are for your health. The first factor is the type of bacteria they come from – the bacterial strain.

It’s no surprise that the types of bioactive compounds a given strain of bacteria produces can differ. Some will have distinct health benefits that others don’t. For example, studies show:

A postbiotic that comes from Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus delbrueckii affects behavior in mice, increasing sociability and lowering stress hormone levels.
Heat-inactivated Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 is associated with relieving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. (IBS)
Postbiotics from Faecalibacterium prausnitzii have anti-inflammatory properties.

So, the benefits you get from postbiotics vary with the strain of bacteria manufacturers use to process them. But there’s another variable. Manufacturers use various methods to inactivate probiotic bacteria and extract the post-biotics. The method they use affects how the final product functions. For example, exposing probiotics to heat to inactivate them, as with pasteurization or sterilization, alters the way your gut responds to them.

Some manufacturers use non-thermal methods for processing postbiotics. These methods include pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, irradiation, and supercritical carbon dioxide. There are some disadvantages though. These processes can change their properties. Therefore, the bacterial strain and the method used to inactivate it affects its activity.

So, expect variability from postbiotics based on their processing. If you’re confused about which to choose, keep this in mind. Postbiotics processed with non-thermal methods like pulsed electric fields or ultrasound usually retain more biological activity than those inactivated with heat.

Health Benefits of Postbiotics

Postbiotics are emerging as significant contributors to human health enhancement. What types of benefits do they offer?

Immune System Benefits

One role postbiotics play in health and wellness is modulating immune function. These non-living bioactive compounds alter immune system function by binding to specific receptors, called toll-like receptors (TLRs). Another group of receptors they attach to are nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs).

These receptors help regulate how your immune system functions. Postbiotics balance the immune response, so it’s not too sluggish nor too aggressive. Neither extreme is beneficial to your health. When your immune system gets too aggressive, you get inflammation. When it’s too weak, you’re more prone to foreign invaders, like viruses.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Postbiotics

As mentioned, postbiotics help tame cell-damaging inflammation. They do this by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines. These are proteins that fuel inflammation like kerosene that causes a fire to burn hotter. They also boost levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines that help cool things down. Ideally, you want a balanced immune response. And that’s what postbiotics help create – immune system balance. That’s important since inflammation plays a role in many health issues, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, and cancer which have an inflammatory component.

Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties

Can postbiotics help you fight infection? Research shows they may help keep pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi in check. They do this by:

Boosting the production antimicrobial compounds
Strengthening the gut barrier function
Competing with pathogens for nutrients and adhesion sites

With antibiotic resistance being a growing concern, a little help from postbiotics would be welcome.

Antidiarrheal Effects

Postbiotics have another benefit for human health. Studies find that some types of these bioactive compounds help reduce diarrhea caused by infections, particularly in children. The way they accomplish this is by strengthening the gut’s intestinal barrier and by balancing the gut microbiome.

A review of seven, high-quality randomized controlled studies found that postbiotics isolated from Lactobacillus acidophilus LB shortened the time that children experienced infectious diarrhea. However, other strains they evaluated did not. However, some of the other postbiotics reduced the risk of acute gastroenteritis (usually due to a virus) and some respiratory infections.

Metabolic Benefits

Just as intriguing as the benefits postbiotics have for immune health and protection against infection, they also help improve how your body breaks down glucose and on lipid metabolism. Some types of postbiotics boost insulin sensitivity for better blood glucose control. Plus, their anti-inflammatory effects may boost metabolic health for the better. Muramyl dipeptide, a type of postbiotic, helps counter insulin resistance caused by obesity.

How to Incorporate Postbiotics into Your Health Regimen

So, how can you enjoy the potential health benefits of postbiotics? First, eat a diet that contains friendly gut bacteria (probiotics) from sources like fermented foods, including yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables. Then buff up your diet even more by adding prebiotics (the food that probiotics eat). Excellent sources include garlic, onions, asparagus, and bananas.

When you consume a combo of probiotics and prebiotics, you encourage our own gut microbiome to make more bioactive postbiotics. But keep in mind that this is an area that’s still young and there’s more to learn.

So, the best approach is to focus on gut health in a larger sense. When you eat a diverse fiber-rich diet and avoid gut-microbiome destroyers, like antibiotics, ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and sugar, you’re laying a foundation that helps postbiotics work even better.

You could also take a postbiotic supplement. If you take this approach, know that the quality of supplements of all types can vary. Look for postbiotic supplements that list the specific bacterial strains manufacturers used to make postbiotics. The best options are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. Also, look for postbiotics that list short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, acetate, and propionate, as these help calm gut inflammation.

Conclusion: Gut Health Matters

Postbiotics can be part of your healthy living regimen but don’t see them as a cure all for poor gut health. It comes down to the totality of your lifestyle. Your diet, how you manage stress, regular exercise, and adequate sleep help keep your gut microbiome healthy. Also, talk to your doctor before taking postbiotic supplements. They could interfere with other medications and supplements.

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