Digestive Health: Balancing the Gut Microbiota

Gut health affects much more than the body's processing of food, from digestion and bowel function to long-term health maintenance and disease prevention. Probiotics, prebiotics, fibre, whole grains and minerals are among the researched ingredients supporting today's digestive health product range. However, some brand holders are having to take extra care when promoting digestive health products, relying on implicit vs. explicit messaging around the potential benefits. The articles in this issue were contributed by speakers from the Digestive Health stream at 2016s Vitafoods Europe Conference. Report takeaways include: * Europe's challenging health claims environment shifted the acceptable language used on products; * Whole grains contain more dietary fibre and bioactive phytochemicals than refined white flours; * Probiotics and fermented foods can modulate gut microbiota, potentially preventing diseases.