Can Prebiotics in Food Treat Ulcerative Colitis? Here’s What You Need to Know
Updated on January 15, 2026
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If you have ulcerative colitis (UC), chances are you’ve heard of (and may even use) probiotics — microorganisms found in certain foods and supplements that promote digestive health and general well-being. But you may not have heard of probiotics' counterpart, prebiotics.
Prebiotics are substances naturally found in foods that feed the growth of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. While they may not get as much attention as the organisms they support, prebiotics play a crucial role in developing and maintaining a diverse and balanced population of gut bacteria, which may be especially important for people with ulcerative colitis.
“Think of your gut as a garden,” says William DePaolo, PhD, an immunologist and biomedical consultant based in Portland, Oregon. “If you want to colonize and grow something, you plant seeds. Those seeds would be the probiotics.”
Prebiotics, in contrast, “are the fertilizer you put on that garden,” says Dr. DePaolo. They help “good” bacteria grow and thrive and maintain a stable population in your gut.
The Relationship Between Gut Bacteria and UC
Our intestines are home to 38 trillion bacteria — as well as fungi and other microbes — known collectively as our gut microbiome. Some forms of bacteria (such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) are considered beneficial, while others (like Pseudomonadota, formerly known as Proteobacteria) can have negative health effects if they become too prevalent.
While the role of gut bacteria in UC isn’t fully understood, it’s clear that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) tend to have an imbalanced collection of bacteria in their intestines (dysbiosis), and certain differences and changes in the composition of gut bacteria can help predict the course of the disease.
Researchers believe that pinpointing specific ways to modify the microbiome in people with UC, such as using prebiotics, will lead to treatments that help regulate the gut’s inflammatory immune response and improve intestinal barrier function, among other benefits.
How Prebiotics May Help
As previously mentioned, people with an IBD like ulcerative colitis are more likely to have dysbiosis — an out-of-balance microbiome. This may contribute to disease activity in UC because of a deficiency in compounds produced by beneficial bacteria, called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
“Short-chain fatty acids are one of the major molecules that regulate inflammation,” both within the gut and in the body at large, says DePaolo. They do this by enhancing the effects of a type of immune system cell — known as a regulatory T cell — that helps control other T cells that are pro-inflammatory.
If you have fewer SCFAs in your body, “you’re going to have less regulation,” says DePaolo, “and that’s going to allow inflammation to be worse.” By helping healthy bacteria grow, prebiotics can help increase SCFAs and reduce inflammation.
While a number of differences in gut bacteria in people with UC have been found in scientific studies, there’s far less research showing what effect prebiotics might have on these differences, or on disease outcomes.
One research review on prebiotics examined previous studies on how different prebiotics affect inflammatory bowel diseases like UC. Although some studies showed that certain forms of prebiotics were beneficial to UC patients, the authors note that research doesn’t provide enough information to evaluate prebiotics as a treatment. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the use of prebiotics to manage symptoms of UC or maintain remission is not recommended.
This echoes another review of studies that concluded more thorough research is needed before prebiotics can be deemed effective and safe in treating UC. The review’s authors note that certain probiotic strains have been linked to positive outcomes in UC and prebiotic-rich foods are known to be beneficial for gut health, but too much remains unknown about how they work, which ones might be most beneficial, for whom, and at what dose. In addition, little is known about how such treatments might work alongside — or interact with — UC medications.
Some preliminary research, including a study on a mouse model of IBD and a small trial on 18 healthy people, has found that a certain type of prebiotic fiber called inulin can actually trigger inflammation. While the mice experienced only intestinal inflammation, most of the participants in the other study had it spread throughout their bodies — though one saw their inflammation levels decrease while taking inulin.
Trials on prebiotics have mostly used only small numbers of participants, with study designs and dosages that differ, making the results hard to compare. Additionally, many studies evaluate synbiotics — the combination of probiotic and prebiotic therapies — making it unclear what effect prebiotics by themselves would have had.
While the research may be inconclusive on any benefits regarding UC, prebiotics are naturally tied to healthy and nutritious food options, and may still support overall gut health.
Good Sources of Prebiotics
According to one research review, there are a number of traditional and emerging categories of prebiotic dietary fibers and other compounds that support digestive health. They include:
- Inulin A type of naturally occurring polysaccharide fiber, inulin is found in foods such as artichokes, chicory root, garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, and asparagus.
- Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) Also called fructans, these fructose (sugar) molecules are one of the main FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols). They are found in foods like artichokes, garlic, onions, chicory, and bananas.
- Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) These sugars that occur naturally in milk from animals (including cows) are found in dairy products, whole grains, and also in beans and other legumes, such as chickpeas and lentils.
- Human Milk Oligosaccharides (HOS) These sugars occur naturally in human breast milk.
- Resistant Starches These complex carbohydrates are found in beans and lentils, cooked potatoes, rice, and pasta that have been cooled, green bananas, and whole grains.
- Polyphenols These phytochemicals (plant compounds) are present in nearly all fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs, teas, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.
- Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) These sugars are commonly found in dairy products, fruits and vegetables, honey, and whole grains.
But most Americans consume about 50 percent less fiber than is recommended — for adult women, that’s 22-28 grams (g) daily, or 28-34 g daily for men, depending on age. People with IBD tend to consume even less fiber, so DePaolo recommends including as many fiber-rich prebiotic foods in your diet as possible, as long as you tolerate them well. “Getting [prebiotics] from different sources is good, because there are different types of fiber,” says DePaolo. “Variation really covers all your bases.”
Talk to your doctor or dietitian about how to best incorporate prebiotics into your diet. If you’re not already used to eating prebiotic-rich foods, particularly those that are high in fiber or are dairy-based, you’ll need to incorporate them slowly while increasing your fluid intake. This will help you avoid symptoms such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, and bowel urgency. Using a food diary or smartphone app to track how you feel might also be helpful in determining which foods are beneficial.
The Takeaway
- Prebiotics are dietary compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria, promoting their growth and helping to maintain a balanced gut colony (microbiome).
- In people with ulcerative colitis (UC), a microbiome imbalance (dysbiosis) may lead to a deficiency in anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
- Prebiotics can help increase SCFAs, which may reduce inflammation.
- Current research on prebiotics as a specific treatment for UC is inconclusive because of limited and varied study results; discuss incorporating them with your healthcare team before increasing fiber and other compounds in your diet.
Resources We Trust
- Mayo Clinic: Ulcerative Colitis: Symptoms & Causes
- Cleveland Clinic: Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn’s & Colitis Australia: Gut Microbiome and IBD
- Brown University Health: The Importance of Prebiotics
- Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation: Probiotics & Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Additional reporting by Zachary Smith.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
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Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES
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Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She completed requirements to become a registered dietitian at Valparaiso University in 1987 and completed a dietetic internship at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois, in 1988.
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A freelance health writer and editor based in Wisconsin, Quinn Phillips has a degree in government from Harvard University. He writes on a variety of topics, but is especially interested in the intersection of health and public policy. Phillips has written for various publications and websites, such as Diabetes Self-Management, Practical Diabetology, and Gluten-Free Living, among others.