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

Links to Task Force's related documents,
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 Georgia Chatonidi at gchatonidi@ilsieurope.be

Activity Overview

Ongoing

 

- Role of prebiotics in bacterial and viral infection, and vaccination efficiency

Recent research suggests a beneficial effect of nondigestible carbohydrates-type prebiotics consumption on immunity and resistance to infections. The purpose of this activity is to review and 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.

Start date: September 2022 | End date: Q4 2024

- Prebiotics sandpit: Identifying knowledge gaps and a roadmap for building a health claims portfolio

The Task Force is organising a workshop taking place on 25 Oct 2023 as a side-event of the ILSI Europe Annual Symposium.
This activity seeks 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 of prebiotics, and propose next steps to fill these gaps. A follow up report will be submitted for publication.

Start date: Q2 2023 | End date: Q3 2024

- Role of prebiotics in cognitive functioning

The Expert Group will soon start working on the role of prebiotics in cognitive functioning. A perspective paper will provide a short synopsis of the field, and propose a list of recommendations to move it forward.

Start date: Oct 2023 | End date: Q3 2024

Upcoming

- Implementation of NAMs in
prebiotic research

With the Task Force on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), the Prebiotics Task Force has developed a new project to address the implementation of NAMs in prebiotic research through a gap analysis and a strategic mapping of existing models.

Expected kick-off: Q4 2024

- 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: Q1 2026

Expert Groups

Role of prebiotics in cognitive functioning: What do we know and where to go next?

Background and objectives

The aim of the activity will be to produce 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.

Output

  • Perspective paper

Expert group members

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Role of prebiotics in bacterial and viral infection, and vaccination efficiency

Background and Objectives

This review aims at collecting and assessing the scientific evidence of the potential impact on viral and bacterial diseases and vaccination efficacy. 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.

Output

This activity aims to understand the extent and mechanisms by which prebiotics impact the human host to support immunity in infection situations and vaccination efficacy. Output of this review will 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. The review will cover all age groups from infants to elderly as effects can differ to the development of the immune system.

Expert Group Members

WP DataTables

"Prebiotics Sandpit" Workshop: Identifiyng Knowledge Gaps and a Roadmap for Building an Health Claims Portfolio

Background and Objectives

The Task Force has organised the interdisciplinary workshop “Prebiotics sandpit: Identifying knowledge gaps and a roadmap for building a health claims portfolio”. This activity seeks 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 of prebiotics, and propose next steps to fill these gaps. The workshop took place on 25 Oct 2023 as a side-event of the ILSI Europe Annual Symposium. This paper gives an overview of the regulatory requirements for authorised health claims in the EU, key areas of prebiotic research, and findings to date in relation to digestive, immune, metabolic and cognitive health.

Output

  • Interactive interdisciplinary workshop.
  • Workshop report.

The review emphasizes the need for robust clinical studies to confirm prebiotics' health benefits, potentially driving industry investment and guiding regulatory bodies like EFSA in setting clearer guidelines. This could lead to more authorized health claims for prebiotics in the EU and stimulate innovation in food products targeting European consumers.

Expert Group Members

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Publications

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Multimedia

One-Pager

 

Completed Expert Groups

Overview of completed activities