Are prebiotic and probiotic sodas good for you?

Study after study has established the health concerns that surround traditional sodas. But in recent years a new breed of soft drink has pledged healthier alternatives to Big Soda. These brightly colored cans of prebiotic and probiotic sodas are billed as higher in fiber and beneficial to our digestive health and gut microbiome.

According to Fortune, the probiotic soda market is worth about $820 million and has doubled in size from 2024 to 2025 (though it still holds only about 2 percent of the total market share). Even biggies like Coke and Pepsi are getting in on the action, with Pepsi purchasing the popular Poppi brand for nearly 2 billion dollars in 2025.

In other words, Americans are drinking this trend up.

What Are Probiotics and Prebiotics?

A probiotic is a live strain of bacteria that’s beneficial in some way to our health, says Miranda Canfield, a pediatric registered dietician with Providence Swedish. You can ingest probiotics as supplements, or in fermented or cultured foods like yogurt or sauerkraut. “It’s the fermentation process that produces those beneficial bacteria,” says Canfield. “When they’re consumed in high enough amounts, they appear to have some benefit, especially to our gut health.”

A prebiotic, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a type of fiber that the body doesn’t digest, but it does feed our gut bacteria. That interior environment, made of trillions of good bacteria, is known as our microbiome, a complex ecosystem linked to everything from immunity to brain function.

In other words, probiotics populate our gut with good bacteria, then prebiotics help feed them.

As Canfield puts it, “They’re different, but they’re symbiotic.”

How does this translate to soda?

Most of the current gut-healthy soda boom centers on prebiotic sodas, like Olipop and Poppi. Simply put, these are carbonated soft drinks with added fiber. Examples of prebiotic dietary fibers include kudzu root, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory root, and nopal cactus.

Probiotic sodas, carbonated drinks with added probiotic bacteria, are less common. (Culture Pop is one well-known brand.) Some brands have both.

Do prebiotic and probiotic sodas have benefits?

If the idea of sipping your entire daily fiber intake in the form of a strawberry-flavored fizzy drink sounds too good to be true, you’re not off base.

Compared with regular soda, prebiotic sodas tend to be much lower in sugar. But compared with whole foods or fiber supplements, they’re a less efficient—and often more expensive—way to increase fiber intake.

Various soda brands contain different amounts of fiber, says Canfield, from 2 grams up to as many as 9 grams of fiber. Federal health agencies recommend adults consume roughly 28 grams of fiber a day, ideally from food rather than supplements. Dieticians, doctors, government agencies—pretty much everyone agrees Americans don’t get enough fiber; most of us consume about half the recommended amount, according to UCSF Health.

While cracking open one of these sodas can really complement your fiber intake, “we still want to prioritize getting fiber from whole foods and from a variety of sources,” says Canfield. She also notes the sodas contain a single category of fiber, while a diet full of legumes, whole grains, and vegetables will give your body an important mix of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Then, there are the side effects. Digesting an onslaught of fiber can cause gas and bloating. A Bon Appetit taste test of various soda brands notes that inulin, a type of prebiotic fiber common in these drinks, “is known to have that effect.”

For Canfield, one of the main benefits of these drinks has nothing to do with live cultures or fiber fuel. At least not directly: “Sometimes we want to give our kids a special drink. We want to be able to enjoy a sweet beverage. I would choose one of those prebiotic sodas with five grams of sugar over a Coca-Cola with 40 grams of sugar any day.”

Why prebiotic sodas are everywhere

Erica Mouch, a Seattle-based food therapist and registered dietician has seen these sodas’ presence increasing steadily in the last five years.

The New York Times points to, among other things, the growing desire for nonalcoholic drink options and a societal interest in wellness. Mouch also notes that the recent popularity of GLP-1s prompted a focus on getting more protein. This, in turn, set the stage to talk about fiber, both to counteract the constipation risks of a high-protein diet, and “to support the continued appetite suppression.”

There’s still a lot we don’t know.

Because prebiotic sodas are so new, “the research we that we already have is so limited,” says Mouch. For instance, some studies question whether the nutrition benefits of all that fiber can survive the carbonation process.

Ultimately, finding a good prebiotic soda can involve a bit of trial and error. One person’s gut might respond well to a particular brand of soda, only to have it cause bloating and discomfort in someone else. “That’s some of the magic and the complexity of microbiology,” says Mouch. She recommends sipping slowly to help fend off digestive discomfort.

Each brand of soda has its own blend of prebiotics and sweeteners. To Mouch, the best one is “ultimately one where you really enjoy the flavor and are going to get the most hydration.” The specifics are complex and unique to each individual – much like our microbiome.