Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
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Probiotics are living microorganisms that, when ingested in adequate amounts, provide benefits to the host. The benefits include either a shortened duration of infections or decreased susceptibility to pathogens. Proposed mechanisms of beneficial effects include improving gastrointestinal barrier function, modification of the gut flora by inducing host cell antimicrobial peptides and/or local release of probiotic antimicrobial factors, competition for epithelial adherence, and immunomodulation. ⋯ However, probiotic research will likely be hindered in the future given a recent ruling by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration.