Prebiotics are indigestible food ingredients that have the property of stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. With the systematic use of prebiotic-containing products or preparations, the balance of the intestinal microflora is normalized, as a result of which digestion is improved and chronic gastrointestinal diseases are cured, and immunity is also increased.
To prebiotics include di- and trisaccharides, as well as oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, amino acids, polyhydric alcohols, etc. However, their most useful properties are expressed in poly-, galacto- and oligosaccharides, as well as in dietary fiber. They are found in many products of plant origin: cabbage, legumes, peas and soy, onions and garlic, corn, cereals and bran, bread, honey, various fruits, as well as in dairy products. Prebiotics are not destroyed by heat treatment, and in the food industry are often used as food additives - in particular, in confectionery.
There is also a synthetic prebiotic - lactulose, made from whey. Its useful properties were discovered by one of the German pediatricians in the mid-twentieth century: he was able to use it to adjust the composition of the intestinal microflora in children. Prebiotics (preparations) containing lactulose are produced under various trade names: Dufalac, Normase, Portalac, Lactusan, Lactofiltrum, etc. (the latter also includes natural enterosorbent). In addition to the ability to normalize the intestinal microflora, lactulose has a pronounced laxative effect. In order to eliminate constipation, it is taken in a higher dose: from 15-20 to 50 ml or more per day (as a prebiotic - 5-10 ml). Prebiotics (drugs) based on it are prescribed for both adults and children, including those under the age of one year. Lactulose increases the absorption of vitamins and minerals from food, helps to lower cholesterol in the blood. There are also prebiotics (drugs) based on other oligo- or polysaccharides - for example, dietary supplement “Inulin forte”. However, due to its effectiveness and availability, lactulose firmly holds the first place among them.
Of great importance is the presence of prebiotics in food in childhood, including in infants - this is important for their immunity. Prebiotics for children of the first months of life are added to milk formulas. Doctors still do not have a unanimous opinion on whether prebiotics should be given additionally to a healthy child. However, for babies who have had acute respiratory infections or gastrointestinal diseases, the treatment of which included taking antibacterial drugs, both prebiotics (drugs) and probiotics can be prescribed to prevent dysbiosis. The duration of the course in this case is usually one to two weeks, and with severe violations of the digestive tract - up to four weeks.
Prebiotics for newborn “artificers” are of particular importance because of the increased risk of intestinal infections for them, compared with children who are breastfed. They may be recommended special mixtures of Nutrilon Omneo, Hipp Pre Bio, Humana 1 (2) with prebiotics, and others. Babies suffering from constipation are especially suitable mixes with lactulose - for example, "Semper Bifidus".
Prebiotics should not be confused with probiotics: the beneficial bacteria that live in the intestines, as well as the drugs containing them (for example, Lactobacterin), are called so. Currently, most experts agree that both of them make sense to use in combination, since the first of them serve as food for the second - lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. The isolated administration of probiotics, even the most effective, does not always lead to the expected effect and normalizes the intestinal microflora, while prebiotics tend to stimulate its growth and vital activity.