Diet is an important determinant of disease risk in all population groups. There is emerging evidence that functional food ingredients can have an impact on a number of gut-related diseases and dysfunctions associated with changing lifestyle and age. The words of Thomas Alva Edison “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will have interest in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease” are relevant in the present scenario where each individual desires to live longer in a healthy manner (Aachary 2009). The importance of the colonic microbiota in human health and well-being is a major breakthrough in both medical and nutrition research, even if this still remains to be fully accepted, especially in medicine. The symbiosis between prokaryotes and the colon is increasingly recognized as a major player in health and well-being and to achieve this, the concept of prebiotics has been suggested (Gibson and Roberfroid 1995). Prebiotics are nutrients that have the potential to considerably influence the physiology of whole body and, consequently, health, and well-being (Gibson and Roberfroid 1995; Gibson and others 2004; FAO 2007; Roberfroid 2007). However, because prebiotics specifically and selectively affect the gut microflora, their importance is likely to become greater and greater. As biomedical research progresses, it is proposed to go further and to classify a “prebiotic” as an essential, specific colonic nutrient (Roberfroid 2008a).
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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2010.00135.x/full
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2014/fo/c3fo60348b
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphys.2015.00216/full
