Dietary modulation of the human gut microflora using prebiotics

Manipulation of the human gut microflora.

Manipulation of the human gut microflora is being attempted as a means of introducing into the digestive tract new micro-organisms which are beneficial to the host or which are able to bring about advantageous changes to the equilibrium populations and metabolic activities of the indigenous flora. In theory, this can be achieved by ingestion of nutrients or growth substances specifically favour...

Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: updating the concept of prebiotics.

Prebiotics are non-digestible (by the host) food ingredients that have a beneficial effect through their selective metabolism in the intestinal tract. Key to this is the specificity of microbial changes. The present paper reviews the concept in terms of three criteria: (a) resistance to gastric acidity, hydrolysis by mammalian enzymes and gastrointestinal absorption; (b) fermentation by intesti...

Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: introducing the concept of prebiotics.

Because the human gut microbiota can play a major role in host health, there is currently some interest in the manipulation of the composition of the gut flora towards a potentially more remedial community. Attempts have been made to increase bacterial groups such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus that are perceived as exerting health-promoting properties. Probiotics, defined as microbial fo...

Starches, resistant starches, the gut microflora and human health.

Starches are important as energy sources for humans and also for their interactions with the gut microflora throughout the digestive tact. Largely, those interactions promote human health. In the mouth, less gelatinised starches may lower risk of cariogensis. In the large bowel, starches which have escaped small intestinal digestion (resistant starch), together with proteins, other undigested c...

Probiotics , Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota