Seeking registered dietitians and gastroenterologists to discuss the research behind prebiotics' purported health benefits+FDA regulations of prebiotic products for Everyday Health. For Qs 1-4: For each of the following purported benefits of prebiotics, could you please briefly (in simple terms) explain how prebiotics might have this effect? Also, how would you rate the quality of the research supporting this claim? If more research is needed, what kind (e.g., more RCTs, longer-term studies, more diverse cohorts, etc.) For each, I’ve provided some example studies, but feel free to suggest different ones (from 2020-now only, please) if you prefer. 1) Decreasing the risk of colon cancer [Source: Biologics Title: A Current Review on the Role of Prebiotics in Colorectal Cancer Author: Shrifteylik A et al Date: August 22, 2023 URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8449/3/3/12] 2) Lowering inflammation [Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology Title: Author: Roy S et al Date: September 21, 2023 URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10130969/] 3) Suppressing appetite by stimulating the production of appetite-suppressing hormones [Source: Nutrients Title: Prebiotics and the Human Gut Microbiota: From Breakdown Mechanisms to the Impact on Metabolic Health Author: Bedu-Ferrari C et al Date: May 17, 2022 URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9147914/ ] 4) Helping regulate metabolism and blood sugar [Source: Nutrients Title: Harnessing Prebiotics to Improve Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes Author: Iatcu OC et al Date: May 17, 2022 URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39458444/] 5) We note that the FDA doesn’t have an established definition for prebiotics. Could you briefly explain what that means/why it matters? 6) We also mention that the FDA allows food and supplement manufacturers to self-report products as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS). Could you please briefly explain what that means/why it matters?

posted6/16/2025

deadline6/18/2025

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published9/23/2025