An image of postbiotics pills spread out on white background.

What Are Postbiotics?

by Dr. Matt Olesiak, M.D.

You've probably heard much about probiotics and prebiotics in the past few years but hardly anything about postbiotics. This is unfortunate because emerging research suggests that postbiotics are just as important as the other "Ps", if not more so.

Here's what you need to know about gut health, microbiome, and postbiotics.

A graphical transparent image of the human body with digestive organs.

What Are Postibiotics?

Postbiotics are the bioactive compounds produced through the bacterial fermentation of fiber in the large intestine. Specifically, the beneficial gut bacteria break down and digest soluble fiber and prebiotics and then excrete postbiotic metabolites.

More than 20,000 postbiotics have been identified, but many more are still waiting to be discovered. (1)

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the most significant postbiotics produced, as they provide many varied health benefits.

The three primary SCFAs are acetate, propionate, and butyrate. But they vary widely in the amount of SCFAs produced.

Below is the percentage of total SCFA produced through intestinal fermentation of fiber: (2)

Acetate: 60%
Propionate: 25%
Butyrate: 15%

Each SCFA is produced by different types of friendly bacteria, giving them unique functions in the body. However, numerous research studies suggest that butyrate offers the most benefits for your digestive system and overall health.

How Does The Gut Affect Overall Health?

At one time, scientists believed that the gastrointestinal tract was a "closed" system, meaning its main job was digestion, nutrient extraction/absorption, excretion, etc., and that it didn't affect other areas of the body.

It turns out that nothing could be further from the truth. The gut microbiome has a significant effect on other bodily organs.

A graphical image of a human liver, stomach, intestines, and intestinal bacteria with text that reads microbiome.

Consider these facts:

An estimated 70% of the immune system is located in the gut. (2a)
Around 90% of the body's serotonin -- a brain neurotransmitter -- is made by gut bacteria. (2b)
The estrobolome, a group of microbes in the gut, metabolizes and regulates estrogen. This means they may influence the development of estrogen-related conditions, such as breast cancer, endometriosis, and even weight gain. (2c)

Why would these three (and more) be located in the gut if they didn't have access to the rest of the body? That's a good question, and science has an answer.

Researchers have found that the gut and brain communicate via the enteric nervous system (ENS), a vast network of neurons lining the intestinal tract, and the vagus nerve. The longest nerve of the autonomic nervous system, the vagus nerve extends down from the brain stem, through the neck, and into the chest and abdomen. In this way, the gut affects nearly every organ system in the human body and can thus affect overall health.

Signs of Poor Gut Health

An image of a mature woman sitting on a bed holding her stomach and wincing in pain.

Imbalanced gut microbiota can have far-reaching negative consequences for your health. Conditions associated with poor gut health include:

Gas
Bloating
Nausea
Indigestion
Heartburn
Upset stomach
Chronic diarrhea
Chronic constipation
Asthma
Allergies
Psoriasis
Food sensitivities
Immune system dysfunction
Irritable bowel syndrome
Inflammatory bowel disease, i.e., Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis
Leaky gut syndrome
Obesity
Chronic inflammation
Insomnia or other sleep issues
Depression
Anxiety
Fatigue
Headache/migraine
Autoimmune disorders, i.e., celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, type 1 diabetes
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
And more.

Research suggests that improving your gut health could reduce your risk of the above conditions and support overall health, and postbiotics are essential to this process.

How Do Postbiotics Differ From Prebiotics and Probiotics?

The three Ps are essential for a healthy gut and body.

Prebiotics

An image of prebiotic foods including banana, dark chocolate squares, whole grain bread, nuts, flaxseeds, and oats surrounding a small tag that reads prebiotics.

Prebiotics are portions of plant foods (dietary fiber) that your body cannot digest. Instead, they feed and are digested by beneficial bacteria in the gut. They support healthy bacterial growth and are crucial for a balanced gut microbiome.

Foods rich in prebiotics include:

Apples (with skin)
Asparagus
Avocado
Chicory root
Dandelion greens
Garlic
Jerusalem artichokes
Nuts
Oats
Onion/Leeks
Unripe bananas

Probiotics

An image of fermented probiotic foods including cottage cheese, beer, sauerkraut, pickles, dark chocolate squares, peas, whole grain bread, garlic, and yogurt surrounding a small chalkboard with text that reads probiotic foods.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. The "good" bacteria keep the "bad" bacteria from overwhelming the digestive system. However, when the "bad" bacteria become too numerous, a state of gut dysbiosis occurs, eventually resulting in digestive and health issues.

Probiotics naturally populate your digestive tract. However, by taking a few simple steps, you can support their growth and ensure a healthy microbiome.

Eat a Well-Balanced Diet.

A gut-healthy diet should include a wide variety of whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as they support microbial diversity. In addition, the fiber in these foods also feeds your healthy gut bacteria.

Reduce or Eliminate Ultra-Processed Foods.

Ultra-processed foods are made in a lab and filled with preservatives, artificial flavors/colors, chemicals, trans fats, sodium, and sugar. They are food-like products that your body doesn't recognize as real food.

So, eating a regular diet of ultra-processed foods kills your beneficial bacteria and promotes the growth of harmful microbes. It also leads to widespread systemic inflammation, high blood sugar, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other conditions.

An image of a stack of fast foods including pizza, burgers, fries, hot dogs, onion rings, and fried chicken.

Examples of ultra-processed foods you should avoid include:

Candy bars
Cookies
Fast food
Potato chips
Soda
Hot dogs
Sausage
Breakfast cereal
Chicken nuggets
White bread

Avoid Sugar And Refined Carbohydrates

Sugar and refined carbs promote chronic inflammation that alters the composition of your gut bacteria. (3) It also feeds harmful bacteria that, in time, can overwhelm the beneficial microbes and lead to dysbiosis.

So, you must reduce or eliminate sugar and refined carbs to have a healthy gut. Examples of refined carbohydrates are the same as those listed above for ultra-processed foods.

An image of a mixture of donuts, cakes, and candy and sugar spread with text written therein that reads sugar.

As for sugar, remember that the natural sugar in fruit can still negatively affect gut bacteria. So, opt for low-sugar fruit as much as possible, and limit yourself to 0-2 servings per day.

The good news is that you'll avoid sugar and refined carbs if you eat a predominately whole-foods diet.

Eat More Fermented Foods

The fermentation process promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, so eating fermented foods is an excellent way of adding these microbes to your digestive system.

Examples of fermented foods include:

Sauerkraut
Yogurt
Miso
Tempeh
Natto
Kombucha
Fermented pickles (Not all are fermented. Make sure the label specifies that they're fermented.)

Get Better Sleep

Experts recommend getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep deprivation has been shown to negatively change gut bacteria ratio, leading to impaired insulin sensitivity, immunity, cognitive function, and more. (4)

Here are a couple of suggestions for getting better sleep:

Go to bed at the same time every night.
Put away your devices at least one hour before bed. (The light from the screen interferes with melatonin production)
Avoid napping during the day.
Eat your last meal three hours before bed, as the digestive process can interrupt sleep.
Avoid caffeine consumption four or more hours before bedtime.

Reduce stress.

Research shows that chronic stress can have a significantly negative impact on gut health. According to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Pharmacology, stress can increase intestinal permeability, alter gastrointestinal motility, negatively affect intestinal microbiota, and more. (5)

So, to improve your gut health, take some time each day to relieve stress. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started:

Practice meditation
Perform a series of yoga poses (asanas)
Practice deep breathing exercises
Take a leisurely walk
Cuddle with your dog or cat
Take up a hobby
Volunteer at your local soup kitchen or other organization. Research shows that helping others relieves stress.

You're probably wondering why probiotic supplements aren't listed here. While they may increase good gut bacteria, most brands only contain a few bacterial strains, which can severely alter the microbial composition. In addition, the digestive process may destroy these supplements before they reach your large intestine. Therefore, eating probiotic foods is much more effective in increasing your friendly bacteria.

Postbiotics

Postbiotics are the "waste" products of the bacterial fermentation of fiber in the lower colon. When beneficial bacteria eat fiber, they excrete or "poop out" postbiotic metabolites. But postbiotics are anything but waste products. Indeed, research shows that postbiotic metabolites may be responsible for the most favorable health effects usually attributed to probiotics.

There are no postbiotic foods. Instead, you get postbiotics indirectly by eating lots of prebiotic foods. However, significantly increasing your fiber intake can cause distressing digestive issues, such as stomach pain, nausea, gas, and bloating.

You can also take postbiotic supplements, especially ones that contain butyrate (butyric acid) like SANE Viscera-3. Harvard doctors call butyrate "optimal" for gut health.

Viscera-3: A Revolutionary POSTBiotic with Faster and More Powerful Results than Probiotics

There are no natural butyrate supplements available. That’s because butyrate is a “stinky” nutrient most people wouldn’t want to take. Also, it breaks down and dissolves long before reaching the colon.

As you’ll remember, the fermentation of fiber that produces butyrate occurs in the colon, which is exactly where butyrate needs to be to do its job.

But thanks to a huge scientific breakthrough, we have taken three butyrate molecules and attached them to a glycerol molecule, which allows tasteless and odorless delivery of potent and fresh butyrate directly into your lower colon, where it works to deliver its incredible health benefits to you.

And even better, we've made it time-released to supercharge its absorption and positive impact on your energy, digestion, focus, immune system, mood, and waistline.

And it does it quickly, efficiently, and effectively. This wildly popular gut-health postbiotic formulation is available now. Click here to learn more and to place your order while supplies last!