Should You Be Taking Postbiotics? Here's What You Need To Know

Key Takeaways

If you’ve jumped on the #GutTok trend, chances are you already know that prebiotics and probiotics are critical for your gut health. Most recently,postbiotics are having a moment in the gut health spotlight.

But if you’re already consuming other things to improve your digestive health, are postbiotics really a necessary addition? It depends. Here’s what they are, and what taking them could do for you.

Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics—What’s the Difference?

Prebiotics and probiotics have a unique relationship, as probiotics depend on prebiotics to thrive. A probiotic is a live microorganism that, when administered in adequate amounts, confers a particular health benefit to the host—you.

Probiotics essentially “feed” on prebiotic fiber, which are indigestible starches that healthy bacteria use as fuel. It is important to support and fuel these probiotics because having a gut that harbors the right balance of probiotics may be linked to a slew of positive health outcomes, including better mood, digestion, and immune health.

What Do Postbiotics Do in the Body?

When taking into consideration the potential benefit of postbiotics, it’s important to have a firm understanding that postbiotics are a part of the same life cycle as pre- and probiotics. If those are important, then postbiotics should be, too.

“Postbiotics are the end products of the prebiotics and probiotics that we ingest, so they break down into different compounds as they travel through the GI tract,”Kacie Barnes, MCN, RDN,a Dallas-based registered dietitian,told Verywell. “Some of these end product categories include organic acids, vitamins B and K, enzymes, and short-chain fatty acids like butyrate and acetate.”

One category of anti-inflammatory postbiotics, called urolithins, may have a positive effect on gastrointestinal inflammation and ultimately the diseases that result from chronic inflammation, including certain gastrointestinal diseases and cancers, according to two recent review studies.

Both studies suggest that urolithins are formed when people digest walnut-derived plant compounds, leading to the formation of these postbiotics.One of these reviews specifically showed a beneficial role that walnut consumption plays in the prevention ofulcerative colitisand protection against the development of gastric mucosal lesions.

According to Ehsani, other potential benefits of consuming postbiotics include immune health support, as well as relief from bloating, constipation, or diarrhea.

“Some of these metabolites may support skin health and offer a reduced risk of certain chronic health conditions like diabetes and cancer,” she added. “However, researchers are still a bit uncertain on how exactly these mechanisms work.”

How To Include More Postbiotics in Your Diet

“Eating more prebiotic foods which are also high in fiber, such as apples, bananas, onions, oats, beans, or lentils are other ways to ultimately include more postbiotics in your diet,” Ehsani said.

Fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, tempeh, and naturally fermented sauerkraut may help meet your needs, since “fermented foods are some of the heaviest hitters for postbiotic production,” Barnes said.

Walnuts are also beneficial. By eating these nuts, you can reap the benefits of the urolithins postbiotics. Walnuts are incredibly versatile, and can be added to salads, used as a coating for baked chicken, and dipped in dark chocolate for a sweet treat.

Should You Take a Postbiotic Supplement?

If your diet is lacking foods that allow for the production of postbiotics, it is possible to seek out a supplement. But despite the hype you may hear from supplement manufacturers, the evidence supporting their use is still lacking.

Your best bet is to eat a diet rich in prebiotic and probiotic foods, like fermented vegetables, walnuts, and oats, to support the postbiotic formation process. And if you really want to explore taking a postbiotic supplement, be sure to opt for one that uses independent verification practices to ensure that you are actually getting what you pay for.

As long as you get the green light from your health care provider, it is unlikely that taking a postbiotic supplement will cause you to experience major harm.

What This Means For YouEating prebiotic and probiotic foods can help your body form postbiotics, which may help support your gut health, immune health, skin health, and more. Postbiotic supplementation may support factors of our health as well, but more data is needed to confirm a definitive link.

What This Means For You

Eating prebiotic and probiotic foods can help your body form postbiotics, which may help support your gut health, immune health, skin health, and more. Postbiotic supplementation may support factors of our health as well, but more data is needed to confirm a definitive link.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Martín R, Langella P.Emerging health concepts in the probiotics field: streamlining the definitions.Front Microbiol. 2019;10:1047. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01047Żółkiewicz J, Marzec A, Ruszczyński M, Feleszko W.Postbiotics—a step beyond pre- and probiotics.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2189. doi:org/10.3390/nu12082189Fan N, Fusco JL, Rosenberg DW.Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of walnut constituents: focus on personalized cancer prevention and the microbiome.Antioxidants. 2023;12(5):982. doi:10.3390/antiox12050982Mandalari G, Gervasi T, Rosenberg DW, Lapsley KG, Baer DJ.Effect of nuts on gastrointestinal health.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1733. doi:10.3390/nu15071733

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Martín R, Langella P.Emerging health concepts in the probiotics field: streamlining the definitions.Front Microbiol. 2019;10:1047. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01047Żółkiewicz J, Marzec A, Ruszczyński M, Feleszko W.Postbiotics—a step beyond pre- and probiotics.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2189. doi:org/10.3390/nu12082189Fan N, Fusco JL, Rosenberg DW.Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of walnut constituents: focus on personalized cancer prevention and the microbiome.Antioxidants. 2023;12(5):982. doi:10.3390/antiox12050982Mandalari G, Gervasi T, Rosenberg DW, Lapsley KG, Baer DJ.Effect of nuts on gastrointestinal health.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1733. doi:10.3390/nu15071733

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Martín R, Langella P.Emerging health concepts in the probiotics field: streamlining the definitions.Front Microbiol. 2019;10:1047. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01047Żółkiewicz J, Marzec A, Ruszczyński M, Feleszko W.Postbiotics—a step beyond pre- and probiotics.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2189. doi:org/10.3390/nu12082189Fan N, Fusco JL, Rosenberg DW.Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of walnut constituents: focus on personalized cancer prevention and the microbiome.Antioxidants. 2023;12(5):982. doi:10.3390/antiox12050982Mandalari G, Gervasi T, Rosenberg DW, Lapsley KG, Baer DJ.Effect of nuts on gastrointestinal health.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1733. doi:10.3390/nu15071733

Martín R, Langella P.Emerging health concepts in the probiotics field: streamlining the definitions.Front Microbiol. 2019;10:1047. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01047

Żółkiewicz J, Marzec A, Ruszczyński M, Feleszko W.Postbiotics—a step beyond pre- and probiotics.Nutrients. 2020;12(8):2189. doi:org/10.3390/nu12082189

Fan N, Fusco JL, Rosenberg DW.Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of walnut constituents: focus on personalized cancer prevention and the microbiome.Antioxidants. 2023;12(5):982. doi:10.3390/antiox12050982

Mandalari G, Gervasi T, Rosenberg DW, Lapsley KG, Baer DJ.Effect of nuts on gastrointestinal health.Nutrients. 2023;15(7):1733. doi:10.3390/nu15071733

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