Is Prebiotic Soda Healthy?

What is prebiotic soda?

Have you ever heard of “prebiotic soda”? If not, that’s okay because most people don’t. It’s a type of soda that is meant to help promote the healthy growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut. It’s also known as “healthy soda”, “probiotic soda” or a “probiotic alternative”.

Since the 1970s, the idea of “adding food to your diet” has taken off. That’s when it became popular to add beneficial bacteria to your diet, in hopes it will improve health. Foods that are prebiotic include those that contain bacteria, such as yogurt and kefir, and that have been fermented (such as sourdough breads and cheeses), or those that have been introduced with live bacteria into the food supply (such as probiotics).

For decades, scientists have been experimenting with the idea of adding certain molecules to food to help the body better digest it, or to encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. But the science around probiotic foods and drinks has been hotly debated – some say they are just as good as taking probiotic supplements, but others warn that they can cause stomach upset and bloating.

Many people are buying and drinking probiotic ‘soda’, a drink that is touted as “healthy” and “prebiotic”. The drink is kept in the fridge and usually consumed in the morning, so it is thought to keep the digestive tract healthy and therefore provide an “internal environment” in which probiotic bacteria flourish and aid digestion.