Probiotics: Microbial therapy for health modulation (original) (raw)
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Probiotics and Human Health: Synoptic Review
2000
The development of probiotic, functional foods aims to "kill two birds with one stone," which is accomplished by providing a microbial stimulus to the host immune system by means of beneficial live microorganism cultures that are characteristic of the healthy, human gut microflora. Several probiotic preparations seem to have promise in prevention or treatment of various conditions. Probiotic bacteria reinforce the different lines of gut defense, which are immune exclusion, immune elimination, and immune regulation. They stimulate non-specific host resistance to microbial pathogens, thereby aiding in pathogen eradication. Best documented clinical application of probiotics is in the treatment of acute diarrhea. In humans, documented effects were reported for the alleviation of intestinal inflammation, normalization of gut mucosal dysfunction, and down-regulation of hypersensitivity reactions. The efficacy of probiotics in acute enteric infections and post-antibiotic syndromes is now established and there is emerging evidence for a role in alleviation of necrotizing enterocolitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and some forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotics are gaining importance because of their innumerable benefits, e.g. treating lactose intolerance, hypercholesterol problem, cardiac diseases and managing cardiac problems like atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. However, adequate information by which the consumer and health professional can judge the efficacy and safety of retailed probiotics is lacking. Probiotic products have not been subjected to large-scale trials of efficacy that are used in the pharmaceutical industry. Without these trials and subsequent approval by fastidious regulatory agencies such as the FDA (USA), probiotics continue to languish in the self-care health market. However, the future is bright; enhanced understanding of the molecular details of host's microflora flora interactions within the gut promises to yield new therapeutic targets and the potential to move from "bugs to drugs". With the current focus on disease prevention and the quest for optimal health at all ages, the probiotics market potential is enormous. Health professionals are in an ideal position to help and guide their clients toward appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic uses of probiotics that deliver the desired beneficial health effects.
Probiotics And Health: A New Emerging Modality In Bio-Therapeutics
1999
The word pro-biotics derives from two Greek words meaning for life and refers to organisms that are incorporated into foods or supplements with the aim of reestablishing a. healthy intestinal flora. A more recent definition of the term states: "a mono or mixed" culture of live micro-organisms which, applied to man or animal, affects beneficially the host animal by improving intestinal microbial balance"(l). The micro-organisms commonly used as probiotics for humans are the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) Our general health status depends to a large extent upon the presence, number and relationship of the normal friendly bacteria of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The recognised ability of the intestinal microflora and probiotic micro-organisms to exert a wide number of beneficial and potentially therapeutic effects, without the side effects normally encountered by traditional drug therapies, has created a great deal of interest in the use of pro biotic bacteria as a potential bio-therapeutic.
Promising future of probiotics for human health: Current scenario
Chronicles of Young Scientists, 2012
Probiotics are nonpathogenic microorganisms mostly of human origin which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host and enable to prevent or improve some diseases. Probiotics may be a natural temporary constituent of the resident intestinal microflora, but their concentration is not sufficient for therapeutic purposes. The microbiota, the intestinal epithelium, and the mucosal immune system constitute the gastrointestinal ecosystem. All three components are essential for complete functional and developmental maturity of the system. Probiotics are defined as live microbial food ingredients that have a beneficial effect on human health. The use of antibiotics, immunosuppressive therapy, and irradiation, among other means of treatment, may cause alterations in the composition and have an effect on the gastrointestinal tract flora. Therefore, the introduction of beneficial bacterial species to GI tract may be a very attractive option to re-establish the microbial equilibrium and prevent disease. The efficacy of probiotics in acute enteric infections and post-antibiotic syndromes is now established and there is emerging evidence for a role in necrotizing enterocolitis, irritable bowel syndrome, periodontal diseases, and some forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, 2024
This review critically evaluates the role of probiotics in modulating gut microbiota composition and their potential health benefits. Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits to the host when consumed in adequate amounts. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining gastrointestinal homeostasis, immune function, and overall health. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of probiotics on gut microbiota composition and their impact on various health outcomes. Probiotics summarize recent findings on the mechanisms by which probiotics influence gut microbiota composition, including competitive exclusion, production of antimicrobial compounds, and modulation of host immune responses. Furthermore, we discuss the clinical evidence supporting the use of probiotics in the management of gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and antibioticassociated diarrhea. Additionally, we examine emerging research on the potential benefits of probiotics for non-gastrointestinal conditions, including allergic disorders, metabolic syndrome, and mental health disorders. Finally, we highlight gaps in current knowledge and propose future research directions to optimize the use of probiotics for promoting gut health and overall well-being.
Gut flora in health and disease: potential role of probiotics
Current issues in intestinal microbiology, 2005
In a young evolving science, there are always more questions than answers. That is also the situation in the emerging field of Probiotics, and this was made very clear at the International Probiotics Workshop in Amsterdam. In the report of this workshop, we present a selection of the most urgent questions in the field of probiotics. In addition, we propose a few strategies for the future of probiotics research. During the workshop, 120 experts--from disciplines including Human Nutrition, Gastroenterology, Nutritional Therapy, Cell Biology, Microbiology and Immunology--discussed new views on microbe-host interactions and the role of probiotics in prevention and alleviation of gastro-intestinal, atopic and auto-immune diseases. There is a general consensus among the experts that administering defined strains can help in preventing and curing gut flora related diseases: the first clinical trials show a promising role for probiotics. But the system is very complex, and most underlying m...
Benefaction of probiotics in human gastro intestinal tract
2019
In last two decades probiotic bacteria have become most popular due to continuously enlarging scientific research and evidences based on its beneficiary effects on human health. According to previous research work probiotics have documented health benefits outside the gastrointestinal tract; digestive health remains key benefits for probiotics. Recent advances in technology have made more concentrated indepth analysis on the intestinal microbiota. Generally these probiotics will not only cure or prevent disease, but will mainly focus at maintaining health and reducing risk for disease. Along with the reducing risk factor these probiotics can exert health benefits in people suffering with diarrhoea, constipation, gastro intestinal mucositis and inflammatory diseases of the intestine. Even though maximal mode and mechanism of probiotic action is known, there remains a challenge to identify specific and mixed combinations of strains for explicit health benefits. Intestinal microbiota c...
World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2014
Although it is now known that the human body is colonized by a wide variety of microbial populations in different parts (such as the mouth, pharynx and respiratory system, the skin, the gastro-and urogenital tracts), many effects of the complex interactions between the human host and microbial symbionts are still not completely understood. The dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal tract microbiota is considered to be one of the most important contributing factors in the development of many gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and colorectal cancer, as well as systemic diseases like obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fecal microbial transplantations appear to be promising therapies for dysbiosis-associated diseases; however, probiotic microorganisms have been growing in popularity due to increasing numbers of studies proving that certain strains present health promoting properties, among them the beneficial balance of the intestinal microbiota. Inflammatory bowel diseases and