PROCEEDINGS OF THE LSRO WORKSHOP:
PREBIOTICS AND THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER:
CURRENT REGULATORY STATUS, FUTURE RESEARCH, AND GOALS
Journal of Nutrition supplement describes the state of the science, current regulatory environment, research opportunities and challenges in prebiotics research
Press Release
PREBIOTICS AND THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIBER:
CURRENT REGULATORY STATUS, FUTURE RESEARCH, AND GOALS
Journal of Nutrition supplement describes the state of the science, current regulatory environment, research opportunities and challenges in prebiotics research
BETHESDA, MD – (May 8, 2012) The Life Sciences Research Organization (LSRO) in Bethesda, Maryland announces the publication
of the supplement, “Prebiotics and the Health Benefits of Fiber: Current Regulatory Status, Future Research, and Goals”,
in the May 2012 issue of the Journal of Nutrition. The supplement was developed from a workshop organized by LSRO that
took place on the FASEB Campus, in Bethesda, MD, in February, 2011. Sponsored by the Kellogg Company, the workshop was
planned under the direction of a scientific advisory committee comprising: Glenn Gibson, Ph.D.,
University of Reading School of Food Biosciences, UK; Yehuda Ringel, M.D., University of North Carolina School of Medicine;
and Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., University of Minnesota.
The supplement discusses the current state of the science on prebiotic fibers, describes the international regulatory environment for prebiotics, identifies research gaps, and outlines a strategy for future research on prebiotics. Among the findings is that although a growing body of evidence supports a beneficial role of prebiotics in improving some aspects of human health (for example, the risk and severity of GI infection and inflammation, and bowel function disorders), further research is needed on the composition and function of fiber, in general, and prebiotics, in particular. Additional studies should better characterize gut microbiota and describe their interrelationships as well as their interactions with the human host. Human studies of prebiotics that include biomarkers of exposure and effect, and defined clinical endpoints for prebiotics can help to characterize the relationship between prebiotic consumption and human health. New information developed from additional research can be used to surmount regulatory obstacles.
Yehuda Ringel, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the UNC Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders, and a member of the workshop planning committee, found the workshop process and report rewarding:
“This critical assessment highlights the accumulating evidence for the beneficial impact of fiber and prebiotics on human health and emphasizes the importance of additional research to further understand the full potential and mechanisms,” said Dr. Ringel.
The full citation for the article is:
Brownawell AM, Caers W, Gibson GR, Kendall CW, Lewis KD, Ringel Y, Slavin JL.
Prebiotics and the health benefits of fiber: current regulatory status, future research, and goals. J Nutr. 2012 May; 142(5):962-74. Epub 2012 Mar 28. PubMed
PMID: 22457389.
The supplement discusses the current state of the science on prebiotic fibers, describes the international regulatory environment for prebiotics, identifies research gaps, and outlines a strategy for future research on prebiotics. Among the findings is that although a growing body of evidence supports a beneficial role of prebiotics in improving some aspects of human health (for example, the risk and severity of GI infection and inflammation, and bowel function disorders), further research is needed on the composition and function of fiber, in general, and prebiotics, in particular. Additional studies should better characterize gut microbiota and describe their interrelationships as well as their interactions with the human host. Human studies of prebiotics that include biomarkers of exposure and effect, and defined clinical endpoints for prebiotics can help to characterize the relationship between prebiotic consumption and human health. New information developed from additional research can be used to surmount regulatory obstacles.
Yehuda Ringel, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the UNC Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders, and a member of the workshop planning committee, found the workshop process and report rewarding:
“This critical assessment highlights the accumulating evidence for the beneficial impact of fiber and prebiotics on human health and emphasizes the importance of additional research to further understand the full potential and mechanisms,” said Dr. Ringel.
The full citation for the article is:
Brownawell AM, Caers W, Gibson GR, Kendall CW, Lewis KD, Ringel Y, Slavin JL.
Prebiotics and the health benefits of fiber: current regulatory status, future research, and goals. J Nutr. 2012 May; 142(5):962-74. Epub 2012 Mar 28. PubMed
PMID: 22457389.
