Gut health

The gut is increasingly linked to many aspects of health and disease.

The functions of the gut and their relationships to digestive and whole body health have attracted significant interest amongst both scientists as well as individuals wanting to improve their health.

While the term gut health is used widely, it is rarely defined, and means different things in different contexts. A variety of tools are used to evaluate different aspects of gut health, such as digestive function and gut barrier function, but no panel of tests can reliably establish that a person’s gastrointestinal tract is healthy. A lack of clarity on the concept of gut health and how to measure it creates challenges for both scientists and consumers. ISAPP gathered a group of experts to review the evidence and create a scientific consensus definition of gut health, which is currently in review. Stay tuned!

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  • Insights into healthy aging: A story as told by gut microbiome (and other) metabolites
    Metabolites, including those derived from the gut microbiome, offer a window into the complex biology of aging. They reflect not just how we live, but how well our bodies are adapting to the passage of time.

  • Five points to know about biotics for animals, from an ISAPP-led paper
    A group of animal health experts, comprising academic and industry member scientists convening at the 2023 ISAPP annual meeting, reviewed the evidence on biotics for animals, outlining what’s known to date and the likely future directions in this scientific field.

  • A guide to the new FDA Qualified Health Claim for yogurt
    Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, and fermented pickles have traditionally been associated with health benefits in countries around the…

  • What does “gut health” mean?
    By Prof. Maria Marco PhD, University of California – Davis Probiotics and prebiotics are frequently marketed to consumers for their…

  • The many functions of human milk oligosaccharides: A Q&A with Prof. Ardythe Morrow
    Human milk is the ‘gold standard’ of infant nutrition—and some scientists have set their sights on working towards that standard…

  • Are probiotics effective in improving symptoms of constipation?
    By Eirini Dimidi, PhD, Lecturer at King’s College London Constipation is a common disorder that affects approximately 8% of the…

  • Human milk oligosaccharides as prebiotics to be discussed in upcoming ISAPP webinar
    Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), non-digestible carbohydrates found in breast milk, have beneficial effects on infant health by acting as substrates…

  • A pediatrician’s perspective on c-section births and the gut microbiome
    By Prof. Hania Szajewska, MD, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland and Kristina Campbell, MSc, ISAPP Consulting Communications Director The decision…

  • What do we mean by ‘conferring a health benefit on the host’?
    Four of the Consensus definitions produced by ISAPP in recent years (see 1-4 below) finish with a similar wording, insisting…

  • What’s the evidence on ‘biotics’ for health? A summary from five ISAPP board members
    Evidence on the health benefits of gut-targeted ‘biotics’ – probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics – has greatly increased over the…