IFIC Foundation Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Probiotics and Prebiotics, Bringing Clarification to the Workings of the GI Tract

05/07/06 There is a growing awareness of how beneficial components of foods such as pro- and prebiotics may help improve gastrointestinal (GI) health. To aid public understanding of emerging research on pro- and prebiotics, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation has issued the IFIC Foundation Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Probiotics and Prebiotics.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between diet and health and that has led, in turn, to an increasing demand for “functional foods” like probiotics and prebiotics (which provide the nutrients for probiotics). “Functional foods” include any food or food component believed to provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. Americans are catching on to a trend also found in Japan and Europe, where the consumption of probiotic-containing foods is common.

“As consumers become ever more interested in how particular foods or food components can play a role in reducing the risk for certain diseases, it is helpful to put the body of scientific research into perspective” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD, Director of Health and Nutrition, IFIC Foundation. “This Fact Sheet helps to sort out the emerging science about how pro- and prebiotics work in our bodies.”

According to the Fact Sheet, probiotics can be found in supplement form and as components of foods and beverages, such as certain yogurts or other cultured dairy products. Prebiotics can be found in supplement form as well as in foods such as whole grains, onions, bananas, and garlic.

The IFIC Foundation Fact Sheet further details the specific benefits associated with pro- and prebiotics, how the GI tract functions, the actions of pro- and prebiotics in the GI tract, and the body of research associated with both pro- and prebiotics.