Are Prebiotic Sodas Healthy?

Prebiotic sodas are currently trending. Have you tried one?

Prebiotic sodas taste like regular soda and are offered in typical soda flavors but have added fiber and less calories and sugar. They were developed to be a healthier alternative to regular soda. You can find them the beverage aisle of most grocery stores. They’ve been around for a while and have caught the attention of Big Soda with Coca Cola owning Simply Pop and Pepsico purchasing Poppi.

But are they healthful? Here’s what you need to know.  

Let’s start by explaining what probiotics and prebiotics are. Probiotics are a dietary fiber that add healthy bacteria to gut microbiome, enabling them to flourish, creating a healthier gut environment. Your best source of probiotics are fermented foods like yogurt, miso, sauerkraut and sour cream, as well as kombucha. Supplements exist, but studies have found them to be of limited value.

Prebiotics are complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber and serve as food for probiotics. Apples, asparagus, bananas, beans, berries, broccoli, chickpeas, leafy green vegetables and onions are rich in prebiotics. The problem is, most Americans don’t get enough high-fiber foods into their diet, potentially raising the risk for heart disease, obesity, gastrointestinal conditions and some cancers.

Prebiotic supplements are available and have been found to be effective. Studies suggest prebiotic supplements can help digestion and strengthen the immune system. They’ve also been credited with lowering inflammation, in turn possibly reducing stress, anxiety and depression among people with metabolic syndrome, according to a small study published in the British Journal of Medicine.

Food manufacturers capitalized on this by including prebiotic ingredients in foods and beverages. For example, some brands of bread have added prebiotics; they’re listed as inulin, wheat dextrin, acacia gum, psyllium, polydextrose, GOS (galactooligosaccharides), FOS (fructooligosaccharides) and TOS (transgalactooligosaccharides) on food labels. Researchers have found that bread supplemented with prebiotics improves the nutritional content of the bread and helps prolong the shelf life, according to a study published in the journal Foods.

This leads us to prebiotic sodas like Simply Pop, Olipop and Poppi. Do they have any benefits? The answer is not much. That’s because soda doesn’t have any nutritional value, even if it has less sugar. It offers a small serving of prebiotics -- not enough to replace a healthy diet with an appropriate amount of complex carbohydrates. Plus, the prebiotics used in these drinks, e.g., chicory root, inulin and Jerusalem artichoke can cause gastrointestinal distress in people. 

Are they a healthier alternative to regular soda? Arguably, yes. They have a lot less sugar than regular soda and less artificial sweeteners than typical diet sodas. But at the end of the day, prebiotic sodas are still just soda. 

If you have nutrition questions, ask your primary care doctor. Don’t have a primary care physician? Consider joining an MDVIP-affiliated practice. MDVIP-affiliated physicians have more time to help you in your pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. Find a physician near you and begin your partnership in health »