Probiotics and Prebiotics in Intestinal Health and Disease: From Biology to the Clinic
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 1788
Special Issue Editors
Interests: intestinal microbes; probiotics and prebiotics; metabolites of probiotics; intestinal barrier; functional foods; probiotics function and nutrition; human health
Interests: fermented food; starter culture; flavor; lactic acid bacteria; yeast
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Probiotic and prebiotic food components have emerged as economical and safe strategies for promoting human health and managing chronic diseases through dietary intervention. Incorporated into a wide range of functional foods and fermented products, probiotics are known to modulate host immunity and protect against both infectious and non-infectious diseases. Prebiotics, often found in plant-based foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, serve as substrates that selectively feed probiotics, enhancing their beneficial activity in the gut.
The human gut microbiota, closely linked to diet, plays a central role in health and disease. The therapeutic and preventive effects of certain probiotic- and prebiotic-enriched foods on gut-related disorders are, at least in part, mediated through alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolic functions. Probiotic strains used in food products exert their effects by modulating immune responses, producing organic acids and antimicrobial substances, interacting with resident microbiota, reinforcing gut barrier integrity, and stimulating digestive enzyme production.
Prebiotics in food not only support the growth of beneficial microbes but also contribute to defense against pathogens, improved mineral absorption, immune regulation, bowel function, metabolic balance, and appetite control. Foods rich in non-digestible fibers and prebiotic compounds selectively promote the colonization and activity of probiotics, thereby influencing nutrient availability and gut-immune interactions.
This Special Issue will explore the expanded application of probiotic and prebiotic food products in promoting human health, emphasizing their roles in functional nutrition, gut microbiota modulation, and disease prevention through everyday dietary choices.
Dr. Xiaomeng Ren
Prof. Dr. Xinping Lin
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- probiotics and prebiotics
- metabolites of probiotics
- functional food
- human health applications
- probiotic and postbiotics
- intestinal microbes
- functional foods
- probiotics function and nutrition
- intestinal barrier
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