Journal
CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
Volume 10, Issue 11, Pages 1220-1224Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.09.020
Keywords
Microbiota; Lactobacillus; Bifidobacterium
Categories
Funding
- Procter and Gamble Co
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Science Foundation, Ireland
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Despite the hyperbole often linked with a popular research field, the scientific rationale for probiotics is sound. The probiotic concept is not new but is undergoing transition as knowledge of the gut microbiota in health and disease becomes translated to the clinic. Operationally, a probiotic represents a mimic of and/or supplement to the normal gut microbiota. Much confusion has arisen among consumers because of media misportrayals of probiotics as all being the same. However, with clarification of the molecular basis of host-microbe interactions, the selection criteria for probiotics and the delineation of their distinct mechanisms of action are improving. Most probiotics are from the genus Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium; this is likely to change and diversify. Similarly, the development of new therapeutic strategies, such as the development of phagebiotics, psychobiotics, and genetically modified pharmabiotics, is poised to become a therapeutic reality.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available