The Best-Selling Root Beer in America Is Designed to Improve Your Gut Health

Proving the continued grip “gut health” has on us as a population, Olipop’s prebiotic root beer–inspired beverage is officially the best-selling single-serve root beer in the U.S., surpassing A&W, the largest root beer supplier in the country. That’s according to SPINS 12-Week Data on single-serve root beer items.

Unlike traditional sodas, Olipop touts itself for being a healthier alternative in the fizzy drink aisle, with purported digestive health benefits from added botanicals, plant fibers and prebiotics. The classic root beer flavor contains 35 calories and 9 grams of fiber per can and is sweetened with stevia. (The brand is also launching a lemon-lime flavor, which may give your usual Sprite a run for its money.)

But what are prebiotics anyway, and what do nutritionists actually have to say about prebiotic sodas? Because it seems like every day a new can pops up in our store.

In short, prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that feed the friendly bacteria in your gut—they’re like food for probiotics.

According to some small studies and preliminary research, there’s evidence that supplementing your diet with prebiotic products (like Olipop soda) may regulate gut inflammation and strengthen the immune system, and that there’s no harm in adding them to your diet. But, as Stanford professor of microbiology and immunology Dr. Justin L. Sonnenburg explains to The New York Times, the average person is better off incorporating fiber-rich whole fruits and vegetables into their diet.

Nevertheless, you may want to crack open a cold one. It’s the most popular root beer, right?