Postbiotics promise a new avenue to weight management. But what is it? In this article our Nutritionist explains where you can find it and how you can boost your levels naturally.

Postbiotic is called the next generation probiotics, but unlike probiotics which simply pass through the intestine (without taking hold to ‘live there’), studies show that postbiotics have the capacity to change the microbiome, thereby reducing inflammation in the intestine, and positively impact your metabolism and hunger signals. It’s also thought to help keep the intestine wall intact and healthy, preventing leaky gut which is known to be correlated with obesity.

What are postbiotics

Postbiotics, are compounds produced by the bacteria in our gut. I.e, when we talk about gut bacteria being good for us, this is one of the key molecules the bacteria produce for us. IF we have enough that is. We need to feed our gut bacteria healthy vegetables and colourful plant foods to keep them happy. However - if you have IBS or gut dysfunction, you might struggle to break down these foods.

What about Probiotics, isn’t that good for weight loss?

Probiotic is live bacteria however these bacteria will just pass through the gut, so you would need to keep taking it.

Prebiotics for weight loss and boosting your postbiotics

Prebiotics are generally food derived, and ‘feed up’ our own good bacteria, which creates more long lasting results. In our clinic we use these to really get that long term transformation, unlike probiotics which you may need to keep taking to get the benefits. Prebiotics can also be used to promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria that will produce postbtioscs. So this is one of the easiest ways to boost your postbiotics.

How are postbiotics important for weight loss?

Heres’s what some of the research says: Postbiotics exert anti-obesity effects via multiple mechanisms, with the major mechanisms including increased energy expenditure, reduced adipogenesis (making of new fat), suppression of food intake, inhibition of fat absorption, regulation of fat metabolism, and regulation of gut dysbiosis

All VERY good news when it comes to managing weight and reducing appetite.

Could gut bacteria and the molecules they produce be a big part of our obesity epidemic?

Why are postbiotics important for gut health?

Research is increasingly showing that inflammation is involved in IBS, meaning that the body’s defences are activated. Leaky gut is mechanism in which this can occur.

Taking postbiotics where SCFA’s are already supplied, is thought to deliver nourishment directly to the cells in the gut wall, making sure that this barrier is nice and intact and not ‘leaky’. SCFA’s also impacts the environment in the gut, promoting bacteria that the immune system ‘likes and accepts’, avoiding an immune system or inflammatory response. What it also does, is communicate with other bacteria that all is well, promoting a generally healthy and harmonious microbiome. We now know what bacteria live in a community which needs to be balanced and healthy.

Foods to increase your postbiotics for weight loss

The term posbiiotics iYou’ll find it in foods which have been microbially fermented, such as sauerkraut, homemade yogurt (we love freshleyfermented.co.uk) and some types of cheeses. You’re unlikely to obtain much of it from commercial/supermarket cheeses or yogurt however.

By eating more fibre, your gut bacteria can increase the postbiotics they produce - however, fibre can be hard to digest and for most people with IBS, this can cause a lot of symptoms. This is why we use a supplement, or our 4-step program, which ensures that the postbiotics are added at the right time in the treatment process.

Postbiotics are so new that you won’t find much of it on the commercial market - Yet! But watch this space. A Danish company has started producing a post biotic drink which you can drink daily and they’ve had some really great results. Hoping to see this product in the UK shortly!

Wondering if postbiotics is what your gut needs?

You can test your levels via a stool analysis, and if you drop us a line we’ll create a bespoke test panel for you so that you get exactly the test markers you need.

Our Midi digestive analysis test, measures the need for post-biotics and the amount of short chain fatty acids currently produced by your gut

Reference:

https://neurosciencenews.com/fermeneted-food-microbiome-inflammation-18909/