If you read our blog regularly, you’ll know that we’re big fans of probiotics and prebiotics! And to our delight, the volume of evidence for what makes them special continues to grow. Before we elaborate on a new benefit of probiotics, we’ll briefly review the key differences between prebiotics and probiotics.
Probiotics are what we often term as ‘good’ bacteria, as they help keep your digestive system nice and healthy by controlling the growth of harmful bacteria. You can find probiotics in yoghurt, soft cheeses and miso soup. Prebiotics, on the other hand are carbohydrates that aren’t digestible in our body, but they are essentially food for your probiotics, also contributing to a healthy digestive system. You can find prebiotics in bananas, oatmeal, asparagus and legumes.
To circle back, in addition to contributing towards better digestion, probiotics now have another list of great qualities to add to its plate. After reviewing reports and studies done on probiotics, a team of scientist has realized that probiotics possess these additional benefits:
- Restores acidic skin pH
- Alleviates oxidative stress
- Reduces photoaging
- Improves skin barrier function
- Enhances hair quality
So what are you waiting for? Next time you get your grocery list out, be sure to add sources of probiotics to get on your shopping trip. Need more inspiration for different types of probiotics? Check out this list!
If you are concerned about how food impacts your skin’s health and want to speak to a dermatology specialist about your options, please visit our Dermatology specialists at one of our locations in Middle Tennessee: Nashville, Franklin, Columbia, and Pulaski.