Talk:Probiotic

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 February 2019 and 30 April 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Omackraz.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 07:14, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Please excuse me if I infringe protocol. My last contribution was about 15 years ago. Why is the leading image pretty well a marketing banner for Yakult? I would post up an image of some delicious fermented food such as brie or kimchi. And Yakult is loaded with sugar! Can someone find a replacement..I am still figuring out how not to make a mess... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kim99 (talk • contribs) 14:51, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Yakult is probably the leading commercial probiotic product globally, and what most people think of when they hear the term. They certainly don't think of brie, which may not be sweetened but is very high in saturated fat. Some versions of Yakult are not heavily sugared. --Ef80 (talk) 13:05, 8 July 2022 (UTC)

The cholesterol section cites a fairly recent and decent meta-analysis which found probiotics reduced LDL chloresterol by 5%. I don't think that's an insignificant reduction. Andrew ranfurly (talk) 19:48, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

Yikes the source is over 20 years old!! Should probably be updated with PMID 33612379 if anyone has access. Alexbrn (talk) 20:17, 10 March 2021 (UTC)

The paragraph that contains a list of foods made with fermenting bacteria: I would like to delete this paragraph on the grounds that it is misleading and somewhat off topic. While these food products are indeed created with LABs, few of them contain LIVE bacteria, which is part of the definition of probiotic. Baking sourdough, for example, kills the bacteria. Commercial versions of many of these foods have no live bacteria in order to improve shelf-life. 68.99.51.121 (talk) 17:52, 11 October 2023 (UTC)

Probiotic 114.108.219.63 (talk) 05:32, 14 July 2024 (UTC)

I have started a paragraph on dosage, but a lot more can be added there. BlueBellTree (talk) 05:15, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

I think this page would benefit from revisions to ensure that it aligns with established definitions of fermented foods, postbiotics, and probiotics. This post aims to reduce some confusion caused by the overlapping terms.

Fermented foods are defined as "foods made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components" (PMID: 33398112). This includes any food that is made through fermentation regardless of the strain used or whether the microorganism remains alive at consumption. Examples of fermented foods include yoghurt, kefir, sourdough bread, beer, and soybean paste. Fermented foods is an umbrella category that can include products containing postbiotics/parabiotics and probiotics.

Postbiotics are defined as "preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host" (PMID: 33948025). In the context of foods, this means that if microbial products such as metabolites or cell fragments remain after processing, but not necessarily the live microbe itself, the food item contains postbiotics. Examples of food products with postbiotics include sourdough bread, miso, tempeh, yoghurt, and kefir, as long as the microbial products remain after cooking/processing. To clarify, the food itself is not a postbiotic; the term refers only to the microbial components present.

A related term, parabiotics, which is defined as "non-viable microbial cells (intact or broken) or crude cell extracts (i.e. with complex chemical composition), which, when administered (orally or topically) in adequate amounts, confer a benefit on the human or animal consumer" (PMID: 21499799). The distinction between postbiotics and parabiotics is still debated as the concepts overlap considerably.

Probiotics are defined as "live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host" (PMID 24912386). The food item itself (e.g. yoghurt) is not a probiotic, but rather a probiotic product. Because probiotics require the microorganisms to be alive, any product that is heated after fermentation cannot be considered probiotic (e.g. sourdough bread and cooked sauerkraut). In addition, probiotics require defined microbial strains, which excludes traditionally fermented foods produced without identifying cultures (e.g. typical homemade sauerkraut with just salt, cabbage, and water). Probiotics may also be added to foods after fermentation, but the quantity must be sufficient to deliver a health benefit. Overall, while fermented foods can contain probiotics, only those with viable, adequate quantity, and defined strains qualify as probiotic products.

If anyone has any questions, I am happy to clarify, discuss, or research the topic. Bibere vinum (talk) 14:10, 20 November 2025 (UTC)