November 8, 2016. By Bruno Pot, PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium – Probiotics need to be alive and confer health benefits for the host (Hill et al. 2014; FAO/WHO 2001). There are no further specifications as to the mechanisms underpinning these health effects. A large number of papers currently describe the wide diversity of the probiotic […]
November 10, 2016. – ISAPP, in collaboration with IPA, publishes paper on use of probiotics in at-risk populations. This paper gives healthcare providers information about using probiotic dietary supplements in at-risk populations. Probiotics should be used in cases where the research shows a benefit for patient populations. But we need to work with industry to […]
November 2016. By Daniel Merenstein, MD, Georgetown University Medical Center – As a clinician and clinical researcher in the probiotic field, I am beginning to think we have reached a tipping point for clinical use of probiotics. This month, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published three articles dealing with probiotics. I heard […]
October 2016. By Mary Ellen Sanders, PhD, Executive Science Officer ISAPP – In July, a well-respected source of unbiased product ratings, Consumer Reports (CR), published a damning article on dietary supplements. The article begins with an account of a premature infant who died from intestinal mucormycosis believed to be caused by a mold contained in […]
Prof. Gregor Reid, PhD, a founding board member of ISAPP, a former President of ISAPP and the current advisor to the ISAPP Students and Fellows Association (SFA), was recently named a Fellow by the Royal Society of Canada. This honor was bestowed by his peers in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement. Prof. Reid has been […]
September 2016. By Prof. Robert Hutkins, PhD – When I tell friends and family that I study gut bacteria and gut health, the most frequent question I am asked is why some foods cause intestinal gas. The next question is almost always whether or not gas is such a bad thing. Bloating, constipation, indigestion, and […]
June 28, 2016 – ISAPP disagrees with the approach FDA has taken to address their overreach of requiring investigational new drug applications for most human research on foods or supplements in the United States. In response to criticism of their 2014 final guidance, Determining Whether Human Research Studies Can Be Conducted Without an Investigational New Drug Application, the FDA filed […]
July 25, 2016 – A European Union court ruling may impede direct communication on scientific substantiation of health benefits of (probiotic and prebiotic) foods to healthcare providers. From the Court ruling: “Article 1(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, as amended […]
Food labels cannot list prebiotics as fiber under new food labeling regulations. The FDA has narrowed the definition of dietary fiber, which now excludes inulin and other prebiotics. ISAPP posted comments urging the FDA to recognize the many established health benefits of prebiotics, but our opinion did not prevail. The FDA final rule allows added […]
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) is a non-profit, science-based organization of scientists focused on advancing the science of probiotics and prebiotics. Since our founding in 2002, ISAPP’s web platform was www.isapp.net. Today we launched www.isappscience.org to better reflect our non-profit, service-oriented nature and to better serve our stakeholders.
Clinical Guide to Probiotic Supplements available in Canada: 2016 edition is now available. This guide is authored by Dragana Skokovic-Sunjic BScPhm RPh NCMP and summarizes strength of evidence determined by a Committee of Medical Reviewers. The industry-supported Alliance for Education on Probiotics sponsors this activity. This guide is a handy resource that provides evidence levels […]
The Gut Microbiota for Health website has a new look. The new site offers information for clinicians, researchers and lay persons on the impact of gut microbiota on health. The goal of the site is to become the most trusted reference worldwide for scientific information on the gut microbiota.
Yi et al. (2016) published a survey of probiotic use among 145 hospitals in the United States. They note that 96% of hospitals surveyed used probiotics but that many specific probiotics used in hospitals lack convincing evidence of efficacy.
January 6, 2016. The Journal of Family Practice published a paper recommending probiotics or prebiotics. The paper grades available evidence for IBS, IBD, antibiotic associated diarrhea, acute infectious diarrhea, traveler’s diarrhea, eczema and diabetes and recommends specific uses for patients. Authors state: “There’s evidence to suggest that probiotics, prebiotics, and a high-fiber diet can help […]
January 4, 2016. The International Dairy Federation in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a method for quantifying starter cultures and probiotics used in dairy products. This method – which would replace the decades-old plate count method – can be adapted to high-throughput analysis, reducing testing time and improving precision. The […]
The FDA Law Blog reported on a documented prepared in December 2014 by the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The report was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Nutrition Program Review Report focused on prioritizing CFSAN activities in order to enhance nutrition for Americans. Of interest to ISAPP in this […]
Stakeholders in the probiotic field continue to find value in the expert consensus document, The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic, published in 2014 in Nature Reviews in Gastroenterology and Hepatology. This paper has earned accolades of “Highly Cited Paper” and “Hot […]
Professor Hania Szajewska of the Medical University of Warsaw received the A.I. Virtanen Prize of 10,000 Euros for her research on nutrition and health in children. Professor Szajewska delivered a lecture titled “The benefits of probiotics in childhood” after receiving the award. The award is named for Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, the only Finnish winner of […]
November 24, 2015. Last week, U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) convened a workshop to discuss the value of probiotic monographs, including technical challenges that exist in developing them. USP can provide third-party verification of probiotic product content, which would improve end-user confidence in probiotic products. USP was established in 1820 and functions today as a scientific […]
November 9, 2015. ISAPP Board Members Prof. Gregor Reid and Prof. Glenn Gibson traveled to China delivering the message of the importance of the science of probiotics and prebiotics. Report.
October 30, 2015. FDA issued a stay on some provisions of their guidance pertaining to the need for an IND for human research on foods. ISAPP, along with other stakeholders involved in food research, filed comments objecting to guidance position that most human research needed to be conducted under an IND. The section of the […]
July 31, 2015. Three ISAPP board members (Drs. Salminen, Quigley and Sanders) and a gastroenterologist from University of Singapore (Dr. Reuben Wong) traveled to Bangkok to speak in an ISAPP-organized symposium at the Asian Federation of Societies of Lactic Acid Bacteria. The symposium focused on “The Future of Probiotics and Prebiotics.” The local hosts provided gracious […]
July 22, 2015. IPA Europe announces a launch event, “Towards a Clear Status for Probiotics in Europe”. September 30, 3016. Brussels. Register for event.
June 14, 2015. ISAPP responded to a request by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for input on microbiome research priorities. ISAPP response.
May 28, 2015. ISAPP filed comments on an FDA-CBER proposal regarding CMC information required for INDs on probiotic research (Federal Register Notice). ISAPP welcomes this proposal by CBER that the label on a commercially available product would be adequate to satisfy CMC information. ISAPP comments.
