Du{an V. Peri{i},
Milan Doki},
Gordana Kova~evi}
Pro- and prebiotics, and female health
Address correspondence to:
Dr Du{an V. Peri{i}
Institute for Gynaecology and Obstetrics
Clinical Center of Serbia, Vi{egradska St.
11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Gastroenterolo{ka sekcija SLD-
01756, 2003.
Nutrition and alimentary tract
Ishrana i alimentarni trakt
Institute for Gynaecology and Obstetrics,
Clinical Center of Serbia,
Belgrade, Serbia.
ARCH GASTROENTEROHEPATOL 2003; 22 ( No 3 - 4 ): 79 - 83
Minisymposium on functional food
The role of probiotics and
prebiotics in female health
Uloga probiotika i prebiotika na zdravlje `ena
(accepted september 15th,2003)
A food can be regarded as functional if it has beneficial
affect on one or more target functions in the body, beyond
adequate nutritional effects (1). Variety of food compo-
nents and food products may affect a large number of
somatic functions relevant to either a state of well-being
and optimal health and/or reducing the risk of variety of
diseases. There are four types of functional foods which
show promise in woman,s health: probiotics, prebiotics,
synbiotics and nutraceuticals (2).
Probiotics are defined as live microbial food supple-
ments with beneficially affects humans by improving their
intestinal microbial balance (3). There is a plenty of evi-
dence of the positive potential of probiotics in the urogen-
ital tract and other non-gastrointestinal tract conditions
(4). Some probiotic strains administreted either topically
or as a vaginal suppository may have plenty of benefits
(5).
Prebiotics are non-digestible food carbohydrates
which selectivelly stimulate a limited number of bacteria
in the colon, to improve host health (6). Prebiotcs, there-
fore, enhance the idigenous probiotic flora of the large
bowel. There is plenty of research to develop specific
pre-
biotics for individual probiotic organism. Further on,
pre-
biotics with persistence of their effect throught the gas-
trointestinal tract targeting distal region of the colon are
necessary. This is because the distal colon is a site where
large number of diseases originate and where microbial
composition has great importance as reservoir for the uro-
genital tract.
Synbiotics are combined products of prebiotics and
probiotics (7). They interact to provide a synergistic effect
on the maintenance of a desirable microbial population in
the intestinal microbial millieu. It was reported that in the
majority of operated patients synbiotics (Lacobacillus
plantarum plus inulin and oat fibre) imediately given after
extensive abdominal surgery prevented sepsis (7).
Abstract
Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics are on extreme focus of researchers. There is some evidence that
these food constituens may improve or eventually treat certain disease conditions implicated in woman,s
health. It is already established that probiotics (live, beneficial bacteria) may improve gastrointestinal
and extra gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, candidiasis and other female uro-
genital conditons. Prebiotics (non-digestible food ingredients) are important in osteporosis management,
in reliving menopausal symptoms, and reducing the onset of cancer.
Key Words:
genitourinary infections,
gut infections,
irritable bowel syndrome,
osteoporosis,
probiotics,
prebiotics.
Sa`etak
Probiotici, prebiotici i sinbiotici su u fokusu interesovanja istra`ivaca. Ima dokaza da pomenuti sastojci
hrane mogu da pobolj{aju ili u krajnjem slu~aju izle~e izvesne bolesti koje su od zna~aja za zdravlje `ena.
Ve} se zna da probiotici (`ive, korisne bakterije) mogu da le~e pojedine gastrointestinalne i ekstra-gas-
trointestinalne bolesti kao naprimer sindrom iritabilnog creva, kandidijazu i druge urogenitalne poreme}aje
`ena. Prebiotici (nesvarljivi ugljeni hidrati hrane) su od zna~aja u le~enju osteoporoze i ubla`avanju simp-
toma menopauze, kao i u nastanku karcinoma.
Klju~ne re~i:
genitourinarne infekcije,
crevne infekcije,
sindrom iritabilnog creva,
osteoporoza,
probiotici,
prebiotici.
