Postbiotic Supplements Guide

Postbiotic supplements overview

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that postbiotic supplements can replace probiotics.

What are postbiotics? The term “postbiotics” refers to bioactive compounds produced when friendly (probiotic) bacteria consume fiber (prebiotics) in the lower colon. Postbiotics with the proper organic acids and bioactive compounds, such as butyrate or butyric acid, allow for a myriad of health benefits that replace probiotics AND prebiotics.

Indeed, experts believe that postbiotics are responsible for many of the health benefits often associated with probiotics.

Postbiotic supplements guide to gutsy health benefits

On this page, you will learn what Postbiotics are and why they are critically important for your health and weight management.

Postbiotic supplementation with pills (like Viscera-3) promotes a good gut environment that leads to less bloating, a stronger immune system, and a plethora of health benefits similar to dietary fiber without the gastrointestinal distress that usually accompanies its digestion.

When beneficial bacteria consume (ferment) fiber, they excrete a postbiotics supplement product that can unleash health benefits such as:

1. Improved gut physiology
2. Leaky gut repair
3. Reduced inflammation (Certain postbiotic metabolites are known to exert an anti-inflammatory response)
4. Health effects that include boosting or supporting immune response, which includes an anti-inflammatory response

index:

For ease of navigation through this SANESolution  Health Guide (we go way beyond simple food science and functional foods or suggestions), below is the table of contents.

• What Are Postbiotics (the probiotics and post-biotic working definition)?
• Metabolic products (organic acids) And How They Help You
• How are they Different From Prebiotics?
• Vs Probiotics
• Dietary Fiber (Foods field discussion)
• Gut Health Use
• Leaky Gut Use
• Inflammation Support
• Immune Response Byproducts
• Why Harvard Calls Butyrate the “Optimal” of Postbiotics
• Postbiotic Foods? Not From Your Diet!
• Butyrate: Why TRIButyrate is the Best Way to Get Butyrate
• Supplement Information We Recommend For Humans

value of a balanced microbiome

The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in your body by regulating digestion, boosting your immune system, and improving several other areas of health.

An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms, mostly bacteria, live in your gastrointestinal tract. These microorganisms, called “gut microbiota” or gut microbiome, were once thought to control only digestion, nutrient absorption, and excretion.

But research now shows that an imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria (dysbiosis) has been linked to many poor health outcomes and medical conditions, including Obesity, Diabetes, and Chronic kidney disease 1,2 Multiple studies also show that having a diverse microbiome is crucial to overall health.^3,4

What are postbiotics supplements?

Postbiotics, also called postbiotic metabolites, are the by-products resulting from bacterial fermentation of fiber in the large intestine. Postbiotic supplements like SANE Viscera-3 contain one or more postbiotic metabolites that have been shown to promote specific health benefits.

What do they do?

Postbiotics, like the probiotics found in Friendly Flora and other high-quality supplements, can help bolster your immune system, reduce symptoms associated with irritable bowel disease, and even relieve allergy symptoms.

Postbiotics are generally safe and well-tolerated. Though postbiotics are not as widespread as probiotics, they are gaining in popularity thanks to numerous studies showing their amazing health benefits. Some health food stores and online retailers like SANESolution now sell postbiotic supplements that can replace probiotics.

What’s the difference between probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics?

If you’re wondering what these compounds are, you’re not alone. Postbiotic is a fairly new term in microbiology. As you’re probably more familiar with prebiotics and probiotics, we’ll start there. Probiotics / prebiotics increase the number and diversity of beneficial microbes or microbiota.

• Prebiotics are fibers that feed beneficial bacteria in the lower colon.
• Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that consume/ferment this fiber.
• Postbiotics are the “waste” metabolic products left behind from bacterial fermentation of this fiber.

In other words, this interaction between prebiotics and probiotics is required for postbiotic metabolites to be produced.

Specifically, when you consume fiber from food, it travels to your lower intestine (colon), where it is eaten (fermented) by your good bacteria. These bacteria then excrete postbiotics. You can check out the Runner’s World comparison of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics, as well as Dr. Axe’s description of their differences at great length to get a better idea!

Metabolites (bioactive compounds) produced

These postbiotic metabolites are the products created from probiotic fermentation. More than 22,000 metabolites are identified in scientific literature.⁵

Various postbiotic metabolites have been shown to have various benefits, such as Anti-obesity, Anti-inflammatory, and Antioxidant properties.

Health benefits may even extend to:

Lowered blood pressure, reduced cholesterol levels, and a regulated immune system response. A postbiotic may even have a direct impact on health, providing a host of beneficial human health effects.⁶

Infographic Text

Postbiotic Effects

1. B-vitamin synthesis
2. Vitamin K
3. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAS)
4. Glutathione
5. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPS)
6. Phenyllactic acid
7. D-amino acids
8. Hydrogen peroxide
9. Volatile organic compounds (VOC)
10. Phytoestrogens
11. Urolithin A and Urolithin B
12. Fulvic acids

SANE

End Infographic Text

12 well-known postbiotic metabolites

Some of the most studied and well-known postbiotic metabolites include the following:

B-vitamins synthesis: (biotin, cobalamin, folate, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamine)⁷.

Vitamin K: Essential for proper blood clotting and bone metabolism. It also regulates blood calcium levels.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs): acetate, propionate, and butyrate.⁹: They are essential to gut integrity and provide numerous health benefits.¹⁰

Glutathione ¹¹: Postbiotics may reduce the risk of several diseases – including diabetes, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis – by reducing oxidative stress.12 (Oxidative stress in the cells occurs when the body cannot fight off free radicals sufficiently.)

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) ¹³: Postbiotics may protect the body against dangerous pathogens. And unlike traditional antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides appear to slow pathogenic resistance to them.¹⁴

Phenyllactic acid ¹⁵: Postbiotics may and have shown antibacterial properties against various bacteria.

D-amino acids ¹⁶: Appear to have bacterial regulatory properties.

Hydrogen peroxide ¹⁷: Has been shown to have antibacterial properties that may help you fight off infection.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ¹⁸: Postbiotics may serve as a marker for the presence or absence of certain harmful microbes.

Phytoestrogens: equol, enterolactone, enterodiol ¹⁹: Mimics the female hormone estrogen in the body, which can modulate the symptoms of menopause.

Urolithin A and Urolithin B ²⁰: Like phytoestrogens, they may display behavior that mimics that of estrogen in the body.

Fulvic acids: Helps carry nutrients into the cells. Thus, fulvic acids may lessen free radical damage, among other things. ²¹

Prebiotics and postbiotics: what’s the difference?

Prebiotics are food sources of beneficial colon-residing microbes. There are key differences between POST and Prebiotics, although their relationship is interdependent.

Prebiotic foods contain dietary fibers that pass through the upper part of the digestive system intact because the body cannot break them down. POST is a byproduct created from prebiotic fermentation.

Prebiotics are typically found in food

You get prebiotics from your diet. Great sources of health-promoting prebiotic foods include Leeks, Asparagus, Onions, Chicory root, Dandelion greens, and Garlic.

You can also take prebiotic supplements.

Why the “pro” biotic is replaced

There’s really no comparison between the two, as their jobs and beneficial effects on the human body differ drastically. A Post-biotic is created when “good” microbes ferment dietary fiber in the colon. (Good bacteria = probiotics. Dietary fiber = prebiotics.) You can also get beneficial bacteria from probiotic supplements.

Probiotic foods are created from fermentation and thus contain live microbes (live microorganisms) that can help benefit and rebalance your intestinal bacteria.

They may also help the cells lining the digestive system. The health benefits of their waste products, aka postbiotics, include promoting pathways that are deeply linked with total body immunity. Also, because they’re not live, they’re more stable and have a longer shelf life than probiotics.

This is also true for some of these digestive health supplements. For instance, Ivy League doctors call butyrate the “optimal” fatty acid and note that it “shows a higher potency” and added health benefits.²³

Probiotic-rich foods

Probiotic-rich fermented foods include:

• Tempeh, made from soybeans
• Miso, made from barley, soybeans, or rice
• Yogurt, made from milk. To ensure the brand you’re buying is a probiotic, check the ingredient label and make sure it includes L. acidophilus.Kefir, a type of fermented milk
• Buttermilk. To ensure you’re getting probiotic buttermilk, make sure the label says the product contains “active cultures”.
• Sauerkraut, made from cabbage

Dietary fiber, dairy foods, or prebiotic food

To get these short-chain fatty acids, you can, of course, consume lots of dietary fiber. This will perhaps slightly increase the amount of the compounds yielded from fermentation by the microbiota.

Only then does your colonic microbiota digest the fiber, fermenting it in your colon. (This is why you often experience painful bloating and embarrassing gas when you eat more fiber.)

You can also get this form of biotic directly from certain nutrition foods, such as butter and ghee. But the amount you’d get is even less than that created through probiotic fermentation.

Post-biotic product, positive effects on your intestines

If you’ve read this far, you know that these postbiotics are more than just a term within the functional medicine field. Postbiotics as nutraceuticals are great for digestive health.

How effective are postbiotics for stomach-related issues?

Very! Let’s start with an increasingly common gastrointestinal condition — irritable bowel syndrome.

IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a chronic disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms include abdominal bloating, gas, stomach cramps, and diarrhea or constipation, sometimes both. According to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the “most common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder.”²⁵ IBS affects as many as 45 million people in the United States.²⁶

According to a 2013 study, these short-chain fatty acids can reduce the hypersensitivity of intestinal receptors, resulting in a decrease in pressure inside the intestines.²⁸ This may help in reducing the pain and bloating of IBS. It can also ease constipation by helping the bowel muscles contract and retract properly.²⁹

Explanatory text for leaky gut graphic.

Normal tight junctions (the cells in the gut lining held together firmly.)
Labeling text: good bacteria, food particles, mucus, healthy tight junctions, blood flow, normal tight junctions.

Damaged, leaky tight junctions (the cells have spaces between them, allowing food particles and toxins to leak into the bloodstream).
Labeling text: virus, gluten, bad bacteria, toxins, faulty tight junctions, Leaky, and inflammation.

End explanatory text for leaky gut graphic

Benefits include leaky guts:

As with IBS, postbiotics contain compounds that may also help fix leaky gut, a condition that plagues so many people.

What is a leaky gut?

When someone has a leaky gut, it means the gut lining is compromised and no longer functions as an effective barrier. The wider holes allow hazardous chemicals such as gluten, dangerous germs, and undigested food particles to enter the body and cause significant health damage.

How do your walls become “leaky?” It starts with your gut lining. A layer of cells lines your intestines, which make up your intestinal wall.

These cells are connected by gates that are called “tight junctions”. These gates allow water and nutrients to enter your colon while also keeping toxins and other harmful substances from escaping into your bloodstream. This is known as the gut barrier, and it’s extremely important for your health.

Leaky gut syndrome may lead to:

Irritable bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, Diabetes, Food allergies, Polycystic ovary syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Fatigue, Headaches, and Joint pain.³⁵

Basically, postbiotics ensure your gut cells have what they need to keep the “gates” functioning perfectly.36 In essence, they support gut barrier function. Research also shows that postbiotics directly influence intestinal bacteria, helping to balance your microbiome.

Postbiotics may help lower and have positive effects on inflammation:

Butyric acid obtained from postbiotics is one of the gut colonic supplements that can help with general inflammation. This is important because systemic inflammation has become a villain in medicine.

Chronic inflammation is associated with a wide range of health conditions and diseases, including Obesity, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, Psoriasis, Inflammatory bowel disease, and Asthma ³⁹

Postbiotics and inflammatory responses:

Postbiotics can help regulate your immune response, which can reduce or eliminate systemic inflammation. Before we continue, it’s important to know that inflammation isn’t always a negative occurrence.

One of the immune system’s most important weapons is inflammation. When the immune system detects an intruder — pathogens, toxins, and other foreign bodies — it launches an attack to kill it. Its first line of defense is inflammation, which traps the intruders so that they cannot travel to other parts of the body.

This type of acute inflammation is characterized by swelling and redness at the site of the invasion/infection. White blood cells then move in to fight the infection and heal the injury. As the body heals, inflammation gradually recedes and then disappears.

Explanatory text

The text reads chronic inflammation, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer, neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, pulmonary diseases, and Diabetes 2.

End explanatory text

The problem is when inflammation continues

Chronic, long-lasting inflammation can happen for a number of reasons, including hypersensitivity to harmless substances, long-term medical conditions such as arthritis, or long-term, low-level exposure to toxins.

But intestinal health-promoting postbiotic metabolites can help. Research shows that these postbiotics can calm and quiet your immune system by down-regulating your T-cells. (The t-cells are a type of white blood cell that is crucial in the adaptive immune response.⁴⁶

Why Ivy League Doctors Call Butyrate “Optimal”

Ivy League Doctors call butyrate the “optimal” postbiotic primarily because of its effect on histone deacetylases (HDACs). In a 2018 Harvard study, researchers found that post-biotics (specifically butyrate) keep colonic epithelial stem cell lines from rapidly multiplying. ⁴⁷(Epithelial stem cells multiplying could lead to tumors and eventually colon cancer.). It also suppresses inflammation, which inhibits the activity of HDAC.

Researchers concluded that butyrate is the strongest inhibitor of the activity of HDACs, among the short-chains. ⁴⁸

This is one of many studies that show that butyrate may defend against colon cancer. Another reason for this effect is that butyrate is the main source of energy for cells that line the colon. This is true even when glucose is present.⁴⁹

Why TRIbutyrin is the best

After years of research, scientists have combined 3 Butyrate molecules with a glycerol molecule to create a radically more effective version of this “optimal” short-chain fatty acid.50 And that’s how TRIbutyrin was created.

There are several supplements for gut health on the market today. Research clearly shows Viscera-3 is superior to any other post-biotic brand.

With Viscera-3, this superior form of TRIbutyrate is time-released directly into your lower colon (the only place it can provide all the above life-changing gut benefits). It is three times more potent than the weak short-chain fatty acids created by fiber alone.

This patented nutrient is the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to poop a more normal, healthier stool and enjoy a slimmer, less bloated waist in just 48 hours!

Give this postbiotic a try and see for yourself today!

REFERENCES:

You can locate the full list of references for this guide on our medical bibliography page, that is updated frequently! SANE Rights Reserved