Table 2.
Studies showing the effect of prebiotics on the immune system.
| Prebiotic | Dose | Subjects | Main Results | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOS | 8 oz/day of an experimental formula containing FOS for 183 days | Adults aged 65 and older | Antibody responses toward viral vaccines improved. Hospitalization due to influenza and side effects of influenza vaccines decreased. |
[130] |
| 8 g/day Orafti® Synergy1 for 8 weeks | Adults aged 45–63 years | Immune responses toward influenza vaccines improved. | [135] | |
| 0.55 g FOS per 15 g of cereal for 6 months | Non-breast-feeding infants aged 4–24 months | Diarrhea associated fever, febrile seizure incident, antibiotics usage, and duration of infectious disease decreased. | [133] | |
| 3 × 5 g/day FOS consisted of two 28 day treatments separated by a 14-day washout | Healthy volunteers | IL-4 in serum, CD282+/TLR2+ myeloid dendritic cells, and toll-like receptor 2-mediated immune response were up-regulated. | [134] | |
| Not exactly defined | Infants | Risk of some immune diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, reduced. | [136,137] | |
| 2 × 4 g/day for 3 weeks | Elderly nursing home patients | IL-6 expression and phagocytosis in monocytes and granulocytes decreased. | [138] | |
| 8 g/day Orafti® Synergy1 for 4 weeks | Adults aged 45–65 years | Salivary IgA, immune cells in serum, activation, and proliferation of T and NK cell not changed. | [131] | |
| GOS | 5.5 g/day for 10 weeks | Elderly subjects | Phagocytosis, NK cell activity, and IL-10 (an anti-inflammatory cytokine) level increased. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α, levels decreased. |
[139] |
| 5.5 g/day consisted of two 10 weeks of treatment separated by 4 weeks of washout | Elderly subjects | IL-10, IL-8, C-reactive protein, and NK cell activity elevated. IL-1β level decreased. |
[140] | |
| Not exactly defined | Infants | Risk of some immune diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, reduced. | [136] | |
| 0.8 g/100 mL | Infants | [137] | ||
| 0.8 g/day for 6 months | Newborn infants | [141] | ||
| AOS | Not exactly defined | Infants | Atopic dermatitis in low-risk infants reduced. | [136] |
| Oligofructose and inulin mixture | Oligofructose (70%) and inulin (30%) with a concentration of 1 g per 25 g of dry weight cereal during 4 weeks prior to measles vaccination | Infants aged 7–9 months | Antibody responses toward viral vaccines improved. | [129] |
FOS: Fructo-oligosaccharides; IBS: irritable bowel syndrome; GOS: Galacto-oligosaccharides; AOS: acidic oligosaccharides; NK cell: natural killer cell; IL-4: interleukin 4; IL-10: interleukin 10, IL-8: interleukin 8; and IL-6: interleukin 6.