FiberNEW2026-09

Towards optimizing the host response to biotics: a report of an International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics working group.

Preidis Geoffrey A, Bercik Premysl, Marette Andre, O'Mahony Liam et al. — Gut microbes

Summary

This paper summarizes a scientific discussion on how to make probiotics, prebiotics, and similar products more effective for human health. Experts identified key areas to focus on, like the immune system and metabolism, to better understand how these "biotics" interact with our bodies. The goal is to improve how we select and use these products for specific health benefits, moving beyond current trial-and-error approaches.

AI-generated summary — read the original

Key points

Current research on probiotics and prebiotics often lacks a clear understanding of how they work in the body.
Future studies should focus on how these "biotics" interact with our immune system and metabolism, aiming for precise adjustments rather than just "boosting."
Considering individual differences like genetics and diet is crucial for understanding how biotics affect people.
Exploring various microbial food sources beyond traditional prebiotic fibers can unlock new health benefits.

What the study looked at

This report comes from a working group of international scientists who met to discuss how to make "biotics" – a term encompassing probiotics, prebiotics, and related substances – more effective in promoting human health. **What question the study asked:** They aimed to identify better ways to understand how these products interact with our bodies to achieve specific health outcomes, moving beyond trial-and-error approaches and current mixed clinical trial results. **How it was studied (design/participants):** This was a report from a working group convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP). It involved a panel of experts who deliberated on existing research and current understanding of biotics, the human body, and the gut microbiome. The report summarizes their collective insights and recommendations, rather than presenting new experimental data. **What it found:** The working group proposed five key recommendations to improve biotic interventions. These include focusing on refining rather than just "boosting" the immune system and metabolism, considering the body's metabolic products alongside gut microbes, accounting for individual factors like genetics and diet, exploring a wider range of microbial food sources beyond just prebiotic fibers, and utilizing advanced research tools like AI. The goal is to guide more precise selection and use of biotics for specific health needs.

Dietary takeaway

This report highlights the complexity of how beneficial gut components, including prebiotic fibers, interact with our bodies. While research continues to refine our understanding, a general takeaway is that a diverse diet rich in various types of fiber can provide a wide range of "food" for our gut microbes, potentially supporting overall health. Remember, this is a scientific discussion on future research directions, and individual studies are just one piece of the puzzle.

Abstract

This report summarizes the deliberations of a working group convened by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) at their 2025 annual meeting to identify the key targets that mediate the host response to biotics. Probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics have been explored in numerous contexts, but results of clinical trials are mixed. In most studies performed to date, a therapeutic product and its dose and administration strategy were selected based on factors other than rigorous mechanistic evidence. Given recent advances in our understanding of interactions between biotics, the host, and the gut microbiome, we sought to determine whether a more rational, informed approach might now guide the more precise selection of a biotic for a specific indication. The panel addressed biotic modulation of the immune system, host metabolism, the enteric nervous system, human commensal microbes, and the gut-brain axis and developed five recommendations to increase the likelihood that biotic interventions will lead to meaningful clinical impacts. Interventions should: (1) strive to modulate or refine, rather than "boost," host metabolism and the immune system to achieve specific outcomes; (2) consider the human metabolome, in addition to the microbiome, as a readout and therapeutic target; (3) determine context-dependent responses to biotics in terms of spatial location within the gut, host genetics, environmental influences, and diet; (4) explore a wide range of microbial fermentation substrates that yield biologically active products in addition to prebiotic fibers; and (5) leverage new approach methods including human tissue-based approaches, novel methods, and advanced computational tools including artificial intelligence to complement human studies. The roadmap proposed by this panel aims to accelerate the translation of biotic research into discoveries that will more readily impact clinical practice.

View on PubMed →DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2026.2728828