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The 8% Newsletter

The gut's been getting a lot of attention lately, and not just because people like saying, "trust your gut." Gut bacteria does everything from fortifying our immune system and helping break down food to producing vitamins and fighting harmful bacteria.

So, what’s the next step for those keen on gut health? Well, it starts with the big question: "How do I strengthen my gut microbiome?" And spoiler alert, this goes beyond the prebiotics and probiotics you've seen plastered on yogurt labels.

What Are Prebiotics?

You’ve seen "prebiotics" slapped on yogurts, kefirs, and fancy supplements, but do you know what they really are? A quick bing search on prebiotics reveals that prebiotics are essentially fiber, and while that is partly true, remember we’re talking bing here. So let’s adjust that definition.

Prebiotics refer to substances that help us grow our beneficial gut bacteria. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t ‘special’ nutrients that your microbiome needs. Don’t get us wrong, your bacteria probably don’t need protein, but the nutrients they need they get from the food you eat, nothing out of the ordinary. So in a nutshell, prebiotics are simply the food your microbiome eats.


How Does Your Microbiome Get Its Food? 

Well through the food we eat, duh! So while our gut bacteria like to eat mostly fiber, they also eat other nutrients that you ingest. This includes minerals, vitamins, proteins, fats and some carbs. A bad diet understandably leads to a not so great microbiome. If you’re interested in more about the microbiome, check out our previous edition on it! (we’re happy to send it to you if you don’t have it, simply send us a message saying you’re curious!)

But back to it, our digestive system is incredibly efficient at breaking down and absorbing food— 95% nutrient absorption if you want to get technical. And the remaining 5% don’t just vanish, no no. That’s where your gut bacteria come in. They feast on those remaining vitamins, minerals, proteins, and even fats. Think of it like leftovers at Thanksgiving—they're just as important as the main meal. 

Fun fact: While some quick math may lead you to believe that if we absorb 95% and our gut bacteria the last 5%, we actually absorb 100% of the nutrients we ingest. But remember, just like hand sanitizer, it’s more like 99.9%. There’s never a process that’s really 100% efficient. 

So we can confidently say prebiotics aren’t just fibers, and we have research to back this up. A study from Cambridge University found that dietary magnesium deficiency can significantly alter your gut microbiota and reduce microbial diversity. Check out this other study from ScienceDirect, saying that phosphorus is a major nutrient for survival and reproduction of bacteria and can impact the activity and composition of the gut microbiota. Moral of the story, fiber is just part of the equation and is not the only thing your microbiome feeds on. Fiber may be a prebiotic, but not all prebiotics are fiber, kind of like how a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square. Remember the best diet for your gut is the best diet for you. 


Probiotics or Amateur-Biotics?

Okay, okay. That was a bad one. But admit it, you smiled just a little bit. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that form part of your microbiome. Probiotics eat prebiotics. There, now you get the tenses in each of those words. So, can you debunk the age old marketing myth? Is yogurt a probiotic? No! Yogurt and probiotics come in a package. Because of this, it’s easy to simply associate yogurt as a probiotic, but that’s not the case. Yogurt has probiotics. That’s different from yogurt as a probiotic. 

Probiotics typically produce organic compounds like lactic acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, bacteriocides, etc. These compounds neutralize and prevent the growth of bad bacteria, the equivalent of squishing a cockroach and then spraying it with bug spray just to be sure. But probiotics can do more than just that. They can improve digestion, help you absorb tricky nutrients (looking at you, lactose), modulate your immune system, reduce the risk of allergies, and of course, much more.


Are all bacterias probiotics?

No, not all bacteria can wear the probiotic badge. To qualify, they have to:

  • Not be pathogens (duh).

  • Have no adverse effects

  • Be derived from our native gut bacteria

  • Survive the transit. Seriously, your stomach is one of the most acidic places on Earth so this criteria knocks the vast majority of bacteria right off the list. 

Before going any further, let’s make one thing clear, your intestine is fully-populated so to speak. Bacteria cling to your intestine and live there, essentially populating that area, and as it turns out, in most cases your intestine is fully booked in that regard. The reason we bring this up is to address probiotic supplementation, whether it be by popping probiotic pills with millions of the little guys or by eating unpasteurized kimchi, sauerkraut, anything you can think of that has probiotics. Because your intestine doesn’t have room for any more bacteria, additional bacteria is simply wasted. If you have a stomach bug for example, probiotics won’t do anything but populate areas that are free, and like we said, there tends to be no space available so, while they will certainly do no harm, the benefits are marginal at best. If you’re curious, the best thing to do in those situations is to feed your probiotics with good prebiotics, so eat good food. 

But, there is one exception: antibiotics. Antibiotics wipe out most of the bacteria in our whole body, meaning there is now a large amount of space to be filled. In this case, repopulating your intestine by eating foods with lots of probiotics is a very good idea. Not just for the benefits of the good bacteria, but to make sure that no pathogens take the good bacterias place. If you didn’t know, there is always bad bacteria, and the fight between good and evil is never ending, as epic as that sounds. 


Honorable Mention: Postbiotics

So if prebiotics is the food and probiotics are the good bacteria, what are postbiotics? Well even bacteria go #2, and that’s where postbiotics come into play. Postbiotics are defined as the beneficial waste products of the intestinal bacteria. They’re quite literally #2! Here’s the 2 most relevant (and useful) byproducts of a thriving gut microbiome:

  • Butyrate: A short-chain fatty acid that reduces inflammation, lowers colon cancer risk, boosts insulin sensitivity, protects your brain, and even improves sleep. It's like a biological Swiss Army knife!

  • Vitamin K: This essential vitamin that helps us coagulate properly, and a bunch of other vital processes. Who knew your gut bacteria were so thoughtful?


What Can OmniBlue Do For You?

Now that we have a better understanding of how pre/pro/post biotics work we can explain how OmniBlue can deliver profound benefits in promoting gastrointestinal health. By now you know that our minerals are complete (meaning it has over 70 trace minerals, for those who always skipped past the OmniBlue bits) and generally highly bioavailable. And since absorption rates vary based on dilution, you can tweak how much gets absorbed by your gut bacteria. Here’s your cheat code: less diluted = less absorbed = more prebiotics for your gut bacteria + increased motility due to the natural laxative effect.

So if you’re preparing for stomach flu season or are taking a trip where you’re going to eat street food you know will get you into trouble, OmniBlue’s got your back. In order to use OmniBlue properly for this purpose we recommend that you add half a teaspoon to 12 oz of water instead of the regular 16 oz that we recommend in order to absorb the best.

 

Final Thoughts

Gut health might seem complex, but at its core, it’s simple: your bacteria need the right food to keep you healthy. Prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics all play a role, and OmniBlue makes it easier with over 70 natural minerals to support your microbiome.

Keep your bacteria well fed with healthy food, they work hard for you, and until next time!