The prebiotic concept and human health: a changing landscape with riboflavin as a novel prebiotic

[Gondwanaland]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27380884
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Dec;70(12):1348-1353. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.119. Epub 2016 Jul 6.
The prebiotic concept and human health: a changing landscape with riboflavin as a novel prebiotic candidate?
Steinert RE1, Sadaghian Sadabad M2, Harmsen HJ2, Weber P1.
Author information

Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota has a critical role in both the maintenance of human health and the pathogenesis of many diseases. Modifying the colonic microbiota using functional foods has attracted significant research effort and product development. The pioneering concept of prebiotics, as introduced by Gibson and Roberfroid in the 1990s, emphasized the importance of diet in the modulation of the gut microbiota and its relationships to human health. Increasing knowledge of the intestinal microbiota now suggests a more comprehensive definition. This paper briefly reviews the basics of the prebiotic concept with a discussion of recent attempts to refine the concept to open the door for novel prebiotic food ingredients, such as polyphenols, minerals and vitamins.

 

[Isaiah 58:11]

@Gondwanaland You always have such interesting things to share!

 

[alicec]

Yes very interesting and a good summary updating and expanding the prebiotic concept. All that excess riboflavin in 50 or 100 mg pills isn't wasted!

They don't mention it here but I think thiols in the form of cysteine or glutathione are needed in addition to riboflavin as part of the mechanism which allows the strict anaerobe F. prausnitzii to grow in an oxygen enriched environment. See here.

 

[Murph]

The weird thing for me is that when i eat classic prebiotics - onion, garlic, etc - my symptoms get way worse.

I imagine them as like fertiliser. You throw fertiliser on a well-balanced eco system and it thrives. you throw it on a garden full of weeds (my gut) and things only get more out of hand!

I've tried a lot of interventions from probiotics, dietary modification and fasting. There's an interesting question of what is keeping my gut microbiome from returning to the eco-system state.