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
| Dr Anirikh Chakrabarti – Chair | Cargill | Senior Scientist | BE |
| Dr Stephan Theis – Vice-Chair | Südzucker Group | Head of Nutrition Science | DE |
| Prof. Kristin Verbeke – Co-Chair | Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID) | Professor and Head of TARGID | BE |
| Prof. Paul de Vos* | University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) | Professor | NL |
| Dr Georgina Dodd | Clasado | Senior Scientist and R&D Manager | UK |
| Dr Sofia Forssten | International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) | Group Leader Nutrition and Health | FI |
| Dr Damien Guillemet | Nexira | Scientific Development Director | FR |
| Dr Alexandra Meynier | Mondelēz International | Nutrition Scientist | FR |
| Dr Frédérique Respondek | CP Kelco | Director Scientific Regulatory Affairs | FR |
| Dr Bernd Stahl | Danone Nutricia Research | Director of Human Milk Research & Analytical Science | NL |
| Dr Clémentine Thabuis | Roquette | Nutrition Research Manager | FR |
| Dr Elaine Vaughan | Sensus | Scientific & Regulatory Affairs | NL |
| Ms Naomi Venlet | ILSI Europe | Scientific Project Manager | BE |
*Scientific Advisor
Contact Information
For more detailed information, please contact Naomi Venlet at nvenlet@ilsieurope.be
Activity Overview
Expert workshop to identify knowledge gaps and a roadmap for building a health claims portfolio - Upcoming -
Objectives
Identify underlying gaps in our mechanistic understanding and possible means of filling these gaps. The activity will seek to bring together leading scientific experts, industry leaders and independent regulatory advisors, in an interactive and creative environment to identify current gaps in our mechanistic understanding, and importantly, propose the next steps necessary to fill these gaps.
Expected results
Workshop and workshop report
Cognitive Performance, gut microbiome and and role of Prebiotics - Upcoming
Objectives
This activity will focus on identifying the most promising cognitive domains for prebiotics interventions and aims to elaborate what could be transferred from studies from the diseased population to the healthy general population.
Expected results
Peer-reviewed publication
Expert Groups
Role of prebiotics in cognitive functioning: What do we know and where to go next?
Background and objectives
Cognition comprises the mental processes of attending to, understanding of, remembering, and utilizing information. Cognition is influenced by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, including nutrition. In fact, recent evidence suggests that prebiotics may influence cognitive functioning via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. This may occur by modulating the microbiota composition and function, resulting in signal transduction via nervous, endocrine, and immune pathways to the brain and central nervous system.
Output
A perspective article that provides a short synopsis of the field, and proposes a list of recommendations to move the field forward. Specifically, it will highlight the need to perform studies in healthy participants that test the potential “rescuing” effects of prebiotics under conditions where cognition may be transiently compromised. Ultimately, such studies would allow better estimation of the magnitude of effects of prebiotics, since current studies largely yield null findings.
Expert group members
Role of prebiotics in bacterial and viral infection, and vaccination efficiency – NEW
Background and Objectives
Recent research, including human clinical research, gut microbiota effects and resultant metabolites, suggests a beneficial effect of non-digestible carbohydrates-type prebiotics consumption on immunity and resistance to infections. In this context, the purpose of this review is to collect and assess the scientific evidence and provide academic and industry scientists working in the prebiotic field with answers regarding the potential impact on viral and bacterial diseases and vaccination efficacy.
Output
The review will give the current status for prebiotics impact on infections, both prevention or recovery, and in supporting vaccination efficacy, for academics and industry scientists in this field. Especially in the SARS-Cov2 crisis, such a review may offer guidance to academia and industry to propose research or to manufacture food products with prebiotics for healthier diets to support immunity in vulnerable individuals.
Expert Group Members
Publications
Z to A
Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota
2013
Prebiotic Effects: Metabolic and Health Benefits
2010
British Journal of Nutrition. 2010;104(Suppl 2):S1-S63. Commissioned by the Prebiotics Task Force.
Perspective: Leveraging the Gut Microbiota to Predict Personalized Responses to Dietary, Prebiotic, and Probiotic Interventions
Advances in Nutrition, 2022
Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces.
Gut Microbiota Functions: Metabolism of Nutrients and other Food Components
2017
European Journal of Nutrition 2018;57(1):1-24. Commissioned by the Functional Foods and the Prebiotics Task Forces.
Dietary Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota in Human Health
2022
Commissioned by the Prebiotics and Probiotics Task Forces.
- 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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Introductory video
Poster
Understanding the Prebiotics Metabolic and Health Effects
Webinars
'Toolsets for Mining the gut Microbiome to Enable Precision Nutrition'
Watch the Webinar
'Understanding Prebiotic and Probiotic Mechanisms that Drive Health Benefits'
Watch the Webinar
'Webinar on Microbial Metabolism Associated with Health'
Watch the Webinar
Completed Expert Groups
Overview of completed activities since 2021
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Prediction of individual responses to prebiotics and probiotics intervention (collaboration with Probiotics Task Force)
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Understanding the Relationship Between the Molecular Structure and the Effects of Prebiotic Compounds on Microbiota and its Metabolites
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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
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Updated concise monograph - Dietary Probiotics, Prebiotics and the Gut Microbiota in Human Health (collaboration with Probiotics Task Force)
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Revealing the Mechanistic Role in Human Physiology and Beneficial Aspects of Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) Production in the Gastro-Intestinal Tract (GIT)