probiotics

Introduction

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits to the host. They are increasingly being used in various fields, including human health, animal husbandry, and aquaculture, due to their potential to improve gut health, enhance immune function, and prevent diseases.

Key Insights

Gut Health and Microbiota Modulation
- Probiotics can modify the intestinal microbiota, enhancing gut health and preventing pathogen colonization .
- They can improve nutrient utilization and digestion, leading to better growth performance in animals .
Immune System Modulation
- Probiotics stimulate the immune system, reducing inflammatory reactions and enhancing overall immunity .
- They can modulate immune functions, providing protection against colitis, allergies, and other inflammatory diseases .
Disease Prevention and Treatment
- Probiotics have shown potential in reducing the duration of diarrhea, preventing urogenital infections, and possibly lowering the risk of colon cancer .
- They may also play a role in managing metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Mental Health Benefits
- Probiotics can improve cognitive function and mood in older adults, likely through changes in gut microbiota and increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
Functional Foods and Synbiotics
- Probiotics are commonly found in dairy products like yogurt and can be combined with prebiotics to form synbiotics, which may enhance their survival and efficacy in the gut .

Conclusion

Probiotics offer a wide range of health benefits, from improving gut health and modulating the immune system to potentially preventing and treating various diseases. Their use in functional foods and as dietary supplements is supported by substantial evidence, although further research is needed to fully understand their mechanisms of action and optimize their clinical applications.

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Probiotics (Direct-Fed Microbials) in Poultry Nutrition and Their Effects on Nutrient Utilization, Growth and Laying Performance, and Gut Health: A Systematic Review

Probiotics can enhance poultry growth and gut health, offering a potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in production.

Prebiotics and probiotics: are they functional foods?

Probiotics and prebiotics, when combined, may provide health benefits and reduce disease risks, but further research is needed.

Probiotics and immunity

Probiotics can provide health benefits by modulating immune functions, potentially protecting against colitis, allergen sensitization, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

Probiotics: potential pharmaceutical applications.

Probiotics can improve gut health, prevent diarrhea, and modulate immunity, potentially preventing cancer and lowering cholesterol levels.

Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics and prebiotics both contribute to gut health, with prebiotics found in various vegetables and fruits, and synbiotics combining both in a single preparation.

Probiotics in aquaculture

Probiotics in aquaculture show potential in disease control and improving nutrition, potentially inhibiting a wide range of fish pathogens through competitive exclusion, altering microbial metabolism, or stimulating host immunity.

Probiotics and prebiotics in intestinal health and disease: from biology to the clinic

Probiotics and prebiotics can improve gut health and may help treat various gut-related disorders through modulation of gut microbiota.

Probiotic Supplementation Improves Cognitive Function and Mood with Changes in Gut Microbiota in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial

Probiotics improve mental flexibility and reduce stress in healthy older adults, while also causing changes in gut microbiota.

Potential Uses of Probiotics in Clinical Practice

Probiotics show potential in improving intestinal infections, reducing urogenital infections, and potentially managing cancer and allergies, but their widespread use requires further research and guidelines.

Mechanisms of Action of Probiotics.

Probiotics can prevent and treat various digestive disorders, allergic disorders, and metabolic disorders by colonizing and normalizing intestinal microbial communities, promoting immune system differentiation, and modulating endocrine and neurologic functions.

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