Why Are They Called Prebiotics? The Etymology of 'Gut Food'
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4 min read
The term 'prebiotic' was first introduced in 1995 by scientists Glenn Gibson and Marcel Roberfroid, building on decades of research into the gut microbiome. This name was chosen to differentiate between the live bacteria of probiotics and the non-digestible food components that act as their sustenance. The etymology thus reflects its function: 'pre-' meaning 'before' or 'for', and '-biotic' referring to living organisms.
