From enzymes to probiotics and dietary fiber, including prebiotics, consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of these ingredients for immunity and overall wellness.

Spurred on by significant media attention and industry education, the role of digestive health is increasingly being recognized by consumers and health practitioners as very important to overall well-being.

Synbiotics, a mixture of a reliable probiotic with an efficacious prebiotic in a food, beverage or supplement, is a growing concept involving the alteration of gut microbiota for improved health.

Consumers continue to eat and drink for health and are willing to pay more for functional properties. Probiotics, long limited to the dairy sector, are quickly expanding their potency and reach, while food formulators find new uses for galacto-oligosaccharides; not only do they help with taste and texture, but also with satiety.

Microorganisms have long been a part of the human diet. In particular, the Lactobacillus genus of bacteria has been consumed for centuries, after it was found the organisms were useful in increasing the shelflife of meat or milk, through fermentation.

Researchers uncover a “digestive symbiosis” between milk oligosaccharides and Bifidobacteria . The health benefits of other components found in milk--from CLA to whey proteins--are being investigated and commercialized.

Manufacturers weigh in on upcoming ingredient and formulations trends, from dietary fiber to green tea extracts, low-fat to satiety-enhancing foods.

Research is looking into how certain foods, such as almonds and cranberries, and key components, including extracts, yeast-derived compounds, and pre- and probiotics, help strengthen immunity.

Satiety-enhancing foods include some that are able to fill the gut but be markedly reduced (e.g., fiber, polydextrose), while others will affect the release of gut hormones, influencing satiety and appetite.

Inadequate prescription therapy pain-management, lack of doctor-patient communication about over-the-counter (OTC) medications and easy accessibility of OTC medications may contribute to patients using more than one medication to manage pain,"writes Stacey H. Kovac, Ph.D., from Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center and Duke University in Durham, N.C., and colleagues.