Classifying compounds as prebiotics – scientific perspectives and recommendations

Responding to industry member feedback on the need for clarity around scientific principles for assessing the
prebiotic status of an ingredient, ISAPP published a paper on this topic in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The assembled team of experts addressed critical questions and challenges related to scientific substantiation of prebiotics, including characterization of selective utilization and microbiome-mediated mechanism of action, and provided a practical framework and minimum criteria for accurately identifying prebiotics and assessing their health effects.

REFERENCE:

Hutkins R, Walter J, Gibson GR, Bedu-Ferrari C, Scott K, Tancredi DJ, Wijeyesekera A, Sanders ME. Classifying compounds as prebiotics – scientific perspectives and recommendations. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41575-024-00981-6. View-only full-text link.