Investigating the potential of prebiotics to rebalance and maintain health
Task Force Information
Objectives
A prebiotic is a food ingredient that selectively stimulates growth and/or the activity of microbial species inhabiting the host, which may bring about health benefits. A better understanding of mechanisms of prebiotics is still needed. The task force aims at providing mechanistic insights linking prebiotics to individual health benefits.
Task Force Members
| Clémentine Thabuis-Chair | Roquette | FR |
| Elaine Vaughan-Vice-Chair | Sensus | NL |
| Kristin Verbeke, Co-Chair | Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID) | BE |
| Paul de Vos | Centre for Healthy Eating & Food Innovation (HEFI), Maastricht University) | NL |
| Aurélie Goux | Cargill | BE |
| Jessica Van Harsselaar | Südzucker Group | DE |
| Georgina Dodd | Clasado | UK |
| Sofia Forssten | IFF | FI |
| Damien Guillemet | Nexira | FR |
| Alexandra Meynier | Mondelez International | FR |
| Robert Steinert | DSM-Firmenich | DK |
| Bernd Stahl | Danone Nutricia | NL |
*Scientific Advisor
For more detailed information, please contact Maria Tonti at mtonti@ilsieurope.be
Activity Overview
Ongoing
- Markers of the Gut Microbiota
The group aims to identify key markers for assessing microbiota improvement, focusing on measurable indicators of microbiota composition. The activity is shared with the Probiotics Task Force.
Start date: Q4 2024 - End date: Q2 2026
- Role of Prebiotics in Better Managing Women’s Health
The Expert Group will aim to understand the extent and mechanisms by which prebiotics impact the women’s health in different stages of life.
Start date: Q4 2025 - End date: Q1 2027
In the Pipeline
- Prebiotics and Weight Management
The research group will explore how prebiotics support weight control, both independently and alongside GLP-1 receptor agonists. A workshop on GLP-1 analogues and health outcomes is planned for Q1 2026. The Expert Group will investigate key mechanisms, such as SCFA production, gut hormone stimulation, and microbiome modulation—with a focus on enhancing satiety, metabolic regulation, and treatment adherence. A key objective is to evaluate whether prebiotics can help reduce GLP-1–related side effects, such as gastrointestinal discomfort.
Expected kick-off: Q1 2026
Expert Groups
Markers of the Gut Microbiota
Background and Objectives
The aim of this activity is to establish standardized markers for assessing improvements in gut microbiota composition and activity resulting from dietary interventions. This involves identifying and evaluating relevant markers, such as microbial metabolites, for their predictive value regarding health outcomes and pinpointing overlooked indicators that may be crucial for assessing human health status. The activity aims to integrate various targets, including microbiota composition, enzymatic systems, microbial metabolites, mucosal integrity, and immune response, to enhance the accuracy and predictive power of these evaluations. This approach will help link changes in gut microbiota to health benefits from prebiotics and support the development of consistent and informative parameters for human studies.
Output
This activity will result in a Perspective Paper.
Expert Group Members
| Sahar El Aidy - Chair | University of Amsterdam | NL |
| Renate Akkerman | Maastricht University | NL |
| Paul de Vos | Maastricht University | NL |
| Kristin Verbeke | KU Leuven | BE |
| Anisha Wijeyesekera | University of Reading | UK |
| Jonathan Swann | University of Southampton | UK |
| Sofia Forssten | IFF | FI |
| Damien Guillemet | Nexira | FR |
| Alexandra Meynier | Mondelez | FR |
| Clémentine Thabuis | Roquette | FR |
| Delphine Saulnier | Novonesis | DK |
| Holly Sedgwick | University of Reading | UK |
Role of Prebiotics in Better Managing Women’s Health
Background and Objectives
Women’s health is strongly shaped by hormonal fluctuations across critical life stages such as pregnancy and menopause, which influence the composition and function of gut and vaginal microbiota, with significant implications for immunity, metabolism, and overall well-being. Despite growing evidence of the microbiota’s role in modulating hormone-related health outcomes, the specific interactions between hormonal changes, microbiota, and prebiotic interventions remain underexplored. Furthermore, transgender individuals undergoing gender-affirming hormonal therapies experience unique microbiota dynamics that also require targeted study. This activity aims to review and synthesize current knowledge on how hormonal shifts affect microbiota and to identify opportunities for developing life-stage- and gender-sensitive prebiotic interventions. By addressing these gaps, the objective is to guide the design of prebiotics that improve metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and cognitive health in women and transgender individuals, ultimately supporting more inclusive and personalized approaches to healthcare.
Output
This activity will result in a Narrative Review.
| Clementine Thabuis | Roquette | FR |
| David Vauzour | University of East Anglia | UK |
| Verlee Dam | Sensus | Nl |
| Georgina Dodd | Clasado | UK |
| Isabel Erreygers | University of Antwerp | BE |
| Paul de Vos | Maastricht University | NL |
| Reeta Ala Jaakkola | IFF | FI |
| Samira Prado | Örebro University | SE |
| Sarah Lebeer | University of Antwerp | BE |
| Siobhain O'Mahony | University College Cork | IE |
| Sofia Forrsten | IFF | FI |
Publications
Monographs
Dietary Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota in Human Health
2022
Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces.
Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota
2013
ILSI Europe Concise Monograph. 2013:1-32. Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces. Translation available in Portuguese and Japanese.
- To download the English version, click here.
- To download the Portuguese version, click here.
- To download the French version, click here.
- To download the Spanish version, click here.
- To download the Slovak version, click here.
- To download the Japanese version, click here.
- To download the Chinese version, click here.
Click on the image below to download the one-pager summary.
Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces.
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The scientific understanding of prebiotic and probiotic mechanisms has grown substantially in recent years. Although effects are often strain and product specific, some prebiotic and probiotic benefits may be driven by common, shared mechanisms and may therefore be generalizable. The use of emerging physiological and analytical tools in a multidisciplinary research setting will enable the elucidation of further mechanisms. In this way, it will be possible to improve the understanding of prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic health effects. Based on recent sound scientific evidence, the monograph is a valuable reference work, aimed at informing a wide audience about the intestinal microbiota and the prebiotic and probiotic nutritional concepts.
- To download the English version, click here.
- To download the Portuguese version, click here.
- To download the French version, click here.
- To download the Spanish version, click here.
- To download the Slovak version, click here.
- To download the Japanese version, click here.
- To download the Chinese version, click here.
Click on the image below to download the one-pager summary.
Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces.
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One-Pager
Last publication one-pager
Completed Expert Groups
Overview of completed activities
- Role of prebiotics in bacterial and viral infection, and vaccination efficiency
- “Prebiotics Sandpit” Workshop: Identifiyng Knowledge Gaps and a Roadmap for Building an Health Claims Portfolio
- Role of prebiotics in cognitive functioning: What do we know and where to go next?
- Prediction of individual responses to prebiotics and probiotics intervention (collaboration with Probiotics Task Force)
- Understanding the Relationship Between the Molecular Structure and the Effects of Prebiotic Compounds on Microbiota and its Metabolites
- Joint nutrition cluster activity on ‘mechanistic insights into the gut-brain axis' in collaboration with Early Nutrition and Long-Term Health; Health Benefit Assessment of Foods; Nutrition, Immunity & Inflammation; Nutrition & Brain Health; and Probiotics Task Forces
- Updated concise monograph - Dietary Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota in Human Health (collaboration with Probiotics Task Force)
- Revealing the Mechanistic Role in Human Physiology and Beneficial Aspects of Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) Production in the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT)