Potential for enriching next-generation health-promoting gut bacteria through prebiotics and other dietary components

Gut Microbes. 2020;11(1):1-20. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1613124. Epub 2019 May 22.

Abstract

The human intestinal commensal microbiota and associated metabolic products have long been regarded as contributors to host health. As the identity and activities of the various members of this community have become clearer, newly identified health-associated bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila, Ruminococcus bromii and Roseburia species, have emerged. Notably, the abundance of many of these bacteria is inversely correlated to several disease states. While technological and regulatory hurdles may limit the use of strains from these taxa as probiotics, it should be possible to utilize prebiotics and other dietary components to selectively enhance their growth in situ. Dietary components of potential relevance include well-established prebiotics, such as galacto-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin, while other putative prebiotics, such as other oligosaccharides, polyphenols, resistant starch, algae and seaweed as well as host gut metabolites such as lactate and acetate, may also be applied with the aim of selectively and/or differentially affecting the beneficial bacterial community within the gastrointestinal environment. The present review provides an overview of the dietary components that could be applied in this manner.

Keywords: Prebiotics; beneficial microbes; health-promoting gut bacteria; microbiota.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Diet
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / drug effects
  • Gastrointestinal Tract* / metabolism
  • Gastrointestinal Tract* / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Minerals / metabolism
  • Oligosaccharides / metabolism
  • Polyphenols / metabolism
  • Prebiotics / microbiology*
  • Probiotics / metabolism*
  • Probiotics / therapeutic use
  • Seaweed

Substances

  • Minerals
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Polyphenols
  • Prebiotics

Grants and funding

CL was funded by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme [Grant no. 2017047] and internal Teagasc RMIS funding. DT was funded by a DAFM grant [Grant no. 15/F/635]. PDC was funded in the form of a center grant [APC Microbiome Ireland Grant Number SFI/12/RC/2273].