Are Prebiotic Sodas Actually Doing Anything For Your Gut?

Written by Megan Falk: Experienced health and wellness journalist and editor. Megan is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Magazine Journalism and a minor in Food Studies. She’s also a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise.
Reviewed by Jennie O’Grady: Senior SciComms Specialist at Seed Health. Dr. O’Grady is a trained clinician with a background in clinical research and expertise in physiology and the microbiome. With certifications in nutrition science and microbial science, she is passionate about educating audiences on the latest research on health, wellness, and advancements in the microbiome.

Welcome to Cultured Check, where we put wellness hacks under a microscope to help you decide if they’re worth your time. The internet has a way of stripping health topics of critical nuance. At Cultured, it’s our job to add it back. Join our team of science communicators as we dig up the citations you won’t see on social media, provide context where it’s lacking, and clearly share our findings so you can walk away knowing the whole truth behind the trends. 

The Seed Digest:

• Some sodas claim to support gut health due to reduced sugar and added prebiotic fiber.
• By and large, these are healthier options than normal sodas. But the amount of prebiotics in a can may not be enough to lead to health benefits.
• These sodas can be a part of a well-rounded diet, but you should rely on whole foods and supplements to hit your prebiotic goals. 

Gone are the days when soda was synonymous with cavities and blood sugar spikes. Healthified versions are now being formulated with protein, adaptogens, and today’s focus: prebiotics. 

Prebiotic sodas are often marketed as gut-friendly alternatives to classic pop. But can soda ever really be “good” for you or your microbiome? 

The Claim: “Drinking soda with added prebiotics can boost your gut health.”

These days, most soda aisles contain options with added prebiotic fibers (often sourced from chicory root, agave, or Jerusalem artichoke). Prebiotics act as fuel for certain microbes in your gut, and they can help support beneficial gut bacteria like bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in some cases. 

Formulated to scratch the same itch as regular soda, prebiotic-infused sodas are often lower in calories and sugar. Popular brands contain 5 grams of sugar and 50 calories or less per 12-oz can (compared to the 39 grams of sugar and 150 calories found in traditional pop).¹

People have been drinking these alternatives up ever since they hit the scene around 2015. However, the market for them recently hit new heights: Google searches for “prebiotic soda” and “healthy soda” have steadily climbed over the last five years, and in 2023, the global probiotic and prebiotic soda market was valued at more than $443 million.² (For context, the global market for kale chips—a classic “healthified” snack—was $181.6 million in 2023.³) One prebiotic soda brand is fresh off a star-studded commercial campaign, while another was just named one of Time’s 100 most influential companies.⁴

The hype may be fueled by the drinks’ nostalgic flavors (classic cola, root beer, and banana cream, to name a few) and an increasing public interest in reducing sugar intake (particularly from beverages) and improving gut health and digestion.^5,6

The Context: These sodas may not contain enough prebiotics for benefits.

Here’s something you won’t necessarily find on soda can labels: the expert consensus definition of a prebiotic, set by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).⁷ It clarifies that a prebiotic is “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit.” 

Put simply, to qualify as a prebiotic, a compound must be selectively used by certain gut microbes in a way that benefits the host’s (that’s you!) health. Prebiotics primarily support beneficial bacteria, and their overall impact on the microbiome should contribute to well-being, rather than promoting the growth of harmful microbes.

To recap, in order for an ingredient to be classified as a prebiotic, there needs to be a scientific demonstration of three qualities:⁷

• It’s resistant to digestion in the upper GI tract. It should reach the colon intact, without being broken down by stomach acid or digestive enzymes.
• It’s fermented by intestinal microflora. Once in the colon, a prebiotic should be fermented by gut bacteria, producing beneficial byproducts, like SCFAs.
• It’s selectively utilized. It should stimulate the growth and/or activity of specific intestinal bacteria that are associated with positive health outcomes, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. It should not significantly feed harmful bacteria or pathogens.

According to ISAPP, it takes the regular, repeated intake of at least 3 grams of prebiotics per day to confer positive health benefits to a host. A daily dose of at least 5 grams is typically recommended to see an effect in adults.¹¹

Here’s where assessing whether a soda contains enough prebiotics to be effective gets tricky: You won’t find prebiotic content listed on a nutrition label. It gets lumped into a product’s fiber content. And while most prebiotics are fibers, not all fibers are prebiotics. 

Most of the popular prebiotic sodas on the market contain 2-9 grams of fiber per can.

Generally speaking, if a product’s fiber comes from sources such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or galactooligosaccharides (GOS), it’s likely primarily prebiotics. However, if the fiber source is unspecified or includes non-prebiotic fibers, the prebiotic count may be significantly less than what’s listed, potentially below the 3-gram threshold set by ISAPP.

Another factor to consider when assessing a soda’s impact on the gut: its sugar and sweetener content.

Healthier sodas contain around 5 grams of added sugar on average.; 10% percent of the FDA’s recommended daily value (based on a 2,000-calorie diet).¹² This is a pretty modest amount if you’re only drinking one serving a day, though it can add up once you crack open multiple cans.

It’s important to keep sugar in check because too much of it can harm your gut health by reducing gut barrier integrity and contributing to dysbiosis.^13,14 It’s been linked with an increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria (a phylum of bacteria that contains many pathogenic species) in the gut and a decrease in Bacteroides (which is linked with maintaining gut health and producing beneficial metabolites). Added sugar can also promote an inflammatory profile in the gut over time.¹⁴ Alternative sweeteners, in particular, may negatively affect the composition and functioning of the gut microbiome, and the gut bacteria’s ability to break down dietary fiber and produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids.^15,16

The Cultured Check: Sip on, but don’t stop there.

If you enjoy drinking a prebiotic-packed soda every once in a while, there’s no reason to stop. 

The trendy beverages are a source of prebiotic fiber, which can help beneficial bacteria produce byproducts like SCFAs and ultimately create a stronger, more resilient microbiome (when consumed regularly and in adequate amounts). They also contain eight times less added sugar than a traditional soda, and—perhaps most importantly—taste pretty darn good. We also appreciate that they help spotlight the critically important microbial community living in your gut.

That said, sipping prebiotic sodas is unlikely to make a meaningful difference in your gut health. The amount of prebiotics in a can may not be enough to lead to health benefits, and the added sugar may pile up, depending on how many servings you consume and what the rest of your diet looks like. 

Your best bet for a healthier gut is to focus on regularly eating whole, plant-based foods—specifically a diverse range of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains, and fermented options—to keep your microbiome balanced and less vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens. 

While the best way to get fiber is through the diet, the best way to get verifiable prebiotic benefits is through supplementation. Taking a science-backed synbiotic (a combination probiotic-prebiotic) ensures you’re receiving clinically validated amounts of the organisms your microbiome needs to thrive on a consistent, daily basis.

Seed’s fast-acting synbiotic, DS-01® 14 Day Gut Reset, is formulated with 24 clinically studied probiotic strains and a prebiotic component (derived from the fruit and skin of Indian pomegranate) to further support comfortable and regular bowel movements in people who experience occasional digestive discomforts.* 

DS-01® 14 Day Gut Reset contains ingredients that have been shown to do the following in just two weeks:

• Reduce intermittent constipation*
• Reduce abdominal bloating*
• Allow for easier, more comfortable bowel movements*

The Key Insight

When included in a well-rounded diet, prebiotic sodas can be a tasty, satisfying treat. However, a strong, resilient microbiome isn’t built on bubbles alone.