To mark World Microbiome Day, ILSI Europe is proud to acknowledge the achievements of its Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces, whose collaborative work continues to strengthen the evidence base for microbiome-informed health strategies.
Our multidisciplinary Expert Groups tackle complex questions about the role of diet and supplementation in modulating the microbiome, translating scientific evidence into actionable guidance for health professionals, researchers, and industry alike.
Here are some of the latest scientific insights emerging from this work:
🧪 1. Probiotics in Practice
Microbiota and Pregnancy
A 2025 perspective review explores how site-specific microbial shifts during pregnancy are associated with maternal and fetal health outcomes, highlighting the potential for targeted probiotic interventions during gestation.
📍 Gut Microbes, 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2025.2501186
Delivery Matters: Small Intestine vs. Colon
Our 2023 study compares microbial ecology and physiology between the small intestine and colon, offering important insights into how location influences the effectiveness of probiotic administration.
📍 Cell Reports Medicine, 2023
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101190
🌱 2. Prebiotics for Immune and Brain Health
Immunity, Infections & Vaccines
A recent systematic review assessed the effects of prebiotics on immunity, infection risk, inflammation, and vaccine responses in healthy individuals. The evidence suggests promising immune-modulating properties.
📍 Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2025
🔗 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2025.2514700
Cognitive Resilience and the Gut–Brain Axis
This 2024 perspective outlines the role of prebiotics in promoting cognitive resilience, especially during ageing, by leveraging the gut–brain axis.
📍 Advances in Nutrition, 2024
🔗 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100343
⚖️ 3. Prebiotics and Health Claims Regulation
A Roadmap to EU Health Claims
With increasing interest in health claims related to microbiome-modulating ingredients, this publication proposes a science-based roadmap to support the substantiation of prebiotic health claims in the EU.
📍 Gut Microbes, 2024
🔗 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2428848
🧬 Our Task Forces at a Glance
Prebiotics Task Force
Exploring the potential of prebiotics to help rebalance and maintain health.
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14 members – 12 companies
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2 active Expert Groups
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Over 13 scientific publications
Probiotics Task Force
Analysing benefits, properties and challenges of probiotics to support consumer health.
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11 members – 9 companies
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3 active Expert Groups
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Over 12 scientific publications
🔍 What’s Next?
ILSI Europe continues to advance microbiome science with new activities and outputs, including:
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Results from a global survey on consumer perceptions of postbiotics
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Recommendations for effective probiotic clinical studies
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Guidance for implementing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in prebiotic research
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Identification of key microbiota markers
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A new Expert Group on Prebiotics & Women’s Health
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Opportunities for early career scientists to contribute