Dairy probiotics: Beyond the role of promoting gut and immune health

Today the importance of the so-called health-promoting bacteria or probiotics has been well established. Many of these probiotics are being delivered through fermented food products, of which dairy foods are among the most important carriers. The purpose of this report is to review some of the newer applications of probiotics that are situated far beyond the maintenance of gut health and which are currently being studied intensively on a laboratory scale, but have the potential to make it to the market in the future. We will discuss the current research status for applications in the fields of metabolic syndrome (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.),psychotropic activity through the gut-brain axis, antimutagenic or anti-cancerous mechanisms and oral health. Finally, we will briefly review studies on a future generation of probiotics based on genetically modified strains that will deliver therapeutic molecules to the host. (C)) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.