Probiotic
Probiotic organisms are live microorganisms that are thought to be beneficial to the host organism.
According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host".[1]
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but certain yeasts and bacilli may also be used.
Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures; such as in yogurt, soy yogurt, or as dietary supplements.
Probiotics are also delivered in fecal transplants, in which stool from a healthy donor is delivered like a suppository to an infected patient.[2]
Etymologically, the term appears to be a composite of the Latin preposition pro ("for") and the Greek adjective βιωτικός (biotic), the latter deriving from the noun βίος (bios, "life").[3]
At the start of the 20th century, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial
balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria.[4]
Today, specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases,[5] prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea,[6] urogenital infections,[7] and atopic diseases.[8]
To date, the European Food Safety Authority has rejected most claims that are made about probiotic products, saying they are unproven.[9] However, several studies have concluded that fecal transplants are effective in treating Clostridium difficile infections and inflammatory bowel disease.[10]