Functional Foods, Prebiotics and Probiotics Strengthening Intestinal Microbiome Health

Dear Colleagues,

Research continues to interrogate the intestinal microbiome, seeking to decipher the role of bacteria in health and disease. Studies have shown that the intestinal microbiome is shaped by a variety of environmental factors whose impacts dominate over and instruct the genetics of the host. This is critical given that commensal gut bacteria play a critical role in the ontology of early life immunity and beyond. Bacteria can stimulate the immune system, break down toxic food compounds, and synthesize vitamins (e.g., B₁₂, vitamin K) and amino acids that constitute building blocks, for example, for key enzymes that synthesize vitamins such as B₁₂.

The microbiota is vital to human health, hence by adopting nutritional practices such as high-fiber diets, the abundance and diversity of the intestinal bacteria in the gut can be maintained, which has a positive impact on health. The consumption of functional foods such as probiotics and prebiotics in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle provides the landscape for host immune–microbiome interactions that favor the health of the host.

Prof. Dr. Luis Vitetta
Guest Editor

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