The purpose of drinking synbiotic water like Biotica Water is to improve your gut health. Biotica contains probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics designed to balance your microbiome for better digestive health. But what about the other things you might drink, like a cocktail on a Friday night? What does alcohol do to your gut, and can you use probiotics with it?
It’s tempting because Biotica comes in flavours that work well as mixers, like cucumber and mint. What impact will the alcohol have on the probiotic, though, and is it a good idea?
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics contain live microorganisms that can have health benefits when consumed. Your body relies heavily on bacteria and other microorganisms to maintain good health. Collectively these are called the microbiome.
People tend to associate bacteria with disease, but some species support the immune system and other systems. They also help manage your weight.
The most critical microorganisms live in the large intestine. This is the gut microbiome. Not everyone’s gut microbiome is as diverse as it should be. There are theories that poor diversity in gut microbiomes can be related to everything from autism to obesity.
Clearly, having a healthy and diverse gut microbiome is essential. Probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics play a significant role in helping to promote gut health.
How Can Probiotics Affect the Gut Microbiome?
Probiotics may help restore the composition of the gut microbiome to improve health. The combination of genetics and diet can influence the number of healthy microorganisms, especially bacteria, in the gut.
Evidence shows that probiotics introduce active microorganisms into the intestinal tract, where they colonise, changing the microbiome composition there. By creating active populations of certain bacteria in the gut, probiotics can help inhibit the growth of pathogenic or disease-causing bacteria. They can also help your body build healthy mucosa, which is the lining of the intestine, and support the immune system.
What Bacteria is Found in Probiotic Products?
It depends on the product. Most will have their own formula. Biotica synbiotic water offers 1 billion CFU of Bacillus subtilis. This microorganism provides a number of potential benefits to those who drink Biotica, such as:
- ● Promotes the synthesis (creation of) antimicrobial substances
- ● Helps promote the immune system to prevent inflammation
- ● Stimulates the growth of normal bacteria
And it does these things at a faster rate than most organisms. It can also grow in areas with or without oxygen. These benefits make it an ideal choice for probiotic products.
Can You Use Probiotic Water With Alcohol?
The unique characteristics of the Bacillus spores mean they have a high resistance to acidic conditions like in the stomach. So even if the alcohol stirs up acid production, the probiotics should do well. The bacteria in Biotica can also survive being mixed with alcohol in a glass.
What that all means is mixing Biotica with alcohol to make your favourite cocktail should not degrade its effectiveness as a probiotic.
How Alcohol Can Affect Gut Microbiome?
Whilst using probiotic water as a mixer for alcohol won’t necessarily affect the function of the product, alcohol itself puts a strain on the gut microbiome. Studies show that excessive alcohol use can impact the gut microbiota.
Researchers from the University of California San Diego suggest that alcohol negatively affects gut microbiota because it forces the production of acetate.
When you drink, the liver creates acetate that goes to the intestinal tract. The goal is to support bacteria growth, but it may also grow unhealthy organisms.
One investigator compares drinking alcohol to dumping fertilizer on your garden. The fertilizer will help both healthy plants and weeds grow. In the same way, drinking alcohol can lead to the mass growth of unhealthy bacteria, causing an imbalance in the gut.
Will Mixing Probiotics With Alcohol Do Your Gut Any Good?
The straightforward answer is no. It is a trend these days to mix probiotics with cocktails to make a fun alcoholic drink that eases the conscience at the same time. The truth is that you don’t benefit from the mix. And, if you do it often, the alcohol may negate any benefits you may get from probiotics.
On the other hand, since the bacteria in Biotica synbiotic water can survive the mix with alcohol, it shouldn't do any harm either, in moderation. Biotica waters come in great flavours, so our customers suggest some go great with alcohol.
Containing no added sugar or artificial sweeteners also means that as a mixer Biotica Water may be a preferred choice for those looking for a low carb accompaniment to their Gin, Vodka or Tequila.
The Benefits of Biotica Synbiotic Water
The hope is that even if you occasionally use the water as a mixer, that means you use it regularly without alcohol, too. Biotica isn’t just a probiotic. It is symbiotic water. That means it contains not just Bacillus subtilis. It also includes pre and postbiotics.
What Are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are a type of dietary fibre that help to nourish the helpful microbes in the gut, including the bacteria added with the water. In Biotica water, the prebiotic is inulin, a fibre that comes from the Chicory root. It is one of the most soluble prebiotics in nature.
What Are Postbiotics?
Postbiotics are additional benefits that probiotics provide. The Bacillus subtilis helps to diversify and strengthen the intentional flora and inhibit harmful growth. It also produces protein and starch degradation enzymes that, in turn, promote the secretion of key vitamins like B-complex and vitamin K.
The combination of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics benefits your mental health, immune system, digestive tract, and skin. And it tastes great, which is why people want to mix it with alcohol for distinctive cocktails.
Should you do that? That’s not really what Biotica synbiotic water is designed for, but we understand why you might.
Find out more about Biotica products by visiting our shop today.