Connie: Dear friends, thank you for joining us tonight on our journey to continue to explore microorganisms. Today, we again invited our old friend Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Hofstadter.
Dr. Hofstadter: Thanks for having me, Connie. It is quite nice to see you again. I’m very glad to be here.
Connie: In the last program, we talked about the therapeutic effects of prebiotics. We have learned that prebiotics has produced various preventive and therapeutic effects on serious human diseases such as diarrhea, intestinal syndrome, cancer, bacterial infection, diabetes, and obesity. In addition to the above effects, it can also improve the host’s immunity and mineral absorption. However, the main problem with prebiotics is their effectiveness, toxicity, and safety. Many prebiotics are extracted from natural foods, but safety issues still need to be resolved. These problems lack much-needed clinical trials and efficacy studies. Today, we will focus on synbiotics, a topic that we briefly mentioned before. What can you tell us about synbiotics?
Dr. Hofstadter: The term synbiotics was first proposed by Glenn R. Gibson and Roberfroid in 1995. They believed that the combination of probiotics live microorganisms and prebiotic compounds could bring additional health benefits to the host. The term “synbiotics” is defined as a synergistic combination of probiotics, beneficial living organisms, and prebiotic supplements to help the implantation of probiotics in the intestines. Put it simply, synbiotics is the name when probiotics and prebiotics are used in combination.
Connie: But what is the purpose of developing synbiotics?
Dr. Hofstadter: In combination therapy, prebiotics promote the growth and activity of the probiotic flora in the intestine. Synbiotics mainly affect the growth and function of probiotics in the intestinal tract. So they are basically developed to overcome the shortcomings encountered in the survival process of probiotics.
Connie: What are the main and important ways to develop synbiotics?
Dr. Hofstadter: The answer to this question is the complementarity and synergistic mode. In a complementary approach, the selection of probiotics is particularly beneficial to the host, and the random selection of prebiotics is only to increase the gut microbial load. However, in the synergistic approach, probiotics are again selected to stimulate the health of the host, but here prebiotics is also selected. Prebiotics can specifically affect and improve the functional characteristics of the probiotic microbiota. So taken together, these two methods both indirectly and directly satisfy the basic aspects of synbiotics and improve the health of the host.
Connie: So if we look at both complementarity approach and synergistic approach, which method is more conducive to the development of functional foods?
Dr. Hofstadter: Studies have shown that the synergistic approach of synbiotics is obviously more conducive to the development of fortified functional foods. Various in vivo and in vitro studies have been conducted to evaluate the synergistic effects of synbiotics. It has been reported that synbiotics can promote the growth, concentration, and activity of intestinal microbes compared with the use of Pros alone.
Connie: Getting into more details, what kinds of prebiotics are used in the development of synbiotics? And which strains are used as probiotics in synbiotics?
Dr. Hofstadter: Various prebiotics used in the development of synbiotics include inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides, and galacto-oligosaccharides. Commonly used probiotics in synthetic bacteria are Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.
Connie: With these options, we can obtain a variety of synbiotic formulations, but I guess we can’t just randomly come up with any formulations. There got to be some specifications as to how we decide on the formulation of the synbiotics?
Dr. Hofstadter: That’s right. There are some very important specifications regarding the formulation of synbiotics. First, the selected prebiotics and probiotics should have a beneficial effect on the host when administered separately. Secondly, the stimulation of probiotics by the selected prebiotics should be standardized. Finally, the selected prebiotics should only improve the survival rate and functionality of the beneficial microbial flora and have no or limited impact on other microorganisms.
Connie: Can you talk about the main health benefits of synbiotics? And what are the main mechanisms by which synbiotics play a beneficial role?
Dr. Hofstadter: Yeah. The various health benefits of Synbiotics include enhancing immune regulation, stimulating and maintaining intestinal flora, improving liver function, and preventing bacteria and hospital infections. The main mechanism is to increase the activity of probiotics and make them resistant to environmental conditions. Synbiotics maintain and regulate intestinal function by forming short-chain fatty acids and inhibiting intestinal pathogens.
Connie: When treating many health ailments like lifestyle-associated diseases, cardiovascular problems, immune system disorders, skin-related disorders, vector-borne diseases and many cancers, the orthodox medical systems have built over evidence-based scientific studies. In the long run, many treatment options are mainly limited by high cost, toxicity, and side effects. Recent trends indicate that the public acceptance of herbal medicines, nutritious foods, and alternatives to palliative care is gradually changing. In what ways can this be reflected?
Dr. Hofstadter: You are right. We have seen this reflected in many developing countries. People are gradually realizing the importance of hygiene and the purity requirements of food and confectionery products. They are in the midst of a shift in the positive attitude of the unorthodox medical system. People have also begun to believe in the importance of self-healing procedures, such as yoga, reiki, meditation, music therapy, and many procedures that emphasize the treatment of the grassroots, the body, and the maintenance of physical health.
Connie: And to add to all these health-benefiting practices, we also have many newer versions of food appearing on the market, such as planned foods, nutritious milkshakes, energy drinks, and foods with added vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. Does this mean that the way to improve health is beginning to change?
Dr. Hofstadter: I believe so. Now even doctors are beginning to use functional foods as a treatment solution for certain diseases. This is a slight change in the sense of using products that are not yet completely reasonable and effective to reinforce orthodox solutions.
Connie: The commercial pharmaceutical market has already sensed the profit potential of functional foods. They promote the importance of this type of food through various media platforms. What impact do you think these promotions have on the public?
Dr. Hofstadter: This undoubtedly gives the public another reason to have strong confidence in the effects of functional foods. However, only scientific experiments can be the last resort to lifting the veil.
Connie: We know the estimated number of intestinal microflora, which is about 100 times higher than the number of cells in the human body. In this case, what is it that regulates the body and its life process? Is it just a collection of the various tissue systems, genetics, immune system, nervous system, and its neural network of the human body’s inherent units?
Dr. Hofstadter: Well, these are all out-of-the-box questions that are worth thinking over in the food and science community. There is evidence that many members of the gut microflora can regulate mood, aging, memory, and perception. Some studies have shown that microbes play a vital role in maintaining life and its tendency.
Connie: Various viruses, such as the BK virus found in the kidneys, can kill intestinal bacteria phages. Does this mean that microorganisms and even viruses can be used as therapeutic drugs?
Dr. Hofstadter: Well, there really isn’t a clear-cut answer to this. The close solutions are phage therapy and fecal microflora transplantation.
Connie: Do you think it’s imperative to see extensive research on prebiotics and probiotics and to investigate their health benefits to humans and other animals?
Dr. Hofstadter: Exactly. However, prebiotics should not be considered a panacea for the treatment of diseases. Because their effects are dose-dependent, side effects such as gastrointestinal symptoms may occur. At present, in addition to the market potential and the excavation of commercial giants, there is still a lack of relevant regulations to determine and implement the safety parameters of oral administration of prebiotics. The safety and optimal dosage levels of individual prebiotics may require thorough evaluation to eliminate side effects.
Connie: Does the formula synbiotics with recombinant strains need to be tested for a long time?
Dr. Hofstadter: Of course. Synbiotics may also need to perform the above-mentioned acid test for short-term and long-term safety in different age groups. There is still a lot of research waiting to be carried out so that we can better understand the molecular basis of the interaction between prebiotics and probiotics, the reaction of other by-products of PROBS, and the impact on pathogens.
Connie: These are all very important aspects that we still need answers to in order to help prevent and manage widespread human diseases such as antibiotic resistance, obesity, allergies, and cardiovascular diseases. OK, that’s it for us today. Thanks, Dr. Hofstadter, for sharing with us your knowledge on prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics. And thanks everyone for listening. Next Saturday night, we will discuss the contribution of probiotics to human health. See you then.
Dr. Hofstadter: Thanks, everyone. I hope we will see you next time.