Health benefits of probiotics

The term ‘probiotic’ was defined in 2001 by an Expert Consultation of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO).

The following year, FAO/WHO published Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Foods, written, by an Expert Working Group that met prior to ISAPP’s inaugural meeting.

In 2013, ISAPP convened an Expert Panel to review the term probiotic and the literature surrounding it. The net result was a publication reiterating the definition with minor grammatical changes: “Live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” This is the widely accepted scientific definition of probiotics around the world.