Probiotics in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Cancer Prevention

Several studies have shown that specific probiotic strains are able to prevent the development of some diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and certain types of cancer. Some of the proposed mechanisms of action that account for their beneficial effects include changes in the gut microbiota, stabilization of the intestine’s permeability barrier, regulation of the host immune responses, and reduction of the oxidative stress due to their antioxidant enzyme production. This chapter will examine some examples of studies using animal models and human clinical trials where probiotics were shown to be effective in the prevention or treatment of IBD and intestinal and nonintestinal cancers, and describe the current knowledge of their mechanisms of action. Probiotics could potentiate conventional treatments and reduce undesirable side effects and thus improve the general well-being of subjects that suffer from these diseases.