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Prebiotics

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Colonic Microbiota, Nutrition and Health

Abstract

We have previously defined a prebiotic as ‘a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon’ (Gibson and Roberfroid, 1995). In this context, a prebiotic is a dietary ingredient that reaches the large intestine in an intact form and has a specific metabolism therein — directed towards advantageous rather than adverse bacteria. This would ultimately lead to a marked change in the gut microflora composition. The premise is based on the hypothesis that the human large gut contains bacterial genera, and species, that are beneficial, benign and deterimental for host health. Whilst this generalisation probably gives too simplistic a view of gut microbiology, it is a feasible working concept. Fig. 1 gives our view of how different bacterial groups in the colon may be categorised in this manner. Forthcoming research will no doubt identify the realistic health values of the gut microflora, whilst other chapters in this book have discussed some of the more useful areas of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Department of Food Science and Technology, The University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Glenn R. Gibson & Robert A. Rastall

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 73, B-1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Marcel B. Roberfroid

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  1. Glenn R. Gibson
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  2. Robert A. Rastall
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmaceutical, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 73, B-1200, Brussels, Belgium

    Marcel B. Roberfroid

  2. Food Microbial Sciences Unit, Department of Food Science and Technology, The University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Glenn R. Gibson

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Gibson, G.R., Rastall, R.A., Roberfroid, M.B. (1999). Prebiotics. In: Gibson, G.R., Roberfroid, M.B. (eds) Colonic Microbiota, Nutrition and Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1079-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1079-4_7

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