Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Probiotics, prebiotics or their combination (synbiotics) which are accepted as functional foods are attracting attention more and
more as they have proved to have positive effects on human health. Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which affects
the host’s health beneficially by balancing the gut flora of the host. Prebiotics are non digestible natural carbohydrates and stimulate
the proliferation of specific probiotic bacteria as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. Synbiotics are the defined as the combination of
probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are known as they are able to be used for prevention and/or therapeutically for viral, bacterial
or antibiotic associated diarrhea, constipation, lactose intolerance, infectious intestinal diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
Enterocolitis, Crohn’s Disease, gastrointestinal tumors, food allergies, osteoporosis and as immune modulators, and prebiotics
have additional proven effects except promoting the proliferation of probiotics; like decreasing blood cholesterol levels, increasing
mainly calcium and other mineral’s absorption, antimicrobic effect as a result of their fermentation which produces organic acids
and decreases pH. Probiotics and prebiotics have a synergistic effect and provide an effective therapy for the diseases reasoned by
the abnormal intestinal flora if they are used as a combination (synbiotics). In recent years, it has been discovered that there is a
relationship between body weight and intestinal flora and a potential therapy for obesity with probiotics and the action mechanisms
of probiotics on preventing from obesity are becoming highlights.

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