Yogurt, probiotics, and prebiotics are very different. How much do you know? Let's understand them together

Objectively speaking, yogurt, probiotics, prebiotics and other products are sought after by many people, attracting countless fans and becoming daily foods for every household. However, there are many types of products and their efficacy descriptions are also quite complicated. If you search online, you will feel a little "overwhelmed" and dizzy.

So, let's take a closer look and see what the differences are between these things.

Concept Mechanism: The Origin and Development

Let’s start with the intestinal flora.

It is a general term for all bacteria that grow in the intestines, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc., and the total weight of bacteria exceeds 1.5kg. These bacteria add about 600,000 genes to each person on average.

According to their different effects on the human body, intestinal flora can be divided into three categories, namely: probiotics, conditional pathogens and pathogenic bacteria.

Under normal circumstances, the human body will automatically choose to allow certain bacteria to "live" in the intestines and provide them with a habitat so that they can play a biological barrier function, participate in the immune system response mechanism and improve the physiological metabolism of the human body. However, when the intestinal microecological regulation of the human body is unbalanced, intestinal flora imbalance will occur, causing a variety of discomfort.

Probiotics are a large category of intestinal flora, mainly a general term for various anaerobic microorganisms such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. They often stick to the mucus layer, help digest food, promote intestinal peristalsis, prevent pathogenic bacteria from invading the intestines, and decompose toxic and harmful substances.

With the continuous progress of probiotics research and development and extraction at home and abroad, the number of probiotics has also increased. The main ones that have been approved for use are: Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus delbrueckii Bulgarianum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, etc., with about more than 20 types.

The main bacteria in yogurt are lactic acid bacteria, which is a general term for bacteria that can ferment sugar and mainly produce lactic acid.

Prebiotics specifically refer to food ingredients that are beneficial to health (such as oligofructose, inulin, galacto-oligosaccharide, etc.). They are generally not digested and absorbed by the human body, but are selectively used by human microorganisms to improve the composition and activity of intestinal microorganisms. Therefore, although they do not get the "green card" of intestinal flora, they are "good helpers" and "good brothers" of probiotics.

Classification of "Fire Eyes and Golden Pupils"

As mentioned before, prebiotics are just "good partners" of probiotics, not the same kind. It's just that the names are similar, so some people mistake them for probiotics. So, let's focus on probiotics. As for lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in yogurt, they are part of the probiotics category, so we will explain them together.

It is particularly emphasized here that probiotics can be divided into food grade and pharmaceutical grade, which are mainly different in terms of bacterial source, strain requirements, formulation process and effects.

Food-grade probiotics are used to promote digestion and regulate intestinal flora, and are health products; while pharmaceutical-grade probiotics are used to treat diseases and are targeted medicines, and should be taken under the guidance of a doctor.

So what are the big differences between probiotic health supplements (probiotic dietary powders, capsules, tablets, beverages, etc.) and the lactic acid bacteria in yogurt?

First: Different strains

The main strains of yogurt bacteria are lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus, etc., and their function is to decompose the protein in milk or milk powder, making its nutrients easier to be absorbed by the human body; while the main strains of probiotics are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, etc., which can live in the intestines as a "residence" and play a role in inhibiting harmful and pathogenic bacteria in the intestines, thereby enhancing human immunity.

Second: Different processes

Yogurt is made by adding lactic acid bacteria to milk or milk powder at a temperature that meets certain requirements. If fresh milk is added, the product name can generally be called sour milk; if it is added to milk powder, the product name has many different names.

Probiotics are produced through a series of process steps including hydrolysis at constant temperature and humidity, fermentation, and cooling extraction.

Third: Bacteria work in different ways

The bacteria in yogurt only work when they enter the digestive tract, especially when they reach the colon. On the way through the digestive tract, especially when passing through the stomach, due to the concentration of gastric acid, it is not conducive for lactic acid bacteria to survive and reach their "destination" smoothly, and the number of strains will be sharply reduced.

The bacteria in probiotic products are freeze-dried and placed in a dormant state. They are awakened after reaching the intestines after oral administration, and then they "restore their state" and take effect.

Fourth: Different classification attributes

As we all know, yogurt is a food that is suitable for a wide range of people as long as they are not allergic to it.

Probiotics are different. There are food grade and pharmaceutical grade probiotics. You must pay special attention to the difference when taking them: when taking food grade probiotics, you must read the product instructions carefully; as pharmaceutical probiotics, you must follow the doctor's orders, and the duration of use and dosage must be correctly implemented under the guidance of a professional doctor to regulate the intestinal flora and achieve satisfactory healing effects.

One point that needs special attention is that some people (such as those with excessive stomach acid, peptic ulcers, those recovering from gastrointestinal surgery, patients with primary or secondary immunodeficiency, etc.) are not suitable for taking probiotics, and infants and young children under 2 years old are also not suitable for taking probiotics.

In short, it depends on the person and should be tailored to the individual.