Probiotics: A New Concept In Prophylaxis

Abstract

Foods that have health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients possessed by them are called functional foods or nutraceuticals. These are generally characterized as foods similar in appearance to conventional foods, consumed as part of usual diets and elicit health benefits beyond meeting the basic nutritional requirements. Functional foods reduce risk of diseases but they do not act as a vehicle to address deficiency. They are a source of mental and physical wellbeing, enhancing the immunocompetence of the body. They must be foods and not drugs and their over-intake could lead to nutritional imbalance. Food is considered functional because it provides nutrients but nutraceuticals contain natural components that provide health benefits to the body. Traditional nutraceuticals are natural whole food that deliver benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as lycopene in tomatoes. Non-traditional nutraceuticals are food resulting from agricultural breeding or added nutrients, e.g., vitamin enhanced soybeans. Probiotics, prebiotics, symbiotic are considered as functional foods. In recent years the overuse of antibiotics, which although treated many diseases but also wiped-off the useful microflora of the intestine, has led to the development of resistant strains of bacteria and thus hindering treatment of several diseases. Herein, comes the need to develop an alternative method for treatment of diseases. Probiotics, i.e., useful bacteria have been used in foods since ages, though their properties in alleviating symptoms of disease were unknown. This paper throws light on this field of research for a better understanding of the topic.