Prebiotics

Prebiotics

Investigating the potential of prebiotics to rebalance and maintain health

Task Force Information

Objectives and list of Task Force
members

Contact Information

Contact details in case you have
specific questions

Activity Overview

Overview of ongoing and
upcoming activities

Expert Groups

Objectives, output and list of experts
involved in each activity

Publications

List of publications of this
Task Force

Multimedia

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recordings and much more...

Completed Expert Groups

Details including experts involved of
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.

Kick-off: Q4 2024 - End: Q2 2026

In the Pipeline

- 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.

Expected kick-off: Q4 2025 - End: Q1 2027

- 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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Publications

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Multimedia

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Completed Expert Groups

Overview of completed activities