Talking FACS
Host: Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky
Guest: Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Extension Specialist for Nutrition and Health
Episode 39
O:00 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.
0:20 Dr. Hunter: Hello and welcome back to Talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
Today, I'm pleased to be joined by Dr. Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Assistant Professor in Dietetics and Human Nutrition, to share with us about probiotics; what we should know as consumers. Thank you so much for joining us today, Heather.
0:41 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah. Thanks for having me.
0:42 Dr. Hunter: So, probiotics is a topic that I think we often read about in news articles or maybe on social media or I've seen a lot about in the news recently and I think it's something that consumers are very interested in learning more about. So, can you start today and just tell us what exactly are probiotics?
1:01 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah, I think you're exactly right. It's something that consumers are definitely more curious about because they’re starting to see them pop up on food labels and things like that.
So, essentially, probiotics are live microorganisms that can be found in certain foods or in a supplemental form. They could potentially have a health benefit for the individual that's consuming them.
So, it's important to keep in mind, talking about probiotics, that having microorganisms, specifically bacteria, in our gut is a completely normal thing – it's a good thing – and many of them are beneficial to our health.
We're talking – there are trillions of bacteria in our gut and essentially all these bacteria together in our gut are called the microbiome. So, that's another word that consumers may start to hear in the news or in social media or in news articles and things like that.
And what research is starting to show us is that the number and type of these microbes in our gut are impacted by age, gender and especially our diet. And it's even suggested that some of the health problems that are common are a result of essentially the bad microbes in our gut starting to outnumber the good microbes in our gut. So, that's why probiotics are starting to be encouraged because they're going to increase in number of those good microbes.
2:17 Dr. Hunter: So, I definitely think that, you know, we're hearing more and more about probiotics and gut health. I think that that's also kind of a very common phrase or topic that's out there.
So, you mentioned foods or supplements in terms of getting probiotics. Is one better than the other?
2:34 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Let's just – starting out, probiotics are found in a variety of foods. And we'll talk about what foods those are. The most common ones are cultured dairy products. So, cottage cheese, aged cheese and probably one of the most popular ones is yogurt. That's the one you're going to see that on the label it may say probiotics or something. And they can also be found in a fermented vegetables. So, a common one is Kimchi, which is a Korean dish, if you watch a lot of food television.
3:01Dr. Hunter: I'm not much of a Kimchi fan, I will say.
3:03 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yes. So, it's an acquired taste and then also fermented soy products are another source. And then something else that I'm starting to see and I'm just going to throw out there is this drink that's called kombucha. You know, you see college students walking around with it.
3:17 Dr. Hunter: I definitely have seen the students on campus.
3:18 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Or we are starting to see it more on the shelves in grocery stores. It's essentially a fermented drink that's made of tea. sugar and microbes. So, that's something that you might have seen before and thought, “What is that?” you know, different color and things like that.
3:31 Dr. Hunter: Right.
3:32 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: I mean, some studies have actually shown that foods like yogurt have more probiotics than supplements. So, just keep that in mind. And as far as supplements go, remember these are not regulated by the FDA. So, manufacturers can really put whatever they want on them and there are no health claims that have been approved by the FDA when it comes to probiotics.
So, there really just isn't enough evidence to show their health benefits to have them as an official label claims. So, maybe those whole foods, which are generally healthier foods, are going to be a better option.
4:04 Dr. Hunter: If someone is looking at a probiotic supplement, is that something that either their physician or maybe the pharmacist could help them discern the label?
4:13 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Absolutely, for sure and we can talk a little bit more about the label. For packaged foods, it's going to say probably live culture or probiotics on the label.
And they are measured with this term called the colony forming unit or CFU.
4:28 Dr. Hunter: Okay.
4:29 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: So, that's what you're going to look at. And it's suggested that experts say that foods with 1 billion CFU’s may be the ones where you're going to see the best benefits. But I would 100 percent encourage you to talk to your pharmacist or physician if you are thinking about introducing a probiotic supplement into your diet.
4:47 Dr. Hunter: Great. So, you've given us all kinds of great terminology already today. Other terms that I've just heard out there on the news are things like prebiotics or symbiotic. Can you explain those a little bit to us as well?
4:55 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah, I think these words all start to get a little confusing.
5:00 Dr. Hunter: Though certainly.
5:02 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotics; but prebiotics are simply components of foods that we eat that we cannot digest on our own, but they actually provide food for those good bacteria to kind of flourish in our gut.
And some of those common foods have these prebiotic components that you may have heard of are bananas, onions, garlic and even some wholegrain foods.
And when we hear the word symbiotics, essentially what we're referring to is a combination of a probiotic with a prebiotic at the same time. So, you're consuming the good bacteria and you're also consuming at the same time what they need as food as well.
An example of this would be maybe for breakfast you have some yogurt, which would be your probiotic source and then you top it with the sliced banana. It's just as simple as that.
5:53 Dr. Hunter: This may be a silly question, but just as you're talking and things are coming to my mind and the term pre- makes me think beforehand, but a prebiotic, do you really need to consume it before your meal or like you just said, you can put the banana on the yogurt and get them both at the same time.
6:07 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah, that's right.
6:08 Dr. Hunter: Great. So, are all of the probiotics the same? Do they have the same microbes?
6:14 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: No, they are not all the same. I will mention a couple of the strains that you want to look for that have been most researched or have been linked to potential health benefits are going to be lacto-bacillus and bifido-bacteria.
6:28 Dr. Hunter: Those are some big words.
6:29 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: They are some big words, but they are most likely going to be listed on the label if it's a good source of a probiotic. And really the amount and combination of these vary with all foods; it's going to be different.
And again using that CFU or Colony Forming Unit as a measure of probiotics on the label is going to help.
6:48 Dr. Hunter: And I will just remind listeners, as we're talking about these words and the vocabulary, that all of this is printed in the transcript to the podcast. So, if you want to go back and find those words specifically so that you can look them up and learn more and find additional information, just click on the transcript associated with the podcast and it will all be there.
7:10 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah, it's a great tip.
7:12 Dr. Hunter: Heather, back to the conversation though, what are some of our benefits?
7:15 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Yeah. So, research has started to shed light on some specific conditions that may benefit from probiotics and the ones that you mentioned earlier with gut health is becoming more popular in the news and media.
So, specifically, irritable bowel syndrome as well as other inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn's disease, there may be some benefit of trying to regulate and get the good bacteria in your gut to outnumber the bad ones.
It could potentially improve lactose intolerance or control or reduce allergies. And another one with potential effect could be an improvement in cholesterol levels. Again, the research isn't super convincing, but there has been a little evidence to show that it could play a role in these specific health conditions.
8:01 Dr. Hunter: Are there negatives or concerns that consumers should have?
8:05 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Not necessarily, you're not going to be consuming them in high enough amounts where it's going to have an impact. What I've seen in the studies there really haven't been any other side effects besides mild digestive symptoms.
So, if you're consuming them at high amounts, you may see gas or bloating. That would be the only thing.
8:23 Dr. Hunter: Great. This has been a great learning topic for me. So, I appreciate you sharing with us today. And just as we wrap up, is this something that people should be trying to add into their diet?
8:33 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Not necessarily. I think if you are consuming a well-balanced diet rich in whole grains and fruits and vegetables you're most likely are feeding those good bacteria what they need and you probably have a good amount of healthy microbes in your gut.
And there was a very recent study that just came out like within the past two weeks and it really suggested that the response of an individual to a probiotic is very individualized.
So, basically that's just saying that what works for you most likely won't work for the person beside you when it comes to taking a probiotic.
If you're taking an antibiotic, I would encourage you not to take a probiotic. And again, you mentioned talking to your pharmacist or your physician. If you're interested in taking one, you definitely want to talk to your healthcare provider; especially if you're considering introducing a supplement.
You don't want these to replace any medications that they're recommending for you. And like anything else that we ingest, there is the potential they could interact with other medications you're taking. So, again, keep that in mind and talk to your health care provider.
9:34 Dr. Hunter: I will say that the last antibiotic prescription that I had, it had one of those little warnings on it about to not take probiotics while taking the antibiotic, which made me realize maybe how much more mainstream probiotic supplements were becoming that they had added that to the antibiotic as a warning as well.
Like I said before, all great information. And I think kind of helping us discern some of what it is that we see on the news or that we may read in various outlets. Thanks so much for joining us today, Heather.
10:05 Dr. Norman-Burgdolf: Thank you.
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