Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Human Health

By Paulina Markowiak, K. Śliżewska. Nutrients, 2017

2,013 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The human gastrointestinal tract is colonised by a complex ecosystem of microorganisms. Intestinal bacteria are not only commensal, but they also undergo a synbiotic co-evolution along with their host. Beneficial intestinal bacteria have numerous and important functions, e.g., they produce various nutrients for their host, prevent infections caused by intestinal pathogens, and modulate a normal immunological response. Therefore, modification of the intestinal microbiota in order to achieve, restore, and maintain favourable balance in the ecosystem, and the activity of microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract is necessary for the improved health condition of the host. The introduction of probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics into human diet is favourable for the intestinal microbiota. They may be consumed in the form of raw vegetables and fruit, fermented pickles, or dairy products. Another source may be pharmaceutical formulas and functional food. This paper provides a review of available information and summarises the current knowledge on the effects of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on human health. The mechanism of beneficial action of those substances is discussed, and verified study results proving their efficacy in human nutrition are presented.

Subfields: Food Science, Molecular Biology, Nutrition and Dietetics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/85aa070d902f338574c980e5578d8554e0b59ed2

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In Food Science

1. E. Gomaa
2. Paulina Markowiak-Kopeć
3. K. Śliżewska

In Molecular Biology

1. E. Gomaa
2. Paulina Markowiak-Kopeć
3. K. Śliżewska

In Nutrition and Dietetics

1. E. Gomaa
2. Paulina Markowiak-Kopeć
3. K. Śliżewska

Citations in the corpus

• Human gut microbiota/microbiome in health and diseases: a review (2020, background): “Their digestion results in pH reduction, making unfavorable environment for bacterial growth (Markowiak and Slizewska 2017).”
• The Effect of Probiotics on the Production of Short-Chain Fatty Acids by Human Intestinal Microbiome (2020, background): “The growth and metabolic activity of probiotic microorganisms can be selectively stimulated by various types of carbohydrates that are not digested by the host (prebiotics) [9].”
• Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease (2019, background): “Coffee, tea, and red wine are high in polyphenols, compounds associated with prebiotic and bifidogenic activity, see References 19–21 in Reference [120].”
• Probiotic Species in the Modulation of Gut Microbiota: An Overview (2018, background): “According to the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are live strains of microorganisms that confer health benefits upon the host when administrated in adequate amounts [6], and this definition is followed by the International Scientific Associa”