Probiotic and Prebiotic Synergy: Enhancing Gastrointestinal and Metabolic Functions

Functional foods enriched with probiotics, prebiotics, and their combination-synbiotics—play a crucial role in modulating the human gut microbiota and promoting overall health. Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer beneficial effects such as improving digestive disorders and metabolic diseases, including obesity, type ۲ diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Prebiotics, non-digestible food components, selectively stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria, contributing to enhanced immune function, cholesterol reduction, and intestinal homeostasis. Synbiotics combine the advantages of both probiotics and prebiotics to synergistically enhance microbial survival and colonization in the gastrointestinal tract. Despite promising evidence on their therapeutic potential, the efficacy of synbiotics depends on the specific strains and substrates used. This review summarizes current knowledge on the mechanisms, health benefits, and clinical applications of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, highlighting their prospects in functional nutrition and disease management.

کلیدواژه ها:

probiotics ، prebiotics ، metabolic health