Probiotics for human use

Abstract

Probiotics have become a popular approach for managing digestive and immune health and are being recommended more frequently as effective therapeutic interventions by medical professionals. Introduced early in the 20th century, the science of probiotics has advanced considerably, especially in the past two decades. Researchers have adopted a consensus definition, begun to understand many of the mechanisms of action, defined characteristics important to probiotic function and have obtained clinical evidence supporting probiotic health benefits and product quality. Nonetheless, a need remains for clear, evidence‐based communications to consumers on the role of probiotics in a healthy diet and to healthcare providers regarding clinical use. However, regulatory frameworks in many countries have restricted progress on this front. There is a need for additional research to further clarify the most effective probiotics for given health outcomes and to identify people most likely to respond to specific probiotic interventions. This review provides current perspective on the probiotic concept, discusses evidence‐based probiotic interventions, considers fermented foods with regard to probiotics and addresses some regulatory challenges facing the probiotic field.

Survival and stability of free and encapsulated probiotic bacteria under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and in pasteurized grape juice

“…Recommendations for probiotics as functional foods or even as a medicine have been available in several fields (Gill, Franco, & Hancock, ; Hempel et al, ; Paulina & Katarzyna, ). Numerous health benefits that are related to the ingestion of live probiotics have been stated earlier (Gómez‐Gallego, Gueimonde, & Salminen, ; Sanders, Merenstein, Merrifield, & Hutkins, ; Sanders, Merenstein, Reid, Gibson, & Rastall, ), which includes improving lactose utilization, lowering blood ammonia levels, and controlling intestinal infections (Griffiths, Medellin‐Pena, & Delcenserie, ; Nunes, ; Shori, Baba, & Muniandy, ).…”

Translating probiotic science into practice

“…However, both FAO/WHO and ISAPP have produced guidelines to determine whether a product can be considered a probiotic (FAO/WHO ; Sanders et al . ). These include that it (1) must be alive when administered; (2) must have undergone controlled evaluation to document health benefits in the target host; (3) must be a taxonomically defined microbe(s); and (4) must be safe for its intended use.…”

“…With nearly 24 000 scientific papers and over 2300 clinical trials published in relation to probiotics (according to PubMed, April 2019), evidence is mounting for the potential benefit of probiotics for a number of specific health disorders, particularly those related to the gut (Sanders et al . ).…”

Nutrition: An old science in a new microbial light

“…To compliment this work, Sanders et al . () have provided a comprehensive review of probiotic research in relation to human health. The review provides the foundations on which the proposed online probiotic toolkit could be built, including tabulation of the benefits of probiotics that have been established in randomised controlled trials.…”

“…One of the concluding recommendations was to develop an online probiotic toolkit that collates and interprets probiotic research for healthcare professionals. To compliment this work, Sanders et al (2018) have provided a comprehensive review of probiotic research in relation to human health. The review provides the foundations on which the proposed online probiotic toolkit could be built, including tabulation of the benefits of probiotics that have been established in randomised controlled trials.…”