EU project finds synbiotics good for diet and health
An EU-funded project has demonstrated that both the composition and activity of gut microflora, which plays an important role in preserving health, can be improved through the addition of prebiotics and probiotics to an individual's diet. Whilst probiotic bacteria are already known to have positive effects on human gastrointestinal health, the mechanisms of these effects are still not fully understood. The EU Microfunction project sought to determine the efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics (a combination of probiotics and prebiotics that supports the growth of probiotics). Through its research into the gut-level interplay between microflora and the host, the project partners succeeded in developing carefully matched symbiotic combinations with a high efficiency. They then conducted further clinic trials to investigate the effects of a symbiotic on health and well-being using specific biomarkers. Ultimately, the researchers found that the addition of a synbiotic to the diet of healthy individuals improved their gastro-intestinal health by increasing both bifidobacteria and butyrate levels. Importantly, they also found that the synbiotic combination improved the anti-oxidative status of the human body. Oxidative stress, when anti-oxidants are at lower levels than normal, has been implicated as the cause of many conditions such as chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease and obesity. 'These findings are a welcome breakthrough' said Dr Anne Franck, one of the project partners. 'The improvement in biomarkers of anti-oxidative activity seen with the synbiotic supplementation in this study is promising and warrants further research, especially since high oxidative stress is known to cause harm to our bodies,' she added. The results give new insights into the development of dietary recommendations needed to maintain and improve the gut health of European citizens. These will also provide the EU and Member States with the relevant information to formulate a dietary-based policy to combat the economic burden of gut-associated diseases. The project was funded under the Quality of Life Programme of the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5). It involved partners from six EU Member States and Australia.
