Roles of Probiotic on Gut Health

Abstract

There is an increasing interest and demand for probiotics today, after a long history of safe use in fermented dairy products, due to greater recognition of its beneficial effects to the human gut health. The maintenance and promotion of gut health is critical, since 70% of the human immune system is located in the gut, thus directly implying the role of probiotics in human health. This chapter documents the strong in vivo and in vitro evidences of probiotics in reestablishing the intestinal ecosystem balance, and alleviating gut and malabsorption disorders such as diarrhea, lactose intolerance, and irritable bowel syndrome. Probiotics are also therapeutic against postoperative complications and inflammatory bowel diseases, in addition to exerting antibacterial and anticancer properties in the gut, due to its ability to attenuate the immune system. Studies suggest mechanisms include competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria for nutrients and adhesion sites, production of antimicrobial bacteriocins and metabolites, and gut immunomodulation.