A diverse diet, based on whole foods and rich in fiber, contains a variety of prebiotics. These foods include asparagus, bananas, barley, beans, beets, chicory, garlic, honey, human and cow's milk, onions, peas, rye, seaweed and microalgae, soy, tomatoes, and whole wheat.

Prebiotics "feed" the commensal intestinal microbial community.

Beneficial bacteria ferment these indigestible compounds and obtain energy for reproduction and growth. In this way, prebiotics can influence the gut microbiome landscape and benefit overall health by maintaining or increasing the population of health-protective gut microbes.

Health benefits of postbiotics

As commensal gut microbes break down prebiotics through fermentation, various metabolites and byproducts are generated that contribute to health benefits throughout the system.

These postbiotics demonstrate positive health effects through their potential immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, and may possibly help inhibit pathogens.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): butyrate, propionate, and acetate are examples of postbiotics.

They are products of prebiotic degradation and have a range of health benefits, from providing energy for human colonocytes, regulating anticancer activity, enhancing the intestinal barrier and signaling satiety, to glucose absorption, energy homeostasis and promoting the growth of other bacteria through bacterial cross-feeding.

The abundance of SCFAs may also be involved in the prevention of chronic conditions. A 2019 cohort study suggested significant associations between SCFA levels in a child's diet and the development of atopy, allergies, and asthma.

The analysis indicated that those children with higher levels of butyrate and propionate in their stools at one year of age had significantly less atopic sensitization and were less likely to have asthma between three and six years of age. Furthermore, those with higher butyrate levels were also less likely to have a reported diagnosis of food allergy or allergic rhinitis.

Sources:

 The Institute for Functional Medicine em: www.ifm.org

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2018.1542587?journalCode=bfsn20