Interviewer: I've heard of probiotics. I've been taking probiotics for a really long time. What are prebiotics and why are they important?
Dr. Stern: If I said don't eat, you're going to starve to death. If I told good bacteria not to eat, they're going to starve to death. Prebiotics is just a term used because they didn't know what to call it, but basically it's a nutrient or a fiber that bacteria eat, and unfortunately in our diets, we don't get a lot of these nourishing nutrients to help our bacteria thrive and be the best they can be. They need a nutrient source, so I use organic inulin. It's a fiber that bacteria eat and it makes them more nourished.
I put it in my formula for two reasons. Number one, for the bacteria you have and also the bacteria you're getting from my probiotic formula. I want to make sure that they're thriving and that they're going to thrive successfully in your system. If you're taking a probiotic and you don't have enough of a nourishing prebiotic for them, then you're just going to take them, they're going to die, and it's pointless. But if you take a probiotic and now you have a good nourishing support food system for them, now they're going to thrive and be much more functional, so I put a prebiotic in my formula because, just like you and me, probiotics are good bacteria. They need to eat.