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Probiotics and prebiotics: prospects for public health and nutritional recommendations
Author(s) -
Sanders Mary Ellen,
LenoirWijnkoop Irene,
Salminen Seppo,
Merenstein Daniel J.,
Gibson Glenn R.,
Petschow Bryon W.,
Nieuwdorp Max,
Tancredi Daniel J.,
Cifelli Christopher J.,
Jacques Paul,
Pot Bruno
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.12377
Subject(s) - prebiotic , probiotic , public health , population , health benefits , psychological intervention , microbiology and biotechnology , human health , medicine , business , environmental health , biology , food science , traditional medicine , nursing , genetics , bacteria
Probiotics and prebiotics are useful interventions for improving human health through direct or indirect effects on the colonizing microbiota. However, translation of these research findings into nutritional recommendations and public health policy endorsements has not been achieved in a manner consistent with the strength of the evidence. More progress has been made with clinical recommendations. Conclusions include that beneficial cultures, including probiotics and live cultures in fermented foods, can contribute towards the health of the general population; prebiotics, in part due to their function as a special type of soluble fiber, can contribute to the health of the general population; and a number of challenges must be addressed in order to fully realize probiotic and prebiotic benefits, including the need for greater awareness of the accumulated evidence on probiotics and prebiotics among policy makers, strategies to cope with regulatory roadblocks to research, and high‐quality human trials that address outstanding research questions in the field.