At the present time a multinational, multidisciplinary study is being carried
out in Europe to characterize the “typical” gut microflora of seniors and young
adults.39 This basic information is intended to be used as a baseline to which the
effects of future interventions can be compared. Only by gathering such extensive
data will it be possible to establish any relationships between the makeup of the
gut microflora population and health and disease status. It is believed that with the
use of probiotic products (those that contain live bacteria) prebiotic products (those
that contain specific nutrients, in particular complex carbohydrates), and synbiotic
products (those that contain both probiotics and probiotics), new food products can
be developed that maintain a healthy gastrointestinal microflora, even as life expectancy
increases.
In the future there will be products specifically designed for particular age
groups, those on special diets such as vegetarians, those with specific metabolic
requirements, and even different probiotic products for men and women.