Pro and Prebiotic

What are pro and prebiotics?

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that naturally live in your gut, supporting a healthy digestive system and contributing to overall well-being.

Prebiotics are specific types of fibre that act as food for these good bacteria, helping them grow and function effectively.

Probiotics and prebiotics work together to maintain a balanced gut microbiome [1]. This balance is essential for promoting healthy digestion, enhancing immune function and supporting overall health.

How do pro and prebiotics work?

Probiotics work by replenishing the healthy bacteria in your gut, which can be depleted due to factors like stress, diet, or antibiotics. These good bacteria help digest food, absorb nutrients and fend off harmful pathogens.

Prebiotics fuel probiotics, providing the nourishment they need to thrive.

When combined, they create an optimal environment for your gut microbiome, promoting balance and health from the inside out. Together, they are essential for:

• Digestive health

• Better nutrient absorption

• Immune resilience

• Reduced inflammation

• Overall well-being from the inside out

Why would someone use pro and prebiotics?

Many people benefit from adding probiotics and prebiotics into their routine, especially if they:

• Experience bloating, gas or digestive discomfort

• Have recently taken antibiotics

• Suffer from IBS, food intolerances or irregular bowel movements

• Feel run down, low in energy or frequently unwell

• Want to support immunity, mood and brain health

By supporting your gut health, pro and prebiotics can positively affect not just digestion but also mental clarity, skin health, weight regulation and immune performance.

How does Vivere gut microbiome testing link to pro and prebiotics?

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all supplements. Instead, we use advanced Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing to analyse the full spectrum of microbes in your gut, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and more.

This deep-level analysis allows us to identify:

• Which beneficial bacteria you may be lacking

• Whether harmful microbes are overgrown

• What functions your gut is struggling with, from digestion to immunity

• How your gut is influencing factors like inflammation, metabolism and mood

Using this information, we provide personalised recommendations around what supplements best suit your body. Our supplement advice is grounded in clinical science and shaped by your individual test results. This helps you to support your gut with precision, not guesswork.

How can you benefit from personalised supplementation?

Generic supplements often fall short because they don’t address your individual needs. In some cases, the wrong probiotic strains can even do more harm than good.

Vivere takes the uncertainty out of supplementation by:

• Analysing your exact microbial composition

• Matching supplements to your unique microbiome

• Offering tailored advice based on peer-reviewed science

• Helping you track and refine your progress over time

Take Vivere's gut test to gain access to personalised supplementation advice based on your gut microbiome.

Nutritionist's Corner: Final Thoughts

Prebiotics and probiotics play complementary roles in supporting a healthy gut microbiome, particularly when your nutrition falls short or you need additional support to recover or manage specific issues. Vivere goes beyond a one-size-fits-all approach by scoring the prebiotics and probiotics available in the UK based on how well they match your unique gut microbiome. This approach goes further than simply identifying which bacteria you have or lack, as it recommends products that target missing metabolic pathways to help optimise your gut activity to its fullest potential.

Probiotics and prebiotics are essential for maintaining a balanced gut microbiome, supporting digestion, immunity, nutrient absorption, and overall well-being. Personalised gut testing can reveal the specific strains and functions your microbiome needs most. With this insight, you can receive targeted supplement recommendations that can effectively strengthen your gut and support your unique microbiome.

Sources

[1] Gut Microbiome–Brain Alliance: A Landscape View into Mental and Gastrointestinal Health and Disorders - Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University

Author

Yusra Serdaroglu Aydin, MSc RD

Head of Nutrition and Registered Dietitian

Yusra is a registered dietitian with a multidisciplinary background in nutrition, food engineering, and culinary arts. During her education, her curio...

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Peer Reviewed by

Rosie Warwick, BSc (Hons) RD

Dietitian

Rosie is an HCPC-registered clinical dietitian with experience across both paediatric and adult settings. Her current role focuses on specialist weigh...

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