Meaning & use
probiotics
Last updated
Meaning
nounusually pluralmedical
Live bacteria or yeasts, often added to food or taken as supplements, that are believed to help the digestive system stay healthy.
Grammar: Usually plural: probiotics are added to some yogurts.
Patterns
- take probiotics
- probiotics for something
My doctor suggested I take probiotics after the antibiotics.
Yogurt and kefir are rich in probiotics.
Some studies suggest probiotics may help digestion.
Word forms
| singular | probiotic |
|---|
Common combinations
- take probiotics
- She takes probiotics every morning.
- probiotic supplement
- A probiotic supplement can be bought without a prescription.
- rich in probiotics
- Fermented foods are rich in probiotics.
- live probiotics
- Check that the label says it contains live probiotics.
- probiotics and prebiotics
- Probiotics and prebiotics work together in the gut.
Synonyms and how they differ
- good bacteria
- Good bacteria is the plain everyday phrase, while probiotics names products or foods that contain them on purpose.
- live cultures
- Live cultures often appears on food labels such as yogurt, while probiotics is the wider term used in health writing.
Opposites
Word family
- probiotic adjective
- containing helpful live bacteria
- prebiotic noun
- a substance that feeds helpful gut bacteria
- antibiotic noun
- a medicine that kills harmful bacteria
- biotic adjective
- relating to living things
Commonly confused: probiotics or prebiotics? probiotics or antibiotics?
probiotics vs prebiotics
Prebiotics are food for good bacteria, whereas probiotics are the bacteria themselves.
probiotics vs antibiotics
Antibiotics kill bacteria, while probiotics add helpful ones.
Practice
Yogurt with live cultures is often recommended because it contains ____.
Choose one answer.
Probiotics are the live bacteria found in yogurt. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria, which is a tempting mix-up.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “probiotics”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.