World Gastroenterology Organisation practice guideline: Probiotics and prebiotics.

The human gut harbors dense and diverse microbial communities which have an impact on host's health. The symbiotic relationship between gut microbial communities and host can be optimized by pharmacological or nutritional intervention on the intestinal ecosystem using probiotics or prebiotics. Worldwide research on the use of prebiotics and probiotics in human and animal health has accelerated in recent years. However, there is lack of information about the practical use of probiotics and prebiotics in Medicine. A major area for medical applications has been the prevention or treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Recently, a group of international experts appointed by the World Gastroenterology Organization prepared a practical guideline on the current indications of probiotics and prebiotics in Gastroenterology. The full text of the guideline is published in the current issue of our Journal. The document underscores strain-specificity of the clinical effects, and provides precise information on which specific probiotic strains or prebiotic compounds are useful for what particular clinical indications (see Table 3).