Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health. Probiotics and Prebiotics

Key Features

• Feature: Heavy emphasis on clinical applications (benefits and/or lack thereof) as well as future biomedical therapeutic uses identified in animal model studies
  Benefits: Focused on therapies and data supporting them for application in clinical medicine as complementary and alternative medicines
• Feature: Key insights into gut flora and the potential health benefits thereof.
  Benefit: Health scientists and nutritionists will use this information to map out key areas of research. Food scientists will use it in product development.
• Feature:Information on pre-and probiotics as important sources of micro-and macronutrients
  Benefit: Aids in the development of methods of bio-modification of dietary plant molecules for health promotion.
• Feature: Coverage of a broad range of bacterial consituents
  Benefits: Nutritionists will use the information to identify which of these constituents should be used as dietary supplements based on health status of an individual
• Feature: Science-based information on the health promoting characteristics of pre-and probiotics
  Benefits: Provides defense of food selections for individual consumption based on health needs and current status
• Feature: Diverse international authoring team experienced in studying prebiotics and probiotics for medical practice
  Benefits: Unusally broad range of experiences and newly completed clinical and animal studies provides extended access to latest information

Description

What is a dietary supplement?
Congress defined the term ";dietary supplement"; in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a ";dietary ingredient"; intended to supplement the diet. The ";dietary ingredients"; in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders... DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of ";foods,"; not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-oview.html#what
Probiotics and prebiotics are components present in foods, or that can be incorporated into foods, which yield health benefits related to their interactions with the gastrointestinal tract (GI). (Emphasis added.nm)
Probiotic microorganisms can be found in both supplement form and as components of foods and beverages. These bacteria and yeasts have been used for thousands of years to ferment foods. Certain yogurts and other cultured dairy products contain such helpful bacteria, particularly specific strains of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Not all bacteria present in fermented milk products or yogurt have a probiotic effect. For this reason, in order to consider a Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium a probiotic, the specific strains selected must exert a clinically established health benefit.
Prebiotics are found naturally in many foods, and can also be isolated from plants (e.g., chicory root) or synthesized (e.g., enzymatically, from sucrose)?see below, ?Examples of Probiotics and Prebiotics.? In order for a food ingredient to be classified as a prebiotic, it has to be demonstrated, that it: (a) is not broken down in the stomach or absorbed in the GI tract, (b) is fermented by the gastrointestinal microflora; and (c) most importantly, selectively stimulates the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria associated with health and wellbeing.
Probiotic bacteria taken together with prebiotics that support their growth are called ?synbiotics.? Both work together in a synergistic way more efficiently promoting the probiotics? benefits.
International Food Information Council Foundation

Readership

The primary audience will include (A) research microbiologists and food scientists employed in academics, (B) industrially employed dieticians, microbiologists, nutritionists, and food scientists as there is a growing market for various types of prebiotics and probiotics, (C) to a lesser extend regulators at places like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and people in state and city health departments, and (D) physicians, dieticians etc in the health care complex as there is increasing evidence as well as interest in the real and/or postulated health benefits and uses in disease treatment There will be high international interest (Europe and Japan) as a significant part of the ongoing research and the authors are non-U.S.

Contents

Part I: Introduction and Overview; Probiotics: Empirical Therapeutic Medicine; Assessment of Prebiotics and Probiotics: An Overview; Human Flora-Associated Mice as a Model for Studing Pro- and Prebiotics; Effects of Probiotics on Intestinal Transport and Barrier Functions; Safety of Probiotic Bacteria; Prevention of Infection by Probiotics: An Overview; Prebiotics and Probiotics in Human Health: An Overview; Part II: Prebiotics in Health Promotion; Prebiotics for Prevention of Allergy; Prebiotics as Infant Formula: Prebiotics as Infant Foods: Risk/Benefits; Prebiotic Oligosaccharides and Infant Health; Prebiotic-Probiotic Products and Child Health; Prebiotics in Immunomodulation for Treatment of Accute Pancreatitis; ; Prebiotics and Bacteria in Fish: Health Benefits/Risks; GI Bacteria Changes in Animal Models Due to Prebiotics; Prebiotics in the Gastrointestinal Tract; Part III: Prebiotics and Probiotics as Therapies; Probiotics in Childhood Intestinal Infections; Prebiotics and Probiotics in Asthma Prevention and Treatment; Probiotics and Prebiotics: Role in Surgery Recuperation; Prebiotics and Probiotics in Therapy and Prevention of GI Diseases; Priobiotic Treatment of Colitis in Animal Models and People; Probiotics and Prebiotics in Poultry Nutrition and Health; Probiotics and Immunomodulation; Intestinal Epithelial Cell Homoeostatis and Colitis: Regulation by Prebiotics and Probiotics; Probiotics and Prebiotics: Effects on Diarrhea; Part IV: Probiotics and Health; Probiotic Applications in the Management of Metabolic Disorders; Priobiotics and Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Probiotics and Heliobacter Pylori Infection; Pacreatitis and (enteral) Nutrition of Probiotics; Probiotics on Bacterial Meningitis; Growth of Probiotic Bacteria and Preparation as Food Sources; Probiotics and Prebiotics and Atopic Eczema; Bioengineering of Bacteria: Improved Probiotics; Safety Considerations: Probiotics and Starter Cultures: Food Formulation to Increase Probiotic Bacteria's Action or Population; Probiotics in Adhesion of Pathogens: Mechanisms of Action; Prebiotics and Probiotics in Experimental Models of Rodent Colitis: Lessons in Treatment or Prevention of Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Probiotics and Fungal Colonization of the Gastrointestinal Tract; Probiotics on Vegetable Carriers: Role Host Defenses and Gastrointestinal Disease Resistance; Prebiotics and Probiotics: Potential for Heart Health Promotion; Microarray Analysis of Probiotics Effectiveness; Probiotics in Cancer Prevention; Gut Microbiota and Irritable Bowel Syndrom; Probiotic Bacillus: Role in GI Immunity; Role of Probiotics in Prevention and Treatment of Inflammation: Extending Beyond the Gut Mucosa

Author Information

Edited by Ronald Watson, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA and Victor R. Preedy, King's College, University of London, UK