Vegetarian World
Symbiotics are supplements that have prebiotics and probiotics in their composition, which are considered essential for maintaining intestinal health.
An unbalanced diet, rich in sweets, fried foods, fast foods, industrialized foods, and low in fruits, vegetables and vegetables, changes our microbiota in a harmful way. Therefore, an imbalance between beneficial and pathogenic bacteria alters intestinal functioning, and increases the risk of developing various diseases.
Thus, in addition to a balanced diet, in many cases the use of symbiotic supplements can be a necessary tool to assist in the “repopulation” of healthy intestinal microbiota.
There are some products available on the market that contain both substances in the same formula – what we call symbiotics.
The use of these supplements should always be indicated and supervised by a qualified nutritionist or physician.
Some of the most used symbiotics for humans are the associations: bifidobacteria + FOS (fructooligosaccharide); lactobacilli + lactitol; and bifidobacteria + GOS (galactolidosaccharides).
The symbiotic effect can be directed to the different “target” regions of the gastrointestinal tract, the small and large intestines. The consumption of properly chosen probiotics and prebiotics can increase the positive effects of each one of them, since the stimulation of known probiotic strains induces the choice of ideal symbiotic pairs.
An example of the benefits of symbiotics is in the case of patients with short bowel syndrome, who are normally malnourished and have an enlarged intestine, leading to an exaggerated multiplication of certain undesirable bacteria. Research has shown that the combination of Bifidobacterium brevis, Lactobacillus casei and Galacto-oligosaccharides, during at least two years of treatment, resulted in a significant improvement in intestinal motility and absorption.
