Clarifying Prebiotic Collagen

You’ve likely heard the term ‘prebiotic collagen’ lately and wondered… what exactly is that?

Let’s start by clarifying what a prebiotic is and why they matter

The term ‘prebiotic’ describes a group of non-digestible substances that can be broken down and fermented by your gut bacteria, a.k.a ‘the microbiome’. The health benefits of this process are two-fold: firstly prebiotics feed the microbiome, leading to a healthier and more diverse gut environment. Secondly, the byproducts of the fermentation process, for example lactic acid, butyric acid and propionic acid (new words for your next scrabble game?), are often healthful, entering the bloodstream to affect health and wellbeing in diverse ways.

While the microbiome is ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for most people, the health of these trillions of little guys is crucial if you want to live your best life. Not only does the microbiome affect digestion, but it has a role in controlling gut pathogens and keeping your immune system robust and functional. It even affects your mood, as anyone with IBS can tell you.

Prebiotic science is still relatively new, coming to prominence in the mid 90’s. Since then researchers have discovered much, including that different types of prebiotic impact the microbiome in unique ways. This exciting discovery meant that prebiotics could be targeted for a specific disorder or desired health effect rather than adding FOS and inulin to everything, an approach which is famous for causing attractive side-effects like bloating, gas and diarrhoea!

Enter, prebiotic collagen!

While collagen itself does not have any prebiotic activity, ‘prebiotic collagen’ products contain both collagen and added prebiotic ingredients. As collagen is already a popular supplement for gut health, the addition of prebiotics creates a value-added product that saves you time and money. Our prebiotic collagen product is Puraz Probiotic+ (‘Probiotic Plus’) which contains award winning Livaux, a prebiotic made from New Zealand gold kiwifruit.

Livaux was a great choice to add to the collagen and probiotics in Probiotic+. It’s very safe, made locally, and acts as a very effective prebiotic, helping to restore a beneficial balance to the microbiome. Livaux specifically nourishes a strain of butyrate-producer known as ‘F. prau’, which is known to be deficient in individuals with functional gut disorders and some mental health conditions. Increasing F. prau also has general benefits for health and feelings of wellbeing.

So if you’re looking for a prebiotic collagen that delivers gut health and wellbeing, we’ve got you covered.