PREBIOTICS

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are polysaccharide compounds not digestible in the small intestine, either by the acids or enzymes present there. However, probiotics and gut microorganisms in the large intestine can use prebiotics to support health. Good bacteria in the intestine ferment prebiotics to produce short-chain fatty acids, which can also be used to support health. Prebiotics also serve sensory functions to improve the taste and texture of food. For example, they can improve the stability of foams and improve mouthfeel in dairy products, bread, and other foods [^[1]].

What do prebiotics do in the body?

Prebiotics, which are found in several vegetables and fruits, have health benefits, including cutting cancer risk and increasing calcium and magnesium absorption. Prebiotics also boost mineral absorption and immunity, lower cholesterol, and prevent gastrointestinal conditions such as colon cancer [^[2]].

How can prebiotics help alleviate certain Long COVID symptoms and pathophysiology?

Studies show that gut imbalance is linked to the severity of COVID-19 infection and persisting multi-organ and multi-system complications after the acute phase is over. The gut influences additional systems, such as the liver and brain, in COVID-19, which means that improved gut health can also improve the health of other organ systems [^[3]].

Studies of prebiotics in Long COVID patients bear out this hypothesis. In one study in which Long COVID patients were given a mix of a probiotic and three different prebiotics, called SIM01, adverse health outcomes decreased, and elderly and diabetic patients exhibited restored gut dysbiosis [^[4]]. In another study of SIM01, Long COVID patients’ SARS-CoV-2 virus levels decreased, as did their opportunistic pathogen levels, after week four of SIM01 supplementation [^[5]]. While SIM01 is not a purely prebiotic supplement, these studies show that prebiotics, provided alongside probiotics, may improve Long COVID outcomes for patients.