Prebiotics and Ulcerative Colitis / Crohn's Disease 

Prophylactic use of dietary prebiotics such as Prebiotin could benefit patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, based on data from preliminary but promising studies, said Dr. Leo Dieleman of the division of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.

In contrast to probiotics, which are live microorganisms that benefit their hosts, prebiotics are nondigestible fermentable dietary oligosaccharides that affect the growth and activity of certain types of protective bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract

Previous studies of probiotics have shown that adding probiotic bacteria to the diets of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) improved their symptoms, Dr. Dieleman said. Certain types of probiotics such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria species, when added to the diet, can be protective against IBD, he added.

Learn more in About Prebiotics