Effects of probiotics and prebiotics in ulcerative colitis

Objectives: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are caused by the failure of immunoregulatory mechanisms due to external environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals. Probiotics and prebiotics could be used in prevention and therapy of many disorders of gastrointestinal tract including ulcerative colitis. Probiotics are living microorganisms with good tolerability and minimal risk, which confer a health benefit for the host when administered in adequate amounts. Their effect is closely related to maintaining the natural function of the intestinal flora. In this respect, they are indispensable prebiotics to protect or reduce the incidence of inflammatory lesions in diseases of the digestive tract. Conclusion: Ingestion of probiotics and prebiotics may provide some clues in developing a new class of therapeutic agents for the treatment/prevention of IBD and colitis-associated cancer (CAC) in the future (Tab. 2, Ref. 26). Full Text in PDF www.elis.sk.