Parvez S, Malik K A, Ah Kang S, Kim H-Y
Helix Pharms Co. Ltd, Kyung-Hee University, and Department of Biological Sciences of Oriental Medicine, Graduate School of Interdepartmental Studies, Institute of Oriental Medicines, Kyung-Hee University, Dongdaemoon-gu, Seoul, Korea.
J Appl Microbiol. 2006 Jun;100(6):1171-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.02963.x.
Probiotics are usually defined as microbial food supplements with beneficial effects on the consumers. Most probiotics fall into the group of organisms' known as lactic acid-producing bacteria and are normally consumed in the form of yogurt, fermented milks or other fermented foods. Some of the beneficial effect of lactic acid bacteria consumption include: (i) improving intestinal tract health; (ii) enhancing the immune system, synthesizing and enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients; (iii) reducing symptoms of lactose intolerance, decreasing the prevalence of allergy in susceptible individuals; and (iv) reducing risk of certain cancers. The mechanisms by which probiotics exert their effects are largely unknown, but may involve modifying gut pH, antagonizing pathogens through production of antimicrobial compounds, competing for pathogen binding and receptor sites as well as for available nutrients and growth factors, stimulating immunomodulatory cells, and producing lactase. Selection criteria, efficacy, food and supplement sources and safety issues around probiotics are reviewed. Recent scientific investigation has supported the important role of probiotics as a part of a healthy diet for human as well as for animals and may be an avenue to provide a safe, cost effective, and 'natural' approach that adds a barrier against microbial infection. This paper presents a review of probiotics in health maintenance and disease prevention.
益生菌通常被定义为对消费者有有益影响的微生物食品补充剂。大多数益生菌属于被称为产乳酸菌的生物类别，通常以酸奶、发酵乳或其他发酵食品的形式食用。食用乳酸菌的一些有益效果包括：（i）改善肠道健康；（ii）增强免疫系统，合成并提高营养素的生物利用度；（iii）减轻乳糖不耐受症状，降低易感个体的过敏发生率；以及（iv）降低某些癌症的风险。益生菌发挥作用的机制很大程度上尚不清楚，但可能涉及改变肠道pH值、通过产生抗菌化合物拮抗病原体、竞争病原体结合位点和受体位点以及可用营养素和生长因子、刺激免疫调节细胞以及产生乳糖酶。本文综述了益生菌的选择标准、功效、食品和补充剂来源以及安全性问题。最近的科学研究支持了益生菌作为人类和动物健康饮食一部分的重要作用，并且可能是提供一种安全、经济有效且“天然”的方法以增加抵御微生物感染屏障的途径。本文对益生菌在健康维持和疾病预防方面进行了综述。
