9 Best Prebiotic Supplements, According to Registered Dietitians 2024

glamour.com:

, constipation, or diarrhea frequently, taking a gut health supplement is a smart move. You’re probably familiar with and the health benefits they can provide, such as more regular poops and enhanced immunity against infections.

What you might not know is that adding the best prebiotic supplements to your regimen can increase your probiotic’s effectiveness.“Prebiotics are a specific type of fiber that play a supporting but vital role in gut health by feeding probiotics, which are the good bacteria in the large intestine that help digest food,” says , MS, RDN, CDN, founder of . “Prebiotics aren’t digestible by your body, so instead they travel down to your lower digestive tract and become a food source for the healthy microorganisms in your gut.

This helps increase the number of good bacteria in your microbiome, which promote an optimal environment for your digestive system and overall health.”You can find prebiotic dietary fibers like inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) in foods like chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions, apples, asparagus, whole grains, green bananas, dandelion greens, leeks, lentils, beans, and flaxseeds.

Whole foods are the ideal source of prebiotics, says , MS, RD, LDN. But if you find it difficult to get enough of these high fiber foods into your diet or they don’t seem to be positively impacting your digestive health, adding a supplement could help.We know there are countless prebiotic supplements available, many of which are combined with probiotics, so to bring you the best options, we spoke with doctors, dietitians, and folks who use them daily.