11 - Probiotics

Question 1

define a probiotics

Answer 1

live organisms which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host

Question 2

define abiotics

Answer 2

probiotic strains that have been inactivated by lysis, heat, or UV irradiation and have demonstrated some effectiveness in downregulating the inflammatory response in intestinal epithelial cells

Question 3

define prebiotics

Answer 3

non-digestible CHO that serve as “food” for probiotics to help them grow and remain in the digestive system

Question 4

true or false: all non-digestible CHO are prebiotics

Answer 4

false - they must meet specific scientific criteria

Question 5

define synbiotics

Answer 5

food ingredients or dietary supplements combining probiotics & prebiotics in a form of synergism

Question 6

what are the 4 categories of microbial populations in the gut?

Answer 6

1) autochthonous microbiota
2) normal microbiota
3) pathogens
4) allochthonous microbiota

Question 7

define autochthonous microbiota

Answer 7

population of microbes that are present in large numbers and permanently colonize the host

Question 8

define a normal microbiota

Answer 8

microorganisms that are frequently in the gut, but can vary in number and be sporadically absent

Question 9

define a pathogenic microbiota

Answer 9

microorganisms that are periodically acquired by can persist and cause infection or disease

Question 10

define allochthonous microbiota

Answer 10

are microbes from another origin that are present temporarily (most probiotics are also allochthonous)

Question 11

what do probiotics usually contain?

Answer 11

LAB and Bifidobacteria
more specifically:
- Lactobacillus
- Bifidobacterium

Question 12

what do probiotics sometimes contain?

Answer 12

• yeast: Saccharomyces boulardii

- E. coli Nissel

Question 13

what are the criteria for the selection of probiotic strains? (6)

Answer 13

1) origin of strains
2) biosafety
3) tolerance to acid and bile salts
4) adhesion to intestinal cells
5) production of antimicrobial substances
6) utilization of prebiotics

Question 14

where should probiotics originate?

Answer 14

human origin, but this criteria doesn’t hold as much weight anymore. now the biochemical activity is more considered.

Question 15

regarding biosafety, an organism must be ________

Answer 15

GRAS - generally recognized as safe

Question 16

explain the third criteria for probiotic strains

Answer 16

probiotic strains must be tolerant to acid and bile salts to reach the GIT. (unless they’re administered as enteric-coated capsules)

Question 17

explain the fourth criteria for probiotic strains

Answer 17

strains should be able to adhere to intestinal cells and colonise the GIT at least temporarily

Question 18

explain the fifth criteria for probiotic strains

Answer 18

LAB can produce lactic acid, H2O2, and bacteriocins, all of which limit the growth of pathogenic bacteria

Question 19

explain the sixth criteria for probiotic strains

Answer 19

probiotics should be able to use fructo oligosaccharides (FOS)

Question 20

how are probiotics beneficial to the immune system?

Answer 20

shift the production of cytokines from the inflammation-inducing interleukin-12 pathway to the anti-inflammatory IL-10 pathway

Question 21

how are probiotics beneficial to the mucosal barrier?

Answer 21

Dysfunction of the GIT barrier can lead to inflammatory bowel disease, some probiotics enhance this barrier by encouraging production of protective proteins such as mucins

Question 22

how are probiotics beneficial with regard to the exclusion of pathogens?

Answer 22

: Probiotics appear to inhibit the attachment of bacterial pathogens to the GIT epithelial cells by physically blocking the receptor sites.

Question 23

what are some proposed health benefits of probiotics?

Answer 23

• lactose digestion
• weight loss
• resistance to enteric pathogens
• anti-carcinogenic
• antihypertensive
• reduction of ulcers
• reduction of urogenital infections

Question 24

what cocktail of probiotics was administered to fruit flies? what happened?

Answer 24

L. plantarum, L. fermentum, Bifidobacteria longum;

almost doubled their lifespan via gut-brain axis

Question 25

what implications does the fruit fly study have?

Answer 25

probiotics could be used as a tool in neurodegeneration, diabetes, obesity, CVD, and other age-related chronic diseases

Question 26

what is UC?

Answer 26

Ulcerative colitis - chronic inflammatory bowel disease with unknown underlying causes

Question 27

how is UC currently treated

Answer 27

using mesalazine

Question 28

how do probiotics pertain to UC?

Answer 28

studies show E. coli Nissle is almost as effective as mesalazine

Question 29

what are the proposed mechanisms for E. coli Nissle to combat UC?

Answer 29

1) direct antimicrobial effect
2) bacterial-epithelial crosstalk
3) immune-modulatory properties

Question 30

describe the debate saying whether or not S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus are yogurt probiotics

Answer 30

NO: they don’t proliferate in the intestines nor do they remain there
YES: they improve lactose digestion

Question 31

what probiotic promotes vaginal health? what does it inhibit?

Answer 31

L. rhamnosus

inhibit yeast and coliforms

Question 32

what is Fermented Food for Life?

Answer 32

project that distributes resources to “poor” women in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania to get them started on producing and selling yogurt to help improve local health

Question 33

what benefits do probiotics have for animals?

Answer 33

• enhancement of growth
• weight gain
• reduction in the carriage of human enteric pathogens (decreases foodborne illness)

Question 34

what was observed to happen after adding probiotics or an FMT after taking antibiotics?

Answer 34

probiotics (just one tho): delay return of indigenous microbiome and homeostatic mucosal transcriptome
FMT: improved the rate of return to the indigenous microbiome

Question 35

what’s the regulation of probiotics looking like in Europe?

Answer 35

• not governed under specific regulatory framework
• Novel Food Regulation act governs the introduction of newly discovered or genetically modified LAB
• EU parliament says health claims need to be backed up by relevant scientific justification

Question 36

what’s the regulation of probiotics looking like in Canada?

Answer 36

• there’s a list of acceptable ones you can add

- there’s another list of claims you can make

Question 37

what’s an NHP?

Answer 37

natural health product - a product with an advertised health benefit. the claim must be verified to HC.