The Microbiome Powerhouse: All About Postbiotics


By Ross Pelton, RPh, PhD, CCN
Scientific Director, Essential Formulas

Have you heard of probiotics….the trillions of live bacteria in your GI tract that play critical roles in keeping you healthy? Well, there’s a new player in town: Postbiotic metabolites. These aren’t living bacteria but beneficial substances our gut bacteria produce.

Think of probiotics as the chefs, prebiotics as their ingredients, and postbiotics as the delicious, health-promoting meals they create! Another analogy is an automobile manufacturing plant where 100 workers need 1,000 parts to build vehicles. Similarly, in your gut microbiome, probiotic bacteria are the workers. Still, they must be supplied with a wide range of prebiotic foods to produce the desired end product: postbiotic metabolites. These wonders of natural gut health, postbiotic metabolites are master health-regulating compounds that help the normal function of every organ system in your body, including your brain and immune system.

The Gut Health Trio: Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics

These three work together to optimize your gut health:

  • Probiotics: Live bacteria with potential health benefits.
  • Prebiotics: The food for probiotics: polyphenols & dietary fibers, found primarily in plant-based foods.
  • Postbiotics: The compounds probiotics make, including vitamins, antimicrobial peptides, short-chain fatty acids….and much more.

Why are Postbiotics Important?

Postbiotics offer a wide range of health benefits such as:

  • Improved Digestion: They often can ease digestive discomfort and improve elimination.
  • Stronger Immunity: Studies suggest they can help strengthen your immune system.
  • Healthy Gut Barrier: They provide energy & may help repair and support a healthy intestinal lining.
  • Enhanced Mental Wellbeing: Via the gut-brain axis, postbiotics may help regulate moods & mental health.
  • Improves Overall Health: Studies suggest postbiotics may help regulate sleep, reduce the effects of stress, and even influence weight management and our food choices.

Boost Postbiotics—Improve Your Health

Most people do not have an optimally healthy gut microbiome. Poor diets, antibiotics, acid-suppressing drugs, and environmental toxins are some of the factors that contribute to bacterial imbalance and dysbiosis. Here are suggestions on how to boost your levels of postbiotic metabolites and improve your health.

Eat A Microbiome-Supporting Diet: The best way to get postbiotic metabolites is to consume a diverse range of plant-based foods, primarily fruits & vegetables. These foods contain dietary fibers and polyphenols, the ‘food’ for your probiotic bacteria. This supports the growth of your innate bacteria to produce postbiotic metabolites for you.

Eat Fermented Foods: Yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, and other fermented foods are loaded with probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotic metabolites. Many of the benefits from fermented foods come from directly ingesting the postbiotic metabolites produced during fermentation.

Take Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics: Prebiotics in fiber-rich foods feed your gut bacteria, promoting postbiotic production. The multi-year fermentation process that Dr. Ohhira created to produce Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics produces over 500 postbiotic metabolites. Directly ingesting the vast array of postbiotic metabolites in Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics is the fastest and most effective way to create beneficial gut microbiome and immune system changes.

The Dr. Ohhira’s Reset Challenge: We recommend that individuals who have not previously taken Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics consider trying The Dr. Ohhira’s Reset Challenge, which includes the following:

  1. Purchase a 30-count box of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics
  2. Take two capsules twice daily for 1 week (note: the usual recommended dose is two capsules once daily)
  3. Direct ingestion of over 500 postbiotic metabolites often results in noticeable benefits.
  4. We call this “The Dr. Ohhira Difference”

Improving Your Gut…. Improves Your Health & Your Life

*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.