Aging can result in major changes in the composition and metabolic activities of bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal system and result in impaired function of the immune system. We assessed the efficacy of prebiotic Darmocare Pre(®) (Bonusan Besloten Vennootschap (BV), Numansdorp, The Netherlands) to evaluate whether the regular intake of this product can improve frailty criteria, fun...

Prebiotic carbohydrates, in addition to their ability to influence the colonic microbiota, are also able to interfere with how pathogenic bacteria attach to the epithelial cells that line the intestinal tract. For Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and other enteric pathogens, adherence is a receptor-mediated event between bacterial adhesins and their complementary ligands located on the mucosal sur...

BACKGROUND Yogurt and prebiotic consumption has been linked to better health. However, to our knowledge, no longitudinal study has assessed the association of yogurt and prebiotic consumption with depression risk. OBJECTIVE We longitudinally evaluated the association of yogurt and prebiotic consumption with depression risk in a Mediterranean cohort. METHODS The SUN (Seguimiento Universidad ...

Fatty-acid vesicles are being extensively studied as experimental models of prebiotic compartments. These supramolecular structures have shown a variety of interesting dynamic properties (spontaneous self-assembly, autocatalytic growth, potential reproductive and/or competitive regimes – for a review see [1]). Nevertheless, their high dynamism presents at the same time some drawbacks: compared ...

Carbon is a major player in the evolutionary scheme of the universe because of its abundance and its ability to form complex species. It is also a key element in the evolution of prebiotic molecules. The different forms of cosmic carbon are reviewed ranging from carbon atoms and carbon-bearing molecules to complex, solid-state, carbonaceous structures. The current state of knowledge is assessed...

Objective. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a prebiotic treatment in the balance recovery of the vaginal flora in subjects previously treated for bacterial vaginosis (BV). Study Design. A randomized trial was carried out on 42 subjects with an active prebiotic group compared to a placebo group. The main evaluation criterion was the quantification of the vaginal fl...

The RNA World is generally thought to have been an important link between purely prebiotic (>3.7 Ga) chemistry and modern DNA/protein biochemistry. One concern about the RNAWorld hypothesis is the geochemical stability of ribose, the sugar moiety of RNA. Prebiotic stabilization of ribose by solutions associated with borate minerals, notably colemanite, ulexite, and kernite, has been proposed as...

Recent characterization of the human microbiome and its influences on health have led to dramatic conceptual shifts in dietary bioactives research. Prebiotic foods that include many dietary fibers and resistant starches are perceived as beneficial for maintaining a healthy gut microbiota. This article brings forward some current perspectives in prebiotic research to discuss why reporting of ind...