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Review
. 2015 Dec;52(12):7577-87.
doi: 10.1007/s13197-015-1921-1. Epub 2015 Jul 22.

Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics- a review

Kavita R Pandey  1 , Suresh R Naik  1 , Babu V Vakil  1
Affiliations
Review

Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics- a review

Kavita R Pandey et al. J Food Sci Technol. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

The health benefits imparted by probiotics and prebiotics as well as synbiotics have been the subject of extensive research in the past few decades. These food supplements termed as functional foods have been demonstrated to alter, modify and reinstate the pre-existing intestinal flora. They also facilitate smooth functions of the intestinal environment. Most commonly used probiotic strains are: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacilli, S. boulardii, B. coagulans. Prebiotics like FOS, GOS, XOS, Inulin; fructans are the most commonly used fibers which when used together with probiotics are termed synbiotics and are able to improve the viability of the probiotics. Present review focuses on composition and roles of Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics in human health. Furthermore, additional health benefits like immune-modulation, cancer prevention, inflammatory bowel disease etc. are also discussed. Graphical abstractPictorial summary of health benefits imparted by probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics.

Keywords: Cancer; Cardiovascular diseases; Intestinal disorders; Prebiotics; Probiotics; Synbiotics.

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Figures

Graphical abstract
Graphical abstract
Pictorial summary of health benefits imparted by probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Characteristics of an ideal probiotic strain
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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