Category:Prebiotics

Prebiotics is a general term to refer to chemicals that induce the growth or activity of microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) that contribute to the well-being of their host. The most common example is in the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut microbiome. However, in principle it is a more general term that can refer to other areas of the body as well. For example, certain hand moisturizers have been proposed to act as prebiotics to improve the activity or composition of the skin microbiota. In diet, prebiotics are typically non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the growth or activity of advantageous bacteria that colonize the large bowel by acting as substrate for them.

Sources

Chicory root is considered the richest natural source. Other traditional dietary sources of prebiotics include beans, Jerusalem Artichoke, jicama, raw oats, unrefined wheat, unrefined barley, and yacon. Some of the oligosaccharides that naturally occur in breast milk are believed to play an important role in the development of a healthy immune system in infants.

While there is no broad consensus on an ideal daily serving of prebiotics, recommendations typically range from Template:Convert for general digestive health support, to Template:Convert or more for those with active digestive disorders. Given an average Template:Convert serving, below are the amounts of prebiotic foods required to achieve a daily serving of prebiotic fiber:

Those wishing to ensure sufficient prebiotic intake should carefully consider the prebiotic content of their diet, as well as what caloric and nutritive load comes along with it: e.g., eating Template:Convert of bananas daily is likely to provide an excess of calories from sugars and carbohydrates to the diet. Prebiotic fiber supplements with minimal caloric, fat, and sugar load are also available.

Prebiotic oligosaccharides are increasingly added to foods for their health benefits. Some oligosaccharides that are used in this manner are fructooligosaccharides (FOS), xylooligosaccharides (XOS), polydextrose, and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). Moreover disaccharids like lactulose or some monosaccharides such as tagatose are also used sometimes as prebiotics.Template:Citation needed

Also in petfood, mannooligosaccharides are being used for prebiotic purposes.

Genetically engineering plants for the production of inulins has also become more prevalent,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> despite the still limited insight into the immunological mechanisms activated by such food supplementation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>