Summary: | In the last years, probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics have been exploited as microbiota-management tools to enhance human health. In this context, a vast array of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic products have been developed and provided in pharmaceutical forms or food/nutraceutical supplements. In this chapter, we will present an overall perspective of probiotics and prebiotics considering their benefits for human health, underlying mechanisms of action, and the criteria for their selection. In addition, the interplay between probiotics and prebiotics and their importance in human nutrition and health will be discussed, namely regarding the emergence of synbiotics as a combination of both.
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