What are gut bacteria?

Gut bacteria are the different types of bacteria that reside in our gut, utilising our body as a warm, food-rich environment. They are not really friendly or hostile because we only outsource them to get the job done that our bodies cannot really handle. Our intestine comprises over 100 trillion bacteria of different kinds, which outweigh the human cells. This is to say that we are 35% less human.¹ The major groups of bacteria include Firmicutes and Bacteroides.

Of course, these microorganisms do not just reside doing nothing. They not only break down dietary fibre and starch, which our body, unfortunately, cannot handle, but also ferment them to produce fatty acids, which they later use as fuel. In addition to this, Gut bacteria also produce Vitamins such as Vitamin B, K, butyrate, acetic acid, lactic acid, among others. These products not only keep the colon healthy, but also maintain metabolism and human health.¹

Investigation using rats and mice shows that the gut bacteria can have a profound effect on brain development and mood, such as anxiety and depression. This is to say that our good microbes might have a direct influence on our mental health.

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics and probiotics are sometimes misconstrued as they seem interrelated in some ways and, of course, differ in so many ways. Probiotics are live microorganisms that can be taken from the intestine of healthy humans and have been claimed to have huge health effects. The probiotics are sometimes found in foods such as Yoghurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, etc.

As probiotics are live organisms, prebiotics are foods enriched in different kinds, such as fibre, resistant starches, pectin, inulin, among others, that these live microorganisms consume and digest. So literally, as we consume these foods rich in prebiotics, the probiotics in our body allow no such food to go to waste as they help break them down and produce meaningful and worthwhile products.

For a substance to be classified as prebiotics, the following criteria must be fulfilled:²

• It has to resist the stomach acidity
• Not broken down by mammalian enzymes
• Not taken up during the peristalsis movement in the gastrointestinal tracts
• Should be utilised by intestinal microbes
• And overall, it improves the host immune system

Such foods as prebiotics may include apples, bananas, carrots, vegetables, onions, garlic, potatoes, beans, among others. This is to say that the prebiotics serve as and provide an avenue as a food source for our beneficial probiotic microorganisms.

One of the important things a prebiotic must achieve is to restrict the gastric juice of the stomach and get to the colon successfully in order to be utilised by the probiotics.

Benefits of prebiotics

In return, these worthwhile products produced by the probiotics upon the disintegration of prebiotics are helpful in different ways. These include, among others:

• Providing energy to the cells in the colon
• Aid in inflammation
• Mucous production, and
• Ultimately, in the immune health

They also assist in

• Bowel movement
• Constipation
• Enhance the proliferation of good, beneficial microbes (friendly microorganisms) and
• Decrease the opportunistic bacteria that can cause disease³

Additionally, studies have shown that probiotic delivery may be superior to a placebo (control, non-treatment group) in the treatment of anxiety and depression.⁴

Then, what’s a coconut prebiotic?

Just like other prebiotics, coconut is endowed with a variety of non-digestible substances that could be beneficial to gut probiotics, thereby influencing their well-being. Coconut water and coconut milk are some sources of coconut prebiotics. The Nutrient digestibility of coconut meal, for example, according to Sundu,⁵ include crude protein (63.1%), arginine (85.6), glycine (69.7), histidine (61.4), isoleucine (73.6), leucine (76.1), lysine (51.3), methionine (71.1), phenylanine (79.3), threonine (63.0), tyrosine (65.2), serine (71.4) and valine (75.6). Furthermore, they established that, of the carbohydrate content in coconut meal, about 61% is polysaccharide 42% and 58% mannose and glucose, respectively.

Similarly, the mineral contents analysed in coconut water include boron, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.⁶ Dried coconut kernel, on the other hand, is reported⁷ to have carbohydrate, fats, proteins, natural sugars and moisture of about 20, 60, 9, 8 and 7 per cent, respectively.

Benefits of coconut prebiotic

In a research with broiler chicken, coconut prebiotics increase the population of beneficial microorganisms and decrease the pathogenic ones in the gastrointestinal tract of the chicken when fed with the coconut meal8. The investigator opined that, subsequently, the beneficial microbes decrease the pH of the caeca, thereby putting the pathogenic microorganism in check, which is detrimental. Simply put, the 0microenvironment only favours the growth of friendly microbes in the gut and not the bad ones. They additionally stated that the coconut mannan, which is a carbohydrate, precisely binds to the pathogenic bacteria in the GIT and flushes them out through the cloaca, thereby increasing the population of the beneficial microbes to maintain the microenvironment and boost the immune status. Though the mechanism of this observed performance is not yet understood. Defatted coconut residue stimulates the proliferation of probiotics and increases their acidifying properties.⁹

Coconut water could be used to replenish lost electrolytes during physical activities. Interesting research by Prado and other investigators¹⁰ reported the isolation of seven strains of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) that they termed “indigenous coconut LAB”. Three strains of the isolated LAB, which withstand and possess the ability to grow at extreme temperatures, were further studied for their antimicrobial activity. Surprisingly, these strains demonstrated a profound inhibitory effect against some pathogenic microorganisms. These include Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. This indirectly suggests that, when a person is suffering from one of these causative agents, coconut water, with the presence of the LAB strains, could help alleviate the detrimental effects that result from the ill-health.

Summary

Gut bacteria are essential microorganisms in the human intestine that help break down indigestible fibers and starches, produce vitamins (e.g., B and K), fatty acids, and support metabolism, immunity, and mental health. Prebiotics are non-digestible food substances (like fibre and inulin) that feed beneficial gut bacteria (probiotics), helping them thrive and suppress harmful microbes.

Coconut, especially its water, milk, and meal, serves as a natural prebiotic. It contains indigestible polysaccharides (mannose and glucose), proteins, minerals, and other nutrients that promote the growth of probiotic bacteria. Studies on animals show that coconut prebiotics increase beneficial gut bacteria, lower gut pH to suppress harmful pathogens, and enhance immunity. Coconut water also contains indigenous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antimicrobial effects against common pathogens, suggesting potential health benefits beyond digestion, including infection resistance.

Overall, coconut-based prebiotics support a healthier gut microbiome and may contribute to improved immunity and overall well-being.