Probiotics and health: new facts and ideas.
Many trials on probiotics are now published that use established methods to demonstrate their clinical efficacy. Convincing progress has been made in the field of inflammatory bowel disease and allergy prevention in infants. Experimental studies show clear differences (and even sometimes opposite effects) between apparently closely related probiotics and suggest new mechanisms for the observed effects, such as immunostimulation by bacterial DNA and interaction with Toll-like receptors and dendritic cells in the gastrointestinal tract.
Marteau
Philippe
P
Gastroenterology Department, European Hospital Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris & Paris V University, Paris, France. philippe.marteau@egp.ap-hop-paris.fr
Seksik
Philippe
P
Jian
Raymond
R
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D004064:Digestive System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*