A healthy gut plays a vital role in the overall health of an individual. Our gut is home to millions of bacteria which we call as microbiota. These bacteria that live in our gut thrive in the presence of our immune system. Some of these are good and helps with several biological processes and protects us from infections by fighting against them while some aren’t healthy. To have a better understanding of the microbiota we need to understand two very simple terms which are often used when we talk of digestive health – probiotics and prebiotics. 

Probiotics are the dietary that we need in our digestive tract to add to the density of the good bacteria that is present there. They provide benefit to us. They are primarily used in the preparations of the dairy products. Prebiotics are non-digestible ingredients that stimulate the functioning of the bacteria in the gut. These prebiotics may not necessarily be fiber always.

In simple words, probiotics are those microbial food or bacterial strain that we need in our system to help the already existing bacteria in fighting off infections where as prebiotics are the dietary fibre that the bacteria requires for its growth and to function efficiently. 

It is understandable that we can decide what amount of which prebiotics we feed to the microbiota as per our health conditions and requirements. This way we can stimulate the growth of certain beneficial bacteria in our gut. 

With increasing awareness regarding gut health and its importance, there is a significant increase in the consumption of probiotic supplements. However it is very crucial for people to understand if there are any concerns related to them especially in case of an autoimmune disorder. Although, for the most part, these have turned out to be quite safe.