Hypocholesterolaemic effect and anti-hypertensive properties of probiotics and prebiotics: A review

Hypercholesterolaemia (HCE) and hypertension (HT) are two major contributing factors in development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As synthetic medications used to treat HCE and HT can cause several side effects such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, various dietary approaches have been proposed to improve the HCE and HT at the population level. Most popular dietary intervention includes the use of probiotics and prebiotics in the development of functional foods. This review covers (1) the hypocholesterolaemic effects and anti-hypertensive properties of probiotics and prebiotics via several mechanisms, (2) the evidence generated from both in vitro experiments and in vivo trials and some controversial findings that are raised, (3) the effective dosage of prebiotics and probiotics, and (4) safety issues regarding the use of probiotics and prebiotics in human diet.