Functional Microbes and Their Incorporation into Foods and Food Supplements: Probiotics and Postbiotics

Abstract

Life expectancy has dramatically increased over the past 200 years, butmodern life factors such as environmental exposure, antibiotic overuse,C-section deliveries, limited breast-feeding, and diets poor in fibers andmicrobes could be associated with the rise of noncommunicable diseasessuch as overweight, obesity, diabetes, food allergies, and colorectal canceras well as other conditions such as mental disorders. Microbial interventionsthat range from transplanting a whole undefined microbial community froma healthy gut to an ill one, e.g., so-called fecal microbiota transplantationor vaginal seeding, to the administration of selected well-characterizedmicrobes, either live (probiotics) or not (postbiotics), with efficacy demonstrated in clinical trials, may be effective tools to treat or prevent acute andchronic diseases that humans still face, enhancing the quality of life.