Prebiotics: why definitions matter

- Defining prebiotics is important to scientists, regulators, industry, and consumers.
- Research has shown that prebiotics enrich unexpected members of the microbiota.
- How prebiotic fibers are metabolized may have profound effects on the microbiota.
- Omic approaches and clinical studies reveal mechanisms by which prebiotics function.
- Advances in prebiotic research provide a basis for how this term is defined.