How postbiotics work
Potential health benefits
Comparison with probiotics and prebiotics
Future of postbiotics
Postbiotics, defined as bioactive compounds produced by beneficial microbes such as lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation of prebiotic substrates, have recently gained significant attention in health sciences. Unlike probiotics, which contain live microorganisms, postbiotics include non-living microbial cells, cellular structures, and metabolites such as bacteriocins, exopolysaccharides, and peptidoglycan.1
Postbiotics' rising popularity stems from notable advantages over probiotics, including enhanced stability, safety, and longer shelf life. These advantages reduce the risks associated with live microbial consumption, such as potential pathogen transmission and antimicrobial resistance. Increasing research highlights postbiotics' beneficial mechanisms, primarily their ability to modulate protective actions against pathogens, fortify epithelial barriers, and regulate immune responses.
Due to these promising health effects, postbiotics are gaining traction across various sectors, especially in the food industry for bio-preservation and in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields for treating gastrointestinal disorders and enhancing immune functions.
This growing interest aligns with the demand for safe and effective functional foods addressing sub-health conditions, promoting general well-being, and managing gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and bloating. As scientific understanding deepens, postbiotics stand poised to complement probiotics significantly, marking a transformative shift towards comprehensive, preventive healthcare strategies and innovative therapeutic applications.1
This article explores postbiotics, explaining what they are, how they differ from probiotics, and their potential benefits for gut health.
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How postbiotics work
Unlike probiotics, postbiotics do not contain live cells but consist of metabolites, including bacteriocins, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and various organic acids. Their production involves controlled fermentation processes followed by techniques such as enzymatic hydrolysis, thermal treatment, and extraction, ensuring the isolation of the beneficial compounds while maintaining their biological efficacy.2,3
The primary mode of action of postbiotics involves modifying the gut environment, thereby enhancing the gut microbiota composition. They reduce intestinal pH, creating conditions that selectively favor beneficial microbes while suppressing pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens.
Specifically, SCFAs produced as postbiotic metabolites act as energy substrates for intestinal cells, facilitating the growth of beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. This results in improved intestinal barrier function, reduction in inflammation, and enhanced resistance to pathogenic colonization.2,3
In addition, postbiotics modulate the immune response by upregulating anti-inflammatory cytokines and downregulating pro-inflammatory signals. This balanced immune modulation reduces gut inflammation, enhancing overall gastrointestinal health and resilience.2
Research highlights postbiotics’ significant role in promoting growth performance, particularly in poultry. Dietary supplementation with postbiotics has been shown to improve nutrient absorption, optimize feed efficiency, and support better overall animal growth. For example, poultry-fed diets enriched with postbiotics demonstrate increased body weight gain, improved feed conversion rates, and healthier gut morphology compared to control groups.2,3
Moreover, postbiotics positively affect the quality of animal products. In poultry, the inclusion of postbiotics in diets leads to improvements in meat characteristics, including increased tenderness, reduced lipid peroxidation, enhanced color, and overall better sensory properties.2
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Potential health benefits
Postbiotics contain bioactive substances, including SCFAs, exopolysaccharides, bacteriocins, and various proteins. These compounds exhibit diverse functional properties that are beneficial for gut and overall health.
For instance, SCFAs such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate, produced from microbial fermentation, are notable for their capacity to strengthen the gut barrier by enhancing the integrity of tight junction proteins, thus preventing pathogen invasion and systemic inflammation.4
The anti-inflammatory properties of postbiotics significantly contribute to their health benefits. Studies have shown that these metabolites can modulate inflammatory responses by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
For example, specific proteins derived from Lactobacillus species, such as surface-layer proteins (SLPs), demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects by reducing Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B (NF-κB) activation, a key pathway in inflammation.4
Postbiotics further support immune functions by influencing mucosal immunity. They promote the growth of beneficial gut microbiota, directly compete with pathogenic bacteria for adhesion sites, and enhance mucosal defense mechanisms through antimicrobial peptides. Research has shown that postbiotic administration increases beneficial microbes like Bifidobacteria while decreasing harmful pathogens such as Escherichia coli.4
Emerging evidence also suggests postbiotics can aid metabolic regulation, demonstrating potential anti-obesity and glucose homeostasis effects. Their stability, safety profile, and efficacy make them an attractive alternative or complement to probiotics, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
While extensive research continues to expand understanding of the mechanisms and specific health outcomes associated with postbiotics, current findings underscore their potential in clinical nutrition and therapy.4
Prebiotics and Probiotics: What’s the Difference?
Comparison with probiotics and prebiotics
Probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics are integral elements in gut microbiome management, each playing a unique yet interconnected role. Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms, like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, directly impacting gut microbial composition and health. Prebiotics, such as inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), act as food for these beneficial bacteria, enhancing their proliferation and activity.5
Postbiotics, the latest addition to microbiome-focused interventions, represent non-living microbial cells or bioactive substances produced by probiotics during fermentation. Unlike probiotics, postbiotics are stable and less susceptible to environmental stressors such as heat or stomach acids, making them particularly advantageous in formulation and shelf stability.
They offer benefits like modulating immune responses, enhancing gut barrier integrity, and exerting anti-inflammatory effects without the risks associated with administering live microorganisms, especially in immunocompromised individuals.5
Several postbiotic products have entered the market, including heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum preparations used to manage gastrointestinal discomfort and fermented formulas containing SCFAs to support gut health.5
However, postbiotic commercialization faces regulatory hurdles, primarily due to inconsistent definitions and the complex classification between dietary supplements and medicinal products. Regulatory bodies differ internationally, complicating standardized approvals.5
Integrating postbiotics into the broader microbiome conversation requires clearer regulatory frameworks and robust clinical evidence. Their continued development alongside probiotics and prebiotics promises to enrich microbiome management, offering safer and potentially more effective solutions for maintaining gut and overall health.5
Breaking down prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics
Future of postbiotics
Emerging research indicates postbiotics offer superior stability, safety, and cost-effectiveness compared to traditional probiotics. Unlike probiotics, postbiotics withstand harsh gastrointestinal conditions, have extended shelf-life, and eliminate risks associated with live bacterial strains.5,6
Current market products include pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila, utilized for obesity and insulin resistance management, and heat-inactivated Bifidobacterium bifidum (e.g., MIMBb75), effective against Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Additionally, bacterial lysate OM-85 (Broncho-Vaxom) is commercially available for respiratory immune support.6
Clinical trials and pre-clinical studies underline diverse medical applications. For instance, postbiotics like SCFAs, especially butyrate, demonstrate anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects beneficial in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders.
In food industries, postbiotic applications include functional food ingredients enhancing nutritional profiles and shelf-life stability.6
Despite promising advances, regulatory challenges persist. Clear guidelines distinguishing postbiotics from probiotics remain underdeveloped, complicating product standardization, labeling, and market authorization. Current regulations primarily address viable probiotics, necessitating updated frameworks explicitly tailored for postbiotic substances.6
Ongoing clinical studies continue to evaluate the efficacy, safety profiles, and mechanistic actions of various postbiotic compounds, promising deeper insights and validation of therapeutic claims. Addressing existing knowledge gaps through rigorous clinical research will be crucial for the successful integration and acceptance of postbiotics within mainstream medicine and the food industry.
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References
- Ma, L., Tu, H., & Chen, T. (2023). Postbiotics in human health: a narrative review. Nutrients, 15(2), 291. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020291
- Urban, J., Kareem, K.Y., Atanasov, A.G., Matuszewski, A., Bień, D., Ciborowska, P., Rygało-Galewska, A. and Michalczuk, M., (2024). Postbiotics, a natural feed additive for growth performance, gut microbiota and quality of poultry products. Current Research in Biotechnology, 100247.
- Zhao, X., Liu, S., Li, S., Jiang, W., Wang, J., Xiao, J., Chen, T., Ma, J., Khan, M.Z., Wang, W. and Li, M. (2024). Unlocking the power of postbiotics: A revolutionary approach to nutrition for humans and animals. Cell Metabolism, 36(4), 725-744.
- Ikram, A., Safdar, S. Z., Arshad, M. T., Rasheed, A., & Gnedeka, K. T. (2024). An overview of postbiotics: unveiling their distinct role in gut health. Food and Agricultural Immunology, 35(1), 2434463.
- Ji, J., Jin, W., Liu, S. J., Jiao, Z., & Li, X. (2023). Probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics in health and disease. MedComm, 4(6), e420.
- Liang, B., & Xing, D. (2023). The current and future perspectives of postbiotics. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, 15(6), 1626-1643.