Prebiotics and Probiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that nourish beneficial gut bacteria, while probiotics are live microorganisms that can provide health benefits when consumed. The food industry is increasingly incorporating prebiotics and probiotics into a wide range of products, including yogurt, fermented foods, and dietary supplements, among others. Prebiotics & probiotics are primarily used to promote gut health.

• Prebiotic Supplements. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed and support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Prebiotic supplements are available in various forms, such as powders or capsules. They often contain ingredients like inulin, chicory root fiber, or resistant starch.
• Probiotic Supplements. Probiotics are live microorganisms (usually beneficial bacteria) that can provide health benefits when consumed. Probiotic supplements come in various forms, including capsules, tablets, powders, and gummies.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods, such as kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut, are gaining popularity due to their potential to introduce beneficial microbes to the gut and support digestive health.

Many fermented foods are natural sources of live probiotics and can be purchased OTC. This has driven many food industry professionals to look more closely into popular fermented foods.

Personalized Nutrition

Advances in microbiome research were leading to the development of personalized nutrition recommendations. Companies were exploring ways to tailor diets and food products based on an individual’s unique gut microbiome composition.

Plant-Based and Fiber-Rich Diets

Diets rich in plant-based foods and dietary fiber were being recognized for their positive impact on gut health. The food industry was responding by creating more plant-based and fiber-rich products.

Functional Foods

Functional foods with added ingredients targeting gut health, such as resistant starches, soluble fibers, and polyphenols, were being developed to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

Gut Microbiome Testing

Companies were offering at-home microbiome testing kits that allowed consumers to analyze their gut microbiota and receive personalized dietary recommendations based on the results.

Synthetic Biology

Researchers were exploring the potential of synthetic biology to engineer probiotics with specific functionalities, potentially offering novel approaches to gut health through food products.

Mood and Mental Health

Emerging research suggests a connection between the gut microbiome and mental health. Food products and supplements marketed as “gut-brain axis” supporters were becoming more prominent.

Potential Concerns for the Gut Microbiome Food Industry

As the food & nutrition industry continues to incorporate gut microbiome-related products into regular staples, some concerns have been raised. Concerns are primarily related to regulating a relatively new industry and how sustainability will affect research & development moving forward.

Regulatory Considerations

Regulatory agencies were beginning to evaluate the need for specific regulations related to probiotics and health claims associated with gut health. Establishing clear guidelines for labeling and marketing was an ongoing process.

Sustainability

Sustainability concerns were driving innovation in gut health products. Companies were exploring ways to make probiotics and prebiotics more environmentally friendly, such as through sustainable sourcing and packaging.

Clinical Research Findings

Ongoing clinical research was uncovering more about the links between the gut microbiome and various health conditions, from obesity and diabetes to autoimmune diseases. The food industry was paying attention to these findings for potential product development opportunities. Clinical research findings will have to be meticulously carried out to find as many positives and negatives as possible.

Given the rapid pace of research in the field of gut microbiome science and its relevance to health, it’s likely that new trends and breakthroughs will continue to emerge at a rapid pace.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs.

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The research was focused on probiotic interactions in the breast microbiome and the effects of supplementation. Part of the study also indicated the large effect probiotics can have on the breast microbiome.

Probiotics and the Breast Microbiome

The most well-known microbiome in the human body is the gut microbiome, due to a large number of recent studies and it contains the most microbes. Other parts of the body can have microbiota as well, however, including the breast. 

In a study in mice and cows,  Wake Forest researchers study the effects of targetting the breast microbiota and its impact on breast cancer risk. Results of the study revealed that the breast microbiota is sensitive to diet and may be able to be changed with proper supplementation.

Nutrition associated with the study came in the form of a Mediterranean diet, or other, similar high-fat diets. Researchers noted elevated levels of Lactobacillus in participants taking tamoxifen. Lactobacillus is found in healthy gut microbiota and is a bacteria commonly found in probiotics as well given it is noted for anti-inflammatory properties.

When large amounts of Lactobacillus were introduced to the mammary glands of genetically engineered mice, they showed an overall decreased level of collective breast cancer. These data were what encouraged the Wake Forest team to share their preliminary findings at the Endocrine Society Conference.

Future Probiotic & Cancer Research

Like most medical studies, promising results are always tempered by the fact that one study does not indicate causality. In particular, the study was in an animal model and this does not mean the same effect would be seen in humans. Similar research will need to be conducted in humans to see if Lactobacillus or other probiotics are worth pursuing with regard to cancer research.

Probiotics used in the Wake Forest study are widely available to consumers as supplements. Future research may want to use different levels or specific types of probiotic blends to look for more targeted effects.

Wake Forest researchers are currently looking into if probiotics can affect the breast microbiome at all in order to see if studies would be worth conducting in humans. The breast cancer study also focused solely on preventing breast cancer in an animal model. Different types of studies need to be conducted to see if probiotics have the potential to help support people with active cancer treatments. Continued positive results could very well lead to other research involving specific cancer drugs and interactions with different microbiota and probiotics.

This is all very recent research. As such, all of the results must be taken with a grain of salt. With that being said, this early research is very promising and could potentially lead to some exciting breakthroughs.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs. 

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A specific area of interest is how gut microbiota can affect cognitive function due to aging. Changing diets to be probiotic-friendly or using probiotic supplements to encourage gut microbiome diversity have been two areas of research that have produced some early results regarding cognitive function and health.

Gut Microbiota & Aging

As a process, aging leads to physiological and functional changes in the human body. As bodily functions slow down, the organs associated with those functions weaken. The brain is no different, and people can experience varying levels of cognitive decline as they age. Finding out why one person will age with only minor cognitive changes (very slight deterioration) while another will develop dementia has prompted researchers to look at every aspect of aging, which includes nutritional and dietary factors.

The challenges of painting a full picture of the gut microbiota and aging include several factors, such as:

• Do physical aging and the decline of other organs directly affect gut microbiota?
• How does the consumption of medicines, prescription medications, nutraceuticals, vitamins, and supplements affect the gut microbiota over the lifetime?
• How do various medical conditions & diseases affect the microbiome?
• Does drug use (prescription or recreational) affect gut microbiota?

Questions like these can be very difficult to answer and require many different studies to be conducted to even begin to ponder understandings.

While research on gut microbiota has become increasingly common and well-funded in recent years, new data from original research is still lacking when it comes to working towards more concrete solutions to conditions such as MDD.

Gut Microbiota in Different Age Groups

One area of research that has shown some early interesting findings is looking at the diversity of gut microbiota in people of different ages. Looking at the levels of different organisms in the gut microbiota may help us reveal what a ‘healthy’ gut microbiome looks like in an aging person.

Studies so far, however, have been inconclusive, though. This may be due, in part, to not having enough range of age groups or in-depth knowledge of peoples’ mental health status. Many people in studies are asked questions about their physical health, but not their mental health.  In addition, early changes in mental health can be very difficult to detect. People with noticeable levels of cognitive decline can be determined in clinical studies, but should people with noticeable levels of cognitive decline be included with the cognitively healthy group or the unhealthy group? Answers to a question like this could help researchers discover the connection between gut microbiota and cognitive function.

Research into the specific effects probiotics and other nutraceuticals can have on the aging gut microbiome is an important area of study. While research has been conducted on the general population, no conclusive evidence for nutraceutical supplementation and cognitive function has yet been found.

Research at Biofortis

Biofortis is dedicated to protecting consumer health throughout the world by delivering a wide range of testing and consultancy services to the food, supplement, and nutrition industries. Biofortis supports this mission in two ways—through clinical trials and sensory and consumer insights testing. We specialize in clinical research targeting foods, ingredients, and dietary supplements that affect body structures, function, and overall health. Contact us with any clinical trial or scientific consulting needs.

The post Gut Microbiota & Cognitive Function appeared first on Biofortis Research.