Corzo N, Alonso J L, Azpiroz F, Calvo M A, Cirici M, Leis R, Lombó F, Mateos-Aparicio I, Plou F J, Ruas-Madiedo P, Rúperez P, Redondo-Cuenca A, Sanz M L, Clemente A
Departamento de Bioactividad y Análisis de Alimentos, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación, CIAL (CSIC-UAM) Madrid..
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Vigo. Facultad de Ciencias, Campus de Ourense, Ourense..
Nutr Hosp. 2015 Feb 7;31 Suppl 1:99-118. doi: 10.3305/nh.2015.31.sup1.8715.
Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients (oligosaccharides) that reach the colon and are used as substrate by microorganisms producing energy, metabolites and micronutrients used for the host; in addition they also stimulate the selective growth of certain beneficial species (mainly bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) in the intestinal microbiota. In this article, a multidisciplinary approach to understand the concept of prebiotic carbohydrates, their properties and beneficial effects in humans has been carried out. Definitions of prebiotics, reported by relevant international organizations and researchers, are described. A comprehensive description of accepted prebiotics having strong scientific evidence of their beneficial properties in humans (inulin-type fructans, FOS, GOS, lactulose and human milk oligosaccharides) is reported. Emerging prebiotics and those which are in the early stages of study have also included in this study. Taken into account that the chemical structure greatly influences carbohydrates prebiotic properties, the analytical techniques used for their analysis and characterization are discussed. In vitro and in vivo models used to evaluate the gastrointestinal digestion, absorption resistance and fermentability in the colon of prebiotics as well as major criteria to design robust intervention trials in humans are described. Finally, a comprehensive summary of the beneficial effects of prebiotics for health at systemic and intestinal levels is reported. The research effort on prebiotics has been intensive in last decades and has demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary in order to claim their health benefits.
益生元是不可消化的食物成分（低聚糖），它们到达结肠后被微生物用作产生能量、代谢物和宿主所需微量营养素的底物；此外，它们还能刺激肠道微生物群中某些有益菌种（主要是双歧杆菌和乳酸杆菌）的选择性生长。在本文中，采用了多学科方法来理解益生元碳水化合物的概念、其特性以及对人类的有益作用。文中描述了相关国际组织和研究人员报告的益生元定义。报告了已被认可的、在人体中具有确凿有益特性科学证据的益生元（菊粉型果聚糖、低聚果糖、低聚半乳糖、乳果糖和人乳寡糖）的全面描述。本研究还纳入了新兴的益生元和处于研究初期的益生元。鉴于化学结构对碳水化合物的益生元特性有很大影响，讨论了用于其分析和表征的分析技术。描述了用于评估益生元在胃肠道的消化、结肠中的吸收抗性和发酵性的体外和体内模型，以及设计可靠的人体干预试验的主要标准。最后，报告了益生元在全身和肠道水平对健康有益作用的全面总结。在过去几十年中，对益生元的研究力度很大，并且已经证明，为了宣称其对健康的益处，多学科方法是必要的。
