Perspectives on the role of the human gut microbiota and its modulation bypro- and prebiotics

One of the most topical areas of human nutrition is the role of the gut in health and disease. Specifically, this involves interactions between the re sident microbiota and dietary ingredients that support their activities. Cu rrently, it is accepted that the gut microflora contains pathogenic, benign and beneficial components. Some microbially induced disease states such as acute gastroenteritis and pseudomembranous colitis have a defined aetiolog ical agent(s). Speculation on the role of microbiota components in disorder s such as irritable bowel syndrome, bowel cancer, neonatal necrotising ente rocolitis and ulcerative colitis are less well defined, but many studies ar e convincing. It is evident that the gut microflora composition can be alte red through diet. Because of their perceived health-promoting status, bifid obacteria and lactobacilli are the commonest targets. Probiotics involve th e use of live micro-organisms in food; prebiotics are carbohydrates selecti vely metabolized by desirable moieties of the indigenous flora; synbiotics combine the two approaches. Dietary intervention of the human gut microbiot a is feasible and has been proven as efficacious in volunteer trials. The h ealth bonuses of such approaches offer the potential to manage many gut dis orders prophylactically. However, it is imperative that the best methodolog ies available are applied to this area of nutritional sciences. This will. undoubtedly involve a genomic application to the research and is already un der way through molecular tracking of microbiota changes to diet in control led human trials.