Gut health

The gut is increasingly linked to many aspects of health and disease.

The functions of the gut and their relationships to digestive and whole body health have attracted significant interest amongst both scientists as well as individuals wanting to improve their health.

While the term gut health is used widely, it is rarely defined. A lack of clarity on the concept of gut health and how to measure it led ISAPP to gather a group of experts to review the evidence and create a scientific consensus definition of gut health, published in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology. The definition encompasses both objective and subjective measures of gut health, with the paper discussing how a variety of tools are used to evaluate different aspects of gut health, such as digestive function and gut barrier function. Currently, no panel of tests can reliably establish that a person’s gastrointestinal tract is healthy.

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  • The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of gut health
    A panel of experts evaluated the term gut health in the context of the central role of the gastrointestinal tract in health and overall well-being and proposed a definition of gut health as “a state of normal gastrointestinal function without active gastrointestinal disease and gut-related symptoms that affect quality of life”.
  • Vet smiling at border collie dog in the clinic

    Fido Needs an Antibiotic: Are There Strategies to Maintain Gut Integrity and Restore Gut Microbiota?
    Despite their risks and complications, antimicrobials have their role in managing canine diarrhea and gastrointestinal enteropathies. So, what can be done to minimize the negative effects that they have on stool quality and microbial disruption?

  • ISAPP’s scientific consensus definition of gut health
    Gut health is a commonly used term that previously had no scientific definition. In the paper, the group defines gut health as: “a state of normal gastrointestinal function without active gastrointestinal disease and gut-related symptoms that affect quality of life”.

  • What happens when you eat fiber, and why you should eat more
    In recent years much research has been done determining that the products of a healthy gut microbiota also have health benefits way beyond the gut.

  • Insights into healthy aging: A story as told by gut microbiome (and other) metabolites
    Metabolites, including those derived from the gut microbiome, offer a window into the complex biology of aging. They reflect not just how we live, but how well our bodies are adapting to the passage of time.

  • Five points to know about biotics for animals, from an ISAPP-led paper
    A group of animal health experts, comprising academic and industry member scientists convening at the 2023 ISAPP annual meeting, reviewed the evidence on biotics for animals, outlining what’s known to date and the likely future directions in this scientific field.

  • A guide to the new FDA Qualified Health Claim for yogurt
    Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, and fermented pickles have traditionally been associated with health benefits in countries around the…

  • What does “gut health” mean?
    By Prof. Maria Marco PhD, University of California – Davis Probiotics and prebiotics are frequently marketed to consumers for their…

  • The many functions of human milk oligosaccharides: A Q&A with Prof. Ardythe Morrow
    Human milk is the ‘gold standard’ of infant nutrition—and some scientists have set their sights on working towards that standard…

  • Are probiotics effective in improving symptoms of constipation?
    By Eirini Dimidi, PhD, Lecturer at King’s College London Constipation is a common disorder that affects approximately 8% of the…