Prebiotics

Prebiotics

Investigating the potential of prebiotics to rebalance and maintain health

Task Force Information

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members

Contact Information

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specific questions

Activity Overview

Overview of ongoing and
upcoming activities

Expert Groups

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involved in each activity

Publications

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Task Force

Multimedia

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Completed Expert Groups

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each activity

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

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*Scientific Advisor

Contact Information

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

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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. 

WP DataTables

Publications

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Prebiotics in food and dietary supplements: a roadmap to EU health claims

Gut Microbes, 2024

  • ILSI Europe

Numerous studies have established that prebiotic ingredients in foods and dietary supplements may play a role in supporting human health. Over the three decades that have passed since prebiotics were first defined as a concept, research has revealed a complex universe of prebiotic-induced changes to the human microbiota. There are strong indications of a direct link between these prebiotic-induced changes and specific health benefits.

Read more

Targeting cognitive resilience through prebiotics: A focused perspective

Advances in Nutrition, 2024

  • ILSI Europe

This perspective article is a product of the work of an expert group within the Prebiotic Task Force convened by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe (ILSI Europe), a non-profit organization that brings together experts from academia, industry and public service to catalyse nutrition science for public benefit.

Read more

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		Abstract
	

	
Numerous studies have established that prebiotic ingredients in foods and dietary supplements may play a role in supporting human health. Over the three decades that have passed since prebiotics were first defined as a concept, research has revealed a complex universe of prebiotic-induced changes to the human microbiota. There are strong indications of a direct link between these prebiotic-induced changes and specific health benefits. However, at the present time, the EU has not permitted use of the term 'prebiotic' in connection with an approved health claim. This paper is the outcome of a workshop organized on the 25th October 2023 by the European branch of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI). It provides an overview of the regulatory requirements for authorized health claims in the EU, key areas of prebiotic research, and findings to date in relation to prebiotics and digestive, immune, metabolic and cognitive health. Research gaps and documentation challenges are then explored and a roadmap proposed for achieving authorization of 'prebiotic' in the wording of future EU health claims.



		Introductory video
	

	





		One-pager
	

				

			
						Read the full article
					
	
Commissioned by the Prebiotics Task Force



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		Abstract
	

	
This perspective article is a product of the work of an expert group within the Prebiotic Task Force convened by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe (ILSI Europe), a non-profit organization that brings together experts from academia, industry and public service to catalyse nutrition science for public benefit. An expert group was conceived in October 2023 to discuss the evidence base on the use of prebiotics to promote cognitive functioning, with a focus on highlighting knowledge gaps and proposing a list of recommendations to guide this specific area of research forward. To address this, we evaluated existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human intervention studies that examine the effects of prebiotics on cognitive functioning. These are predominantly conducted in healthy participants under basal conditions and have, to date, revealed limited effects. In this perspective, we propose that prebiotics should be investigated as agents to promote cognitive resilience by testing their effects on cognitive performance under certain cognition-taxing factors that individuals encounter across their lifespan. These include stress, poor sleep outcomes, sedentary behaviour, and unhealthy dietary patterns, all of which have been shown to be associated with altered microbiome and impact global cognition or specific cognitive domains. In addition, we recommend identifying vulnerable populations that are either sub-clinical or that struggle chronically or periodically with one or more cognition-taxing factors, to better uncover the boundary conditions for prebiotic effectiveness. By broadening the scope of research to include diverse populations and challenging conditions in daily life or experimental settings, we can expand our understanding of the role of prebiotics not only in cognitive health or impairment, but also as potential preventative agents that may promote cognitive resilience during aging and in response to various lifestyle-related challenges.



		One-pager
	

				
			
						Read the full article
					
	
Commissioned by the Prebiotics Task Force




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Abstract


Prebiotics, particularly non-digestible carbohydrates (NDCs), are increasingly recognized for their role in modulating immune responses in the gut, lungs, and urinary tract. This review systematically evaluates evidence from human studies on the effects of NDCs and prebiotics on immune markers, infection risk and severity, inflammation, and vaccine responses. Prebiotics such as inulin, galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) positively influence gut microbiota by promoting beneficial species like Bifidobacteria. They also enhance the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which interact with immune cells via G-protein-coupled receptors, inducing anti-inflammatory effects. In addition to microbiota-mediated mechanisms, NDCs and prebiotics may directly affect immune and epithelial cells by interacting with pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), enhancing gut barrier function, and modulating immunity. A systematic review of human studies showed that prebiotics, including GOS, FOS, and 2′-fucosyllactose (2FL), reduced infections and increased IgA in healthy infants, while yeast β-glucan reduced respiratory infection symptoms in healthy adults. Yeast β-glucan and GOS supplementation resulted in improvements in NK cell activity. Some effects on vaccine efficacy were noted in young adults, but the overall impact of NDCs and prebiotics on vaccination and systemic inflammation was inconsistent. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved and to optimize health applications.


 


Keywords


prebiotic; non-digestible carbohydrates; immunity; infection; inflammation; microbiota

			
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Commissionned by the Prebiotics Task Force

	
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		Abstract
	

	
Numerous studies have established that prebiotic ingredients in foods and dietary supplements may play a role in supporting human health. Over the three decades that have passed since prebiotics were first defined as a concept, research has revealed a complex universe of prebiotic-induced changes to the human microbiota. There are strong indications of a direct link between these prebiotic-induced changes and specific health benefits. However, at the present time, the EU has not permitted use of the term 'prebiotic' in connection with an approved health claim. This paper is the outcome of a workshop organized on the 25th October 2023 by the European branch of the International Life Science Institute (ILSI). It provides an overview of the regulatory requirements for authorized health claims in the EU, key areas of prebiotic research, and findings to date in relation to prebiotics and digestive, immune, metabolic and cognitive health. Research gaps and documentation challenges are then explored and a roadmap proposed for achieving authorization of 'prebiotic' in the wording of future EU health claims.



		Introductory video
	

	



		One-pager
	

				

			
						Read the full article
					
	
Commissioned by the Prebiotics Task Force



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Multimedia

One-Pager

 

Last publication one-pager

Completed Expert Groups

Overview of completed activities