Probiotics - A Definition

Experts have debated how to define probiotics. A widely used definition, developed by the World Health Organization and the Organization for Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, is that the Probiotics are "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit of those who take them. "

Probiotics are not the same as prebiotics - nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth and / or activity of beneficial microorganisms in the person. When mixing the probiotic and the prebiotic, form a Synbiotic.

Probiotics are available in foods and dietary supplements (eg capsules, tablets, and powders) and some other ways as well. Examples of foods containing probiotics are fermented and unfermented milk, yogurt, miso, and some juices and soy beverages. In probiotic foods and supplements, the bacteria may have been present originally or have been added during preparation.

Most probiotics are bacteria similar to those found naturally in the intestines of people, especially in breastfed infants (who have natural protection against many diseases). Most commonly, the bacteria come from two groups, Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. Within each group, there are different species (eg, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus), and within each species, different strains (or varieties). Some common probiotics are yeasts, which are different from bacteria.

Some probiotic foods date back to ancient times, such as fermented foods and cultured milk products. The interest in probiotics in general has been growing , spending on probiotic supplements in the United States, for example, tripled from 1994 to 2003.

...