What in the Gut are Prebiotics & Probiotics??
Photo: Kindel Media https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-girl-young-black-7298675/
Summary: The health of your gut is important in ensuring overall health in areas including digestion, immunity, metabolism, mood and more. During pregnancy, your gut microbiome is important for the health of your baby too! This article will describe the importance of maintaining a healthy guy and just how to do it!
The Importance of Your Gut!
Let me start by saying that every single one of us has a gut teeming with all kinds of bacteria (for the most part it’s the good kind!). The health of your gut microbiome can actually be an indicator of overall health, metabolism, and mood for you and your baby! A disrupted maternal gut microbiome can substantially influence your baby’s health as multiple meta-analyses and research studies have shown strong correlations between disruptions in the gut microbiome and the following:
The third-trimester onset of gestational diabetes
The development of autoimmune diseases in infancy
The development of food allergies, asthma, and eczema in infancy
Probiotics
Probiotics are microorganisms that live in and around our bodies. Eating foods rich in these good bacteria will help essential bodily functions such as digestion, mood, and immune system function. Great sources of probiotics include low sugar dairy or non-dairy kefir or yogurt, low sugar kombucha, tempeh, miso, some cheeses, raw sauerkraut, and other fermented veggies like traditionally fermented pickles (not the ones that are shelf-stable or flavored with vinegar).
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are compounds that provide nutrients for the existing bacteria. An easy way to think about this is: Prebiotics are Food for the Bacteria! Usually, prebiotics are found in foods high in specific types of fiber. Sources of these types of fiber include garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, whole grains, greens, and bananas. It is recommended that the average person consumes 25-35 grams of fiber daily - this is a great goal to strive towards!
Supplements?
If you feel like you may not be getting enough sources of probiotics and/or prebiotics, you may consider taking supplements. There are a variety of probiotic and prebiotic supplements, but unfortunately, most are rarely tested and even fewer are tested during pregnancy. Before taking any supplements, especially while pregnant, it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Try some new foods!
Incorporating prebiotics and probiotics into your diet via whole foods is probably your best and safest bet during pregnancy! Join Athena’s Bump today to get great recipes to build up your gut!!
References:
Crusell MKW;Hansen TH;Nielsen T;Allin KH;Rühlemann MC;Damm P;Vestergaard H;Rørbye C;Jørgensen NR;Christiansen OB;Heinsen FA;Franke A;Hansen T;Lauenborg J;Pedersen O; (n.d.). Gestational diabetes is associated with change in the gut microbiota composition in third trimester of pregnancy and postpartum. Microbiome. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29764499/.
Nyangahu, D. D., & Jaspan, H. B. (2019, October). Influence of maternal microbiota during pregnancy on infant immunity. Clinical and experimental immunology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6718277/.
Rackers, H. S., Thomas, S., Williamson, K., Posey, R., & Kimmel, M. C. (2018, September). Emerging literature in the microbiota-brain axis and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6348074/.
Jarde, A., Lewis-Mikhael, A.-M., Moayyedi, P., Stearns, J. C., Collins, S. M., Beyene, J., & McDonald, S. D. (2018, January 8). Pregnancy outcomes in women taking probiotics or Prebiotics: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC pregnancy and childbirth. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5759212/.
Davis, E. C., Dinsmoor, A. M., Wang, M., & Donovan, S. M. (2020, March). Microbiome composition in pediatric populations from birth to adolescence: Impact of diet and prebiotic and probiotic interventions. Digestive diseases and sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7046124/.
