Intestinal microbiota: what is the difference between biotic, probiotic, prebiotic, symbiotic, microbiotic, parabiotic, post-biotic?

In this article, we will explore the gut microbiota ecosystem to understand the difference between biotic, probiotic, prebiotic, symbiotic, microbiotic, parabiotic, post-biotic.

The digestive universe consists of stomach and intestines. This part of the human body is also composed of an ecosystem of micro-organisms (fungi, bacteria, archaea, viruses). This set constitutes the intestinal microbiota or intestinal flora. The intestinal microbiota is responsible for protecting the body once morest attacks by pathogens. It is also involved in the production of nutrients necessary for the proper functioning of the body. If more and more, the microbiota is integrated into everyday language. Even if it seems absent in the world of the food industry. Then in parallel, we observe that other terms are also integrated into the lexicon of the intestinal microbiota. This is what we will explore in this paper.

What is the gut microbiota?

The digestive tract is made up of a plethora of microorganisms. These are viruses, bacteria, fungi, archaea. They are non-pathogenic and provide for this purpose, three essential functions for the body. The first function is aimed at the proper digestion of the food we eat by ensuring the fermentation of enzymatic substrates. The second function is to protect the body by acting as a barrier once morest pathogens and the fourth function of the intestinal flora is to help the growth of the immune system. The gut microbiota manages its metabolism by collecting in the food consumed the dietary fiber necessary for the proper functioning of the body. However, the intestinal flora can undergo imbalances caused by certain autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. This imbalance is named by doctors “the dysbiosis”.

What is dysbiosis?

Dysbiosis is an imbalance or inflammation of the intestinal flora. It is caused by certain autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease results in effect from a dysregulation of the immune system which leads it to destroy the normal constituents of the organic system.. The factors responsible for this disease remain unknown. However, the most mentioned aspects include psychological, hormonal, environmental, infectious, genetic and psychological. Anything can cause an autoimmune disease. On the other hand, it is not only the autoimmune disease responsible for dysbiosis. Neurodegenerative diseases, glycemic or metabolic diseases, allergies. To prevent dysbiosis, your diet should be rich in probioticin symbiotic, in prebiotic, in post-biotic and in parabiotic.

What is biotics?

Biotics differs from the health sphere. Because it means an environment in which all life can develop. If used in the universe of microbioticsit designates for this purpose, the environment in which all the intestinal flora develop.

What is the prebiotic?

Intended for the flora of the colon, it is a fiber from a food ingredient non-soluble and which serves to stimulate the lactic ferments of the microbiota. Clearly, “it is a substrate which is used selectively by the micro-organisms” of the flora of the colon to maintain the body in good health.

What is the probiotic?

According to the Naître Et Grandir website, a probiotic is a good bacterium that helps balance the microbiota. It is a live bacterium, which when consumed in large quantities, is beneficial for the intestinal flora. This is an argument supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). So, unlike the prebiotic which is not a microorganism, but at least an indigestible food ingredient, the probiotic is a microorganism, a good bacterium that also helps the immune system to function well.

What is the symbiotic?

This includes the two previous ones according to ANSE (National Food Safety National Agency). The synbiotic is a food or product that contains the prebiotic and the probiotic. It therefore includes micro-organisms and fibers.

What is the microbiotic?

Microbiotic is used to refer to probiotic. It is a term that is the result of a regulation accepted by the EFSA (European Food Safety Agency). The latter wishes that before the use of the term “probiotic” on a food, any product that all the health benefits of this food or product intended for the general public are subject to verification and certification. An aspect that is both time-consuming and costly for manufacturers. This leads to the designation of a probiotic product as a microbiotic.

What is the parabiotic?

The Nutrixeal Info site defines the parabiotic as a fragmented and inactive probiotic which is therefore non-viable and which contains “surface proteins“, of the “peptidoglycanes“, of the “crude cell extracts with complex composition”. Clearly, it is simply inactivated bacterial cells that help the intestinal flora, from colon of all people who consume them in sufficient quantity.

What is post-biotic?

This is a residue or residues (bio surfactant or biological active compound, fatty acids, peptides or chain amino acid, vitamin, enzyme, organic acid), derived from probiotics. They are beneficial to the human body.

Ultimately, post-biotic jargon commonly refers to both parabiotic and post-biotic or the combination of parabiotic and post-biotic.

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