Probiotic and prebiotic food product availability and usage are growing trends in nutrition. Probiotics and prebiotics are marketed as good dietary additions promoting digestive health as well as other health benefits. This conference will focus on the current science of probiotics and prebiotics and how health care practitioners can put this information into practice.

• Define and identify the physiologic roles or prebiotics and probiotics
• Explore health implications and potential benefits of prebiotics and probiotics
• Examine the prebiotic and probiotic products available
• Discuss consumer and health care provider guidelines

• Discuss what probiotics are and clarify strain/dose specificity of effects
• Provide perspectives on the challenges that exist with substantiation of health effects in clinical trial design considering US regulatory categories for probiotic products (only foods and supplements are currently available in the marketplace)
• Sort review of what types of products are in the marketplace
• Discussion of some available consumer/health provider guidelines on choosing a probiotic product

• Anaylze how the gut interacts with its microbes to affect wellness
• Synthesize an integrated picture of the mechanisms of action of gut microbes thought to benefit health
• Evaluate strategies for possible beneficial modulation of gut microbes