Abstract
Various benefits of probiotics to the host have been shown in numerous human clinical trials. These organisms have been proposed to act by improving the balance of the gut microbiota and enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids, as well as by interacting with host cells in the gastrointestinal tract, including immune cells, nerve cells, and endocrine cells. Although the stimulation of host cells by probiotics and subsequent signaling have been explained by in vitro experiments and animal studies, there has been some skepticism as to whether probiotics can actually interact with host cells in the human gastrointestinal tract, where miscellaneous indigenous bacteria coexist. Most recently, it has been shown that the ileal microbiota in humans after consumption of a fermented milk is occupied by probiotics for several hours, indicating that there is adequate opportunity for the ingested strain to stimulate the host cells continuously over a period of time. As the dynamics of ingested probiotics in the human gastrointestinal tract become clearer, further progress in this research area is expected to elucidate their behavior within the tract, as well as the mechanism of their physiological effects on the host.
Highlights
Diet is one of the factors affecting human health status
We outline the relationship between the influence of probiotic intake on the gut microbiota and the physiological effects of these bacteria on the host, and we present the latest findings on immune control and gut–brain interaction, as exerted through the direct interactions of probiotics with host cells
The transmission of some bacteria presents in the maternal gut to the mammary gland during late pregnancy and lactation through an endogenous route involving maternal dendritic cells and macrophages has been discussed [22]. These suggest that maintenance of a healthy maternal gut microbiota by taking probiotics is an important determinant of the gut microbiota and future health
Summary
Diet is one of the factors affecting human health status. For example, excess sugars intake is linked to the development and exacerbation of diabetes and obesity, and excess lipid intake is linked to hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disorders. As is clear from these definitions, the requirements for probiotics are to be alive and to confer a beneficial effect on the host Before these definitions were made, “confer beneficial effect on the host” was explained as “by improving its intestinal microbial balance” [4]. Changes in the human ileal microbiota after the ingestion of probiotic fermented milk have been shown by the analysis of ileal fluids [10], and the dynamics of probiotics within the gastrointestinal tract are becoming clearer. We outline the relationship between the influence of probiotic intake on the gut microbiota and the physiological effects of these bacteria on the host, and we present the latest findings on immune control and gut–brain interaction, as exerted through the direct interactions of probiotics with host cells
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