title: Probiotics and prebiotics: prospects for public health and nutritional recommendations.
abstract: Probiotics and prebiotics are useful interventions for improving human health through direct or indirect effects on the colonizing microbiota. However, translation of these research findings into nutritional recommendations and public health policy endorsements has not been achieved in a manner consistent with the strength of the evidence. More progress has been made with clinical recommendations. Conclusions include that beneficial cultures, including probiotics and live cultures in fermented foods, can contribute towards the health of the general population; prebiotics, in part due to their function as a special type of soluble fiber, can contribute to the health of the general population; and a number of challenges must be addressed in order to fully realize probiotic and prebiotic benefits, including the need for greater awareness of the accumulated evidence on probiotics and prebiotics among policy makers, strategies to cope with regulatory roadblocks to research, and high-quality human trials that address outstanding research questions in the field.
authors.affiliation: International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, Centennial, Colorado.
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lenoir-Wijnkoop
authors.forename: Seppo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Merenstein
authors.forename: Glenn R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: Bryon W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Petschow
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nieuwdorp
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Tancredi
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cifelli
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jacques
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pot
mesh_terms: D005104:Expert Testimony; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D056692:Prebiotics / Q000592:standards; D019936:Probiotics / Q000592:standards; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D056692:Prebiotics
keywords: dietary guidelines; healthy diet; prebiotics; probiotics; public health policy