What’s Up with the Microbiome?

NutraIngredients.com, one of those industry newsletters I follow closely, publishes numerous articles on probiotics, gut health, and the microbiome.  I have a few examples here, but let’s start with this one:

• Postbiotics show promise, even if method of action is unclear:  The use of postbiotics could be an attractive alternative to prebiotics in immunocompromised children and adults, according to a recent review. But the lack of a definition of the term is still a complicating factor in determining effectiveness.

Postbiotics?  For this, a glossary may help:

• Probiotics:  Beneficial microbes in the intestinal tract
• Prebiotics:  Food substances that promote the growth of probiotics
• Synbiotics:  Probiotics and Prebiotics together
• Postbiotics:  Bioactive substances produced by probiotics (e.g., microbial cells, cell constituents, metabolites).
• Parabiotics:  Heat-killed microorganisms

More articles on these topics:

• Bill Gates: ‘Probiotics key to solving malnutrition’:  Probiotics could be key in addressing malnutrition, according to Bill Gates, who calls the nutritional imbalances affecting around 200 million children under five ‘the greatest health inequity in the world.’ Read more
• Gut health collaboration: Carbiotix and Food Marble to team up over microbiome health research:  Swedish gut health analysis player Carbiotix is set to collaborate with Dublin-based digestive health tracking firm Food Marble to conduct an eight week study to understand the correlation between digestive health data and gut microbiome data. Read more
• Microbiome profiling: Study uncovers ‘comprehensive’ list of organisms that make a healthy gut:  There are 157 organisms that form the ‘baseline biome’ of a healthy human gut, according to new research published in PLoS One. Read more
• Study: Gut health most influenced by teams of bacteria:  Gut microbial species work in teams to perform different functions, suggesting that cultivating certain groups of bacteria is more important than single species, according to an international team of researchers. Read more
• Strategic thinking: Brilliant science is only half of the battle for microbiome success:  When it comes to commercialising microbiome-related products, having really amazing science is only 50% of the journey towards market success, says industry expert Julian Mellentin… Read
• Nespresso-style gut health: Bioengineer creates personalised probiotic yoghurt machine:  A Swedish startup is on a mission to make yoghurt truly good for the gut with a kitchen counter machine that makes personalised probiotic and prebiotic filled yogurts, the founder tells NutraIngredients ahead of her debut as a Probiota Pioneer next month… Read
• Pioneering scientists create designer prebiotics to disrupt the microbiome health space:  A team of top scientists leading the way in designer prebiotics has been selected as one of the most pioneering startups in the microbiome health industry… Read
• Prebiotics stamp authority in deciding gut health and overall wellbeing:  Studies pointing to prebiotics as modulators of the microbiome-gut-brain axis could see the non-digestible food ingredient become a basis for preventing the rise in obesity and diabetic cases… Read
• Hitting a nerve: The link between vagal stimulation, the gut and depression:  Recognising biologically similar pathways in those with depression could result in a precision led approach that points people towards more effective methods to address the neurological condition… Read

And Natural Products Insider has a report on prebiotic supplements available for downloading.