5 Things You Should Know About Postbiotics
You know about probiotics and you’ve probably heard of prebiotics, but what about postbiotics?
In a nutshell, your gut and skin are home to billions of microorganisms (collectively known as the microbiome) that influence your overall health. Probiotics are the good bacteria in your gut and skin that support many healthful functions, prebiotics essentially feed the probiotics, and postbiotics are the by-products of the whole process. Research on postbiotics is growing, and they are thought to provide some pretty powerful benefits for gut health, immune function, skin health, and overall wellness. There’s a variety of products coming out that will help you take advantage of the benefits of postbiotics, whether it’s a dietary supplement or a facial mist.
So, what can postbiotics do for you? Should you be incorporating them into your wellness ritual? Read on for the top 5 things you should know about postbiotics.
1. Postbiotics are part of a healthy microbiome
A healthy, balanced microbiome plays a major role in your overall wellness. One key of a healthy microbiome is microbial diversity, and postbiotics support this. A diverse gut microbiome benefits many processes throughout the body, including immune function, digestion and skin health via the gut-skin axis. Postbiotics applied topically can also benefit the microbiome of your skin.
2. Postbiotics help skin glow
Not only do postbiotics support the gut microbiome, they promote diversity in the skin microbiome as well. A flourishing skin microbiome is the key to glowing skin—it helps to clear acne, support the moisture barrier and prevent dehydration, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and protect skin from environmental pollutants. Not to mention that a balanced gut microbiome is directly related to a healthy complexion!
3. Postbiotics can reduce inflammation
Different types of probiotics make different types of postbiotics. Research suggests that some of these postbiotics have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits for both the gut and the skin. Dietary postbiotics can reduce inflammation in the gut, and postbiotic skin care products may help soothe conditions of the skin such as acne and rosacea.
4. Postbiotics have an antioxidant effect
Research also suggests that postbiotics have an antioxidant effect, which helps protect you from cellular damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants neutralize unstable free radicals, which prevents them from causing oxidative damage that contributes to aging and collagen breakdown.
5. Postbiotics boost the immune system
Did you know that around 70% of the immune system is wrapped up in the gut? That means your gut health plays a major role in immune function. As dietary postbiotics help promote a balanced gut microbiome, they also boost your immune system and help keep it functioning properly.
While the body of research on postbiotics is still growing, they are looking to be a very promising component of wellness products in the future. With their host of benefits for both gut health and skin health, don’t be surprised if you start seeing more postbiotics everywhere!
Want to give prebiotic/postbiotic skincare a try? Start with our Microbiome Mist—it contains prebiotics, postbiotic peptides and wild plant extracts that promote glowing skin by nourishing, moisturizing, and protecting skin.
