Are they actually good for your gut health?
The sodas come in fun flavors like Cherry Vanilla and Orange Cream, and carry an alluring claim: They’re good for your gut. That pitch has helped prebiotic soft drink brands like Poppi and Olipop stand out in the soda aisle.
The drinks contain prebiotics, or dietary fibers that can’t be digested by humans, but can feed the beneficial microbes that live in our guts, said Hannah Holscher, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. (Probiotic products, by comparison, contain live microbes themselves.)
But nutrition experts say you don’t need a special soda to reap those benefits: Many foods, like garlic, onions, peas, beans, lentils, grains and some fruits, are naturally rich in prebiotic fibers.
“If you eat a high fiber diet, you’re taking care of your prebiotics pretty well,” said Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University.
Inulin, the main prebiotic fiber used in these sodas, can be isolated from plants, such as agave or chicory root, said Dr. Holscher, who has accepted travel and speaking fees from Beneo, a company that manufactures ingredients, including prebiotic fibers.
The amount of fiber in prebiotic beverages varies. A can of Orange Cream Poppi has two grams of dietary fiber; a Strawberry Vanilla Olipop has nine grams. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend 28 grams of fiber for a 2,000 calorie per day diet, but most Americans fall far short of this goal.