The beneficial effects of probiotic foods on human health and nutrition are increasingly
recognized by health professionals. Recent scientific work on the properties and
functionality of living micro-organisms in food have suggested that probiotics play an
important role in immunological, digestive and respiratory functions, and that they could
have a significant effect on the alleviation of infectious diseases in children and other
high-risk groups. In parallel, the number and type of probiotic foods and drinks that are
available to consumers, and marketed as having health benefits, has increased
considerably.