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Psychobiotics is a term you may not have heard of. You likely have heard of at least 3 out of the other 5.

Does it seem like this stuff gets more complicated the longer you research it? New terms show up, and the whole thing starts to feel like a lot.

This is exactly why I built A Gutsy Girl. I take the details and cut them down into pieces you can actually use.

I don’t want you swimming in the overwhelm. I want you to walk away knowing what it all means for your own healing.

Psychobiotics [+ 5 other biotics to know]

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There are more “biotics” out there than most people realize. Here are 6:

1. Prebiotics
2. Antibiotics
3. Probiotics
4. Synbiotics
5. Postbiotics
6. Psychobiotics

I’d bet this list keeps growing.

You already know prebiotics, probiotics, and antibiotics. My goal today is to break down all 6, plainly, so you know what each one does and when it matters.

When Should I Take These Biotics?

Quick note before we get into each one.

The best thing you can do is work with your practitioner to figure out which of these (if any) will actually help you. Beyond that, here’s a general outline for when each is typically used:

Prebiotics: alongside probiotics, or in addition to them
Antibiotics: to address a bacterial infection only
Probiotics: for most people, whenever
Synbiotics: when you want a probiotic and prebiotic paired in one; for most, whenever
Postbiotics: for most people, whenever
Psychobiotics: as needed, after researching the strains studied for your particular concern

Keep in mind that the right food, form, strain, and species will be different from person to person. A strain that works well for your friend may do nothing for you.

I wish I could tell you this was clear-cut. It isn’t.

The way to keep track of what’s working and what’s not is to return to these two things, every single day:

1. How is this working for me?
2. Gut Healing Journaling SYSTEM

Prebiotics

Pre = before.

Prebiotics are fiber-rich foods that feed the bacteria in your gut. Your body can’t digest them, but your gut bacteria love them.

Probiotics can’t survive without food. That’s the job prebiotics do.

Three things to know about prebiotics:

1. They aren’t absorbed in your upper GI tract
2. They resist the acidity of your stomach
3. They get fermented by your intestinal bacteria

Beyond feeding your good bacteria, prebiotics have other benefits, including increased calcium and magnesium absorption, better insulin sensitivity, lower cholesterol, and support for leaky gut.

Two ways prebiotics help your good bacteria specifically:

They lower the pH of your intestines by feeding the bacteria that make lactic acid. A lower pH wards off pathogens, which prefer a higher pH.

When good bacteria grow, they make antibacterial molecules that push back on the bad bacteria.

Like probiotics, you can get prebiotics from food or from a supplement.

These foods make great prebiotics since they contain fiber that can make its way through the GI tract, feeding the probiotics there.

• Tomatoes
• Artichokes
• Onions
• Chicory root
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Dandelion greens
• Bananas
• Kiwifruit
• Psyllium

My top THREE choices for prebiotic supplements are:

1. Just Thrive Precision PREbiotic (pill version)
2. Just Thrive Precision PREbiotic (powder version)
3. MegaPre Precision Prebiotic (powder version)

The Just Thrive Precision PREbiotic uses 3 clinically studied prebiotic fibers: fructooligosaccharides (from non-GMO kiwifruit), xylooligosaccharides (from non-GMO corn cob), and galactooligosaccharides (from rBST-free cow’s milk).

These fibers are chosen because they feed only the good bacteria and ignore the pathogens, they tend to cause less gas and bloating than other prebiotic fibers, and paired with a probiotic they can meaningfully grow your good bacteria population.

A few more reasons it’s a top pick for me: it drives butyrate production (butyrate is the main fuel for the cells lining your colon), it supports regularity, and it’s non-GMO and made without gluten, soy, sugar, or nuts.

If you still want more, learn all about prebiotics HERE.

Antibiotics

Anti = against.

You may have heard antibiotics work against good gut health. It’s worth understanding their actual role first.

Antibiotics are a class of drug prescribed to kill bacteria or stop it from reproducing. They can be useful and even life-saving. Overuse is where the trouble starts.

Overusing antibiotics has led to resistance, over-prescribing when they aren’t needed, and gut-related side effects.

Research in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacy & Therapeutics traces the modern antibiotic era to the discovery of penicillin in 1928, which controlled bacterial infections in World War II soldiers. Resistance followed, first with penicillin, then with other antibiotics.¹

So when are antibiotics the right call? For bacterial infections, not viral ones.

Some common bacterial infections include:

• Strep throat
• Pneumonia
• bacterial skin infections
• foodborne bacterial infections (like e.coli)
• UTI
• bronchitis
• SIBO – yes! – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth

If you want even more, read Side Effects of Antibiotics and Rebuilding the Gut.

Probiotics

Pro = for.

Probably the #1 question I get asked: what probiotic do you recommend?

Let me be upfront that this is a hard question to answer well, because the probiotic that helps one person can be the wrong one for another. It’s individualized, the same way your whole healing path is.

A probiotic is, put simply, good bacteria. It stimulates the growth of more beneficial bacteria.

There are two main ways we get probiotics; via probiotic supplement and/or by consuming probiotic-rich foods, such as:

• Yogurt naturally contains probiotics, but some manufacturers add additional strains, such as L. acidophilus
• Miso is a fermented soy-based condiment. It makes an awesome flavor addition to soup
• Fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, pickles and kimchi, especially those that are homemade or sold refrigerated
• Kombucha is fermented tea
• Kefir is a fermented thick drink, similar to yogurt, but made by inoculating cow, sheep or or goat milk with kefir grain
• Buttermilk is fermented milk. Traditionally, it was made from the liquid left behind after churning butter, but most modern buttermilk is cultured
• Creme fraiche is a thick dairy product, similar to sour cream

Reading a probiotic label

On a probiotic label you’ll see 2 or 3 words describing the type: genus, species, and sometimes strain.

Two words (Lactobacillus acidophilus) means the manufacturer listed the genus and species, but not the strain.

Three words (Bacillus subtilis HU58) means they listed the specific strain.

I personally use, as does my whole family, Just Thrive probiotics. Because I exclusively use them, you WILL ALWAYS SAVE 20% OFF at checkout.

I’ve written about probiotics exhaustively, so I won’t recreate the wheel. If you want more:

1. Probiotic Strains vs Species
2. Probiotic Myths
3. 13 Probiotic Benefits Beyond Gut Health

Synbiotics

Syn = together.

A synbiotic is a probiotic and a prebiotic combined. It both supplies gut bacteria and feeds them. Synbiotics were created to help probiotics survive the trip.

Per the Journal of Food Science and Technology, a synbiotic helps live microbial supplements survive and take hold in the GI tract by feeding the growth and activity of health-promoting bacteria.²

Benefits of synbiotics include: higher levels of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, improved immune modulation, better liver function in cirrhotic patients, and fewer infections in surgical patients.

You can get synbiotics 2 ways: food combining, or a supplement.

Synbiotic Food Combining

Since a synbiotic is a combination of a probiotic and prebiotic, you can simulate a synbiotic experience by eating a probiotic-containing food and a prebiotic-containing food together.

Try these synbiotic combinations

• Yogurt (probiotic) topped with bananas (prebiotic)
• Miso-based broth soup (probiotic) with asparagus and leeks (prebiotics)
• Kimchi (probiotic) over top of a Buddha/grain bowl (prebiotic)

Another route to try synbiotics is as a supplement. One I recommend: Seed Daily Synbiotic.

Postbiotics

Post = after.

Postbiotics are the byproduct of bacterial fermentation in your intestines. They’re probably the least researched of the biotics.

Here’s the cycle: prebiotics feed probiotics, which create postbiotics, which promote prebiotics. Round and round, with a positive effect on your gut.

Because postbiotics are still being studied, published research is thin. Some possible benefits: lower blood sugar, support for probiotics, help with diarrhea, antimicrobial properties, immune support in infants, and reduced inflammation.

Since a postbiotic is the leftover from what your good bacteria already made, you can support them by eating more fermented and live-culture foods like homemade yogurt, tempeh, and sauerkraut.

Psychobiotics

Last, and my current favorite of the bunch.

The term comes from a 2016 paper in Trends in Neurosciences by the gut-brain researchers Ted Dinan and John Cryan, who define psychobiotics as beneficial bacteria (probiotics) or support for such bacteria (prebiotics) that influence bacteria-brain relationships.³

A psychobiotic isn’t really a new idea. It’s a new word. Its roots came from a probiotic, then expanded to include prebiotics. Which makes me ask:

Isn’t a psychobiotic just a synbiotic?

My question is neither here nor there. The reason psychobiotics are getting attention now is the growing research on the gut-brain axis.

The Gut-Brain Axis  

We know that our gut bacteria communicates directly with the brain via the nervous system; it is a bidirectional relationship.

One article states,

People with gastrointestinal disorders have higher-than-average rates of neuropsychiatric problems such as bipolar disorder and depression, she notes, while people with schizophrenia often have blood markers suggestive of gastrointestinal inflammation. People with autism spectrum disorder, too, have higher rates of gastrointestinal problems than the general population. 

Thus, the term psychobiotic is meant to align with the gut-brain connection.

In fact, this reminds me of the new book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride I’m reading, Gut and Physiology Syndrome.

If you recall, Dr. Natasha first came out with Gut and Psychology Syndrome. This is the sequel perhaps. The difference lies within the illness manifested.

• Psychology = learning disabilities and mental disorders
• Physiology = chronic physical conditions 

Perhaps this is similar to how we distinguish between a synbiotic and psychobiotic? Just throwing that out there.

Anyways, various species of probiotics (and prebiotics) as they relate to the gut-brain connection are currently being studied.

Bifidobacterium longum 1714™ 

There is a probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium longum 1714™, that is currently the most heavily researched and scientifically verified strain available.

A study conducted by the NIH states,

What is Known

✓ Accumulating evidence indicates that the gut microbiota communicates with the CNS, possibly through neural, endocrine, and immune pathways, and influences brain function.

✓ Effects of probiotics on the CNS functions are strain specific.

✓ B. longum 1714™ has been shown to reduce stress-related behaviors in preclinical studies and improve stress responses and cognitive function in healthy volunteers.

And I think that because of this study and more, my friends at Just Thrive came out with the Just Calm product which helps with stress management and boost mood.

Here are some things about Just Calm:

• The only stress/mood product to combine proprietary BL 1714™ with brain nourishing B vitamins
• Microbiologist-formulated and pharmaceutical grade
• Vegan, Paleo, and Keto-Friendly
• Free of wheat, dairy, soy, sugar, salt, nuts, and non-GMO

In the grand scheme of the microbiome conversation, we are still new to probiotics.

And we are still very new to psychobiotics. 

But it’s all promising.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. Chronic Illness Root Cause Analysis is King
2. Probiotic Foods vs Prebiotic Foods
3. A Gutsy Girl podcast

Xox,
SKH

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4378521/ ↩︎
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4648921/ ↩︎
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5102282/ ↩︎