Should I choose a Postbiotic, Prebiotic or Probiotic?Updated a year ago
What is a prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic?
Prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics…. they’re all different things, and they play different roles in gut health.
A prebiotic is referring to food for the microorganisms in the gut, which promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms. These support growth and the development of probiotics during fermentation and allow the production of postbiotics. Prebiotics can also help control diarrhea and tummy upsets.
A probiotic is referring to live microorganisms like yeast or bacteria that are fed to provide benefit to the animal. Probiotics are measured in colony forming units (CFU), which indicate the number of viable cells. Generally this should be somewhere in the realm of 10^9 – 10^11 cfu/g. They can strengthen the gastrointestinal barrier against infection, lower cholesterol levels, block weight gain and have an anti-inflammatory effect, but they need to stay alive during processing and survive the acidic stomach and can also decline during shelf life, as they need to be live in order to have their positive impact, so choosing a product with ‘probiotics’ might not be as effective as you’d hoped.
In contrast, a postbiotic is referring to fermentation by-products. It’s generated when you take a live microorganism, put it in an environment it likes, feed it with specific prebiotics, and let it ferment. The result is all sorts of useful fermentation end products and metabolites, that help boost the immune system, reduce digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, help prevent obesity, reduce inflammation and improve the gut lining. Essentially, a postbiotic is the outcome of: Prebiotic + Probiotic + Fermentation time = Postbiotic.
Some of our products include a generated postbiotic, and others also include postbiotics which have already gone through the process of fermentation and don’t need to be ‘live’ to be effective in the way that probiotics do.
With this knowledge, you can make an informed decision about the products you choose for your animal. It is important to ask questions of the company you’re purchasing from. They should be able to share their evidence and approach with you openly and honestly, and if not, you’ll know they’re not the right choice for you.
Why Haven’t You Used A Probiotic?
Digestive EQ has a powerful prebiotic and a postbiotic included. We have not included a probiotic as the research is not conclusive about the efficacy of probiotics in horses. Despite widespread availability and use, scientific, peer-reviewed evidence behind commercial probiotic formulations in horses appears limited.