PURPOSE OF REVIEW Few therapies are of proven efficacy in irritable bowel syndrome. Thus, there is great interest in the development of a natural therapy that can be both safe and effective. An understanding that probiotics are heterogeneous, with multiple targets and mechanisms of action, is fundamental to the development of clinical trials. RECENT FINDINGS A bidirectional model for the path...

The utilization of live microorganisms as therapeutics has been gaining increasing attention over the last years with the addition of scientific knowledge on their traditional uses. Probiotics are defined as "live micro‑organisms which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host". The normal intestinal microbiota prevents the colonization of pathogenic bacteria a...

Probiotics have been suggested to be of use in many diarrhoeal disorders, particularly in the prophylaxis and treatment of infectious diarrhoea. Several different preparations are available commercially and they are widely used but consistent scientific documentation of their efficacy is lacking. Although their putative mode of action is not known, non-pathogenic organisms may prevent or displa...

The human intestine is colonized by a large number of microorganisms, collectively termed microbiota, which support a variety of physiological functions. As the major part of the microbiota has not yet been cultured, molecular methods are required to determine microbial composition and the impact of specific dietary components including probiotics. Probiotics are viable microbial food supplemen...

BACKGROUND Traveler's diarrhea (TD) is a common health complaint among travelers. Rates of TD can range from 5% to 50%, depending on the destination. The use of probiotics for this disease remains controversial. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of probiotics for the prevention of TD based on published randomized, controlled clinical trials. METHODS PubMed, Google Schola...

BACKGROUND It has been unclear whether supplemental probiotics therapy improves clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients. This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effect of probiotics on glucose and lipid metabolism and C-reactive protein (CRP) from 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). MATERIAL AND METHODS An up-to-date search was performed for all relevant RCTs up to April 2016 from P...

In a diet, probiotics and prebiotics play an important role in regulating the immune response function through the intestinal microbiota, which in turn affects the immune system. While probiotics have been shown to reduce diseases, such as the flu, which is a respiratory infection. The National Health Commission of China and the National Bureau of Traditional Medicine of China recommend that pr...

Probiotics are defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”1 They are considered nutritional supplements and, as such, are classified as Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). Organisms of the probiotic groups are added to all sorts of foods, particularly yogurts, but...

A synbiotic is the combination of a microorganism shown (or thought) to have some beneficial effect when consumed (i.e. a probiotic) and a compound that specifically favours its growth (i.e. a prebiotic), having a synergistic effect when paired together. Many probiotic supplements are currently marketed as synbiotics. These products typically contain a combination of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacil...