Probiotics, also referred to as beneficial bacteria, friendly bacteria, good bacteria, and beneficial gut microflora, are microorganisms that reside in the gut (alimentary canal), which includes the pathway that runs from the esophagus to the anus. Beneficial bacteria are found primarily in the intestines and are part of the intestinal flora. The largest group of beneficial bacteria in the gut ...

In humans, microbial colonisation of the intestine begins just after birth. However, development of the normal flora is a gradual process, which is initially determined by factors such as genetic aspects, the maternal-foetal interaction, place and mode of delivery, early feedings strategies, and the use of antibiotics. Current knowledge on the significance and impact of the gut microflora on th...

BACKGROUND Berberine (BBR) is a traditional antimicrobial herbal medicine. Recently, BBR has gained popularity as a supplement to lower blood lipids, cholesterol and glucose. Bile acids (BAs) are known to regulate blood levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose and energy homeostasis, and gut flora play an important role in BA metabolism. However, whether BBR alters BAs metabolism or dose-r...

In this study, two main probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp < em>. bulgaricus) were isolated from the intestine of Tor grypus and their effects on growth performance, gut microbial flora and digestive enzymes activities (i.e., α-amylase, lipase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and alkaline phosphatase) of Tor grypus (Karaman, 1971) were determined. Juveniles of T. gry...

Background. Emerging evidences have shown a close interplay between obesity, diabetes, and intestinal flora disturbance. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, exemplified by sitagliptin, is highly efficacious in treating type 2 diabetes (T2DM), yet little is known if sitagliptin exerts beneficial effects on microbiota associated with obesity and T2DM. We evaluated changes of gut microbiota followin...

The gastrointestinal tract is continuously exposed to foreign antigens such as those derived from food and microbiota of gut. Gut flora is an important entity of human body that plays crucial role in healthy immune system and various immuno-logical disorders. Exploration of interactions between gut flora and immune system is an important area of current investigations. Cytokines and chemokines ...

Background/Aims: The gut flora may play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. An ileal reservoir or pouch can be created to replace the excised rectum after proctocolectomy. In patients with ulcerative colitis this is subject to inflammation and termed pouchitis. Using bacteria from patients the authors sought evidence for the presence rather than the identity of ...

The effect of cereal non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on the gut microbial populations was studied in 5 growing pigs between 39-116 kg body weight according to a Latin square design. The diets were composed to contain different NSP levels. The control diet had a normal NSP content (139 g/kg dry matter (DM)), 2 diets had a low total amount of NSP (95 and 107 g/kg DM) and 2 diets had a high amoun...

Nutritional practices that promote good health and optimal athletic performance are of interest to athletes, coaches, exercise scientists and dietitians. Probiotic supplements modulate the intestinal microbial flora and offer promise as a practical means of enhancing gut and immune function. The intestinal microbial flora consists of diverse bacterial species that inhabit the gastrointestinal t...

Eighty-one stool samples from Taiwanese were collected for analysis of the association between the gut flora and obesity. The supervised analysis showed that the most, abundant genera of bacteria in normal samples (from people with a body mass index (BMI) ≤ 24) were Bacteroides (27.7%), Prevotella (19.4%), Escherichia (12%), Phascolarctobacterium (3.9%), and Eubacterium (3.5%). The most abundan...