What Is Prebiotic Fiber and What Does It Do?

Prebiotic fiber helps nourish the growth of good bacteria that exist naturally in your gut by contributing to an environment that is optimal for good digestive health.** Let’s dive in deeper to learn what a prebiotic is and what they do.

Gut Happy
Gut Icon

Keep Your Gut Happy With Prebiotics

Your digestive system is a marvelously intelligent and sensitive fuel system. It’s designed to break down foods and absorb their nutrients so that they can be converted into energy.1

Being the central nutritional hub gives your gut a starring role in your overall well-being.1 When in balance, your digestive system contributes to your health in several ways. To maintain this balance, it is important to keep “bad” bacteria from multiplying and overwhelming the gastrointestinal tract.2

Watering Good Bacteria

What Do Prebiotics Do?

You may be wondering what prebiotics do and why they’re important. Fiber with prebiotic effects (like the fiber in Benefiber) feeds and nourishes the good bacteria that exist naturally in your gut.**

When you consume fiber, it's fermented in the large intestine by the bacteria that live there.3 The process of fermentation produces byproducts and the environment that the bacteria need in order to proliferate.3

Fish on Plate

Prebiotics Feed Probiotics

Not only does prebiotic fiber strengthen and nourish the good bacteria, it also helps suppress the bad bacteria, promoting an optimal environment for good digestive health.4

GUT CHECK

It’s recommended that you eat 25-38g per day based on the Adequate intake of fiber.11*

You can get prebiotic fiber or take probiotics in many forms.5 For example, you can try prebiotic or probiotic supplements.5

Apples

Prebiotic Fiber versus Probiotic Fiber

Probiotic Microorganisms

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that function like good bacteria in the gut.

Ingesting foods that contain them or taking probiotic supplements can help fight off the bad bacteria.6

Probiotics are found in: yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, sauerkraut, kombucha, pickles, kimchi and miso soup.6

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Cheese

Pickled Vegetables

Pickled Vegetables

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Yogurt

Prebiotic Microorganisms

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are carbohydrates that act as food for beneficial bacteria in the gut.

These carbs travel undigested to the colon, where they ferment and produce small chain fatty acids that feed the gut flora.7

Prebiotics are found in: onions, garlic, leeks, soybeans, chicory root, honey, banana, Jerusalem artichoke, and Benefiber.7

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Onion

Honey Icon

Honey

Banana Icon

Banana

GUT CHECK

Bacteria outnumber the human cells in your body by about 10 to 1.3

And there are good guys and bad guys.

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Good Bacteria

Good bacteria are awesome.

Your large intestine contains trillions of bacteria, and much of it is important for good digestive health.8 Bacteria help you digest food and absorb nutrients..9

Sick From Bad Bacteria
Sick From Bad Bacteria

Bad bacteria make you sick.

Sometimes, harmful bacteria proliferate out of control. This can cause gastrointestinal issues.6 Additionally, factors like stress, and a poor diet may play a role in disrupting the colonies of good bacteria, creating an imbalance in the gut flora.6 

Probiotics Scale

Probiotics help you stay balanced.

Probiotics are a type of good bacteria that can be consumed to improve the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut.10

Benefiber Icon
Benefiber Prebiotic Fiber Gummies

Benefiber Prebiotic
Fiber Gummies

Try a prebiotic supplement to help you get daily fiber in a great tasting format. Benefiber Prebiotic Fiber Gummies are an easy to take on-the-go supplement and nourish helpful bacteria in your gut.*

Learn More

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Use as directed.

‡(Less than 20ppm)

†Daily Value not established.

#Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

*According to the Institute of Medicine, it is recommended that, in adults 50 or younger, women should consume 25 grams of fiber daily and men 38 grams. In adults 51 or older, women should consume 21 grams of fiber daily and men 30 grams.


**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Show ReferencesHide References

  1. Your Digestive System & How it Works. National Institutes of Health. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works. Accessed 6/5/2024. 
  2. What Is Your Gut Microbiome? Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25201-gut-microbiome. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  3. Gut Fermentation of Dietary Fibres: Physico-Chemistry of Plant Cell Walls and Implications for Health. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5666883/. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  4. What Are Prebiotics and What Do They Do?. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-prebiotics. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  5. What are probiotics and prebiotics? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/probiotics/faq-20058065. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  6. Probiotics. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/14598-probiotics. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  7. Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705355/. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  8. Physiology, Large Intestine. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507857/. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  9. Bacteria Can Be Good For Your Stomach. https://aglab.ars.usda.gov/the-nutrition-corner/bacteria-can-be-good-for-your-stomach. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  10. The benefits of probiotics bacteria. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-benefits-of-probiotics. Accessed 6/5/2024.
  11. Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983?pg=2. Accessed 6/5/2024.

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