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< Back to Digestive Health

Probiotics and Fibre, Your Digestive Care Buddies

How important is a happy, healthy gut? Very! Your gut bacteria and the integrity of your gut lining strongly affect your overall health. Good digestive health is essential for many things, including nutrient absorption[1], immune function[2], detoxification[3] and chemical and hormone production[4],[5]

Bacterial diversity plays a big role in a healthy gut and your diet has a significant impact on which microbes will take up residence in your gut long-term. A diet high in fat and refined sugars but low in fibre is thought to reduce microbial diversity.[6] A high fibre diet, on the other hand, supports bowel health but can also provide other health benefits such as helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.[7]

Fibre is not absorbed in the large intestine but acts as food for probiotics which are the good bacteria that we want in our bodies. Fibre not only feeds good bacteria, but it also helps to keep your digestive tract working optimally by promoting and maintaining regularity.[8] Want to include more fibre in your diet? Add fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains into your routine.

When it comes to digestion, the bacteria in your gut digest fibre which helps to support your body’s natural digestive processes. Some bacteria also have a positive influence on the digestion and utilization of proteins.[9]

With this knowledge, we can appreciate how important both probiotics and fibre are to good digestive health. When it’s challenging to get enough fibre and probiotics in your diet, Renew Life® can help.

Ultimate Flora® Extra Care™ is a daily multi-strain probiotic blend that provides 50 billion live bacterial cultures in a convenient once daily capsule. It contains diverse strains of live bacteria to help support intestinal and gastrointestinal health. It is contained in acid-resistant vegetarian capsules to help protect the live bacteria from harsh stomach acids.

FibreSMART® comes in both capsules and powder. The powder is an easy-to-mix flax-based dietary fibre supplement that can be added to water or juice to help support daily bowel health. It contains both soluble and insoluble fibre and has additional ingredients for the intestinal tract such as Marshmallow Root and Slippery Elm Bark. It contains no nuts, gluten, dairy and soy.

References:
[1] Krajmalnik-Brown R, Ilhan ZE, Kang DW, DiBaise JK. Effects of gut microbes on nutrient absorption and energy regulation. Nutr Clin Pract. 2012;27(2):201-214. doi:10.1177/0884533611436116
[2] Wu HJ, Wu E. The role of gut microbiota in immune homeostasis and autoimmunity. Gut Microbes. 2012;3(1):4-14. doi:10.4161/gmic.19320
[3] Claus, S., Guillou, H. & Ellero-Simatos, S. The gut microbiota: a major player in the toxicity of environmental pollutants?. npj Biofilms Microbiomes 2, 16003 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/npjbiofilms.2016.3
[4] Rosenfeld, C. (2017). Gut Dysbiosis in Animals Due to Environmental Chemical Exposures. Available: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2017.00396/full. Last accessed 27 Oct 20.
[5] Gerard Clarke, Roman M. Stilling, Paul J. Kennedy, Catherine Stanton, John F. Cryan, Timothy G. Dinan, Minireview: Gut Microbiota: The Neglected Endocrine Organ, Molecular Endocrinology, Volume 28, Issue 8, 1 August 2014, Pages 1221–1238, https://doi.org/10.1210/me.2014-1108
[6] Hewings-Martin, Y. (2017). Loss of microbial gut diversity a threat to health? Available: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319161. Last accessed 3 Nov 20.
[7] Mayo Clinic Staff. (2018). Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Available: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-andhealthy- eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983. Last accessed 20 Apr 20.
[8] Yang, J., Wang, H. P., Zhou, L., & Xu, C. F. (2012). Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: a meta analysis. World journal of gastroenterology18(48), 7378–7383. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v18.i48.7378
[9] Wang, Jing; Ji, Haifeng. (2019). Influence of Probiotics on Dietary Protein Digestion and Utilization in the Gastrointestinal Tract. Current Protein and Peptide Science. 20 (2), 125-131.
Renew Life Probiotics and Fibre

About the Author: Caroline Farquhar R.H.N., E.M.P., B.A.

Caroline Farquhar

Specializing in digestive care and cleansing, Caroline has been educating audiences through seminars, TV and radio appearances across the country on the topic of how to achieve better health naturally. Caroline has written and published articles for magazines and websites, has created educational programs and taught at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.