Digestive Health: Pre- and Probiotics

Aired on Lifetime Television
May 4 and June 15, 2008
Show 511

For years, people have been eating yogurt knowing that bacteria cultures in it are good for your digestive health. But did you know how much other foods with healthy bacteria can provide benefits?  Your normal digestive tract contains many good bacteria in order to function properly, and the new trend is to add probiotics and prebiotics to foods like cheese. Probiotics are live cultures, or healthy bacteria, that help promote digestive health when eaten in adequate amounts. Prebiotics are food ingredients, often classified as dietary fibers, which selectively help to promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut.  The addition of probiotics and prebiotics to foods helps the bacteria that are naturally present in the gut to thrive, and this helps promote digestive health while people can enjoy a wider variety of foods.