In March 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized a new qualified health claim for yogurts. Although not specific to any particular component of yogurt, subsequent articles have noted the potential role of the beneficial live microbes contained in yogurt in conferring health benefits. In fact, IAFNS, under the purview of the Nutrition for Gut Health Committee, has established a “Live Dietary Microbes Subcommittee” with the aim to gather, develop and drive science- and evidence-based decisions on dietary recommendations for live microbes. This Subcommittee is comprised of international experts, with work guided by the Framework for Developing Recommended Intakes of Bioactive Dietary Substances. In collaboration with the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), several projects are complete and others are underway. In 2024, results are expected from Tufts University scientists who were funded to examine Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNANES) data for associations between intake of foods with live microbes and health benefits. This will add to our understanding of levels of intake in typical diets and whether individuals with higher intakes have unique health profiles.
This work is supported by the IAFNS Nutrition for Gut Health Committee.