Co-Biotics - Dual modulation of the host and the microbiota

Background: Current health interventions, including food ingredients, bioactive compounds and dietary supplements that act through the gut microbiome, can support whole-body health as well as provide metabolic effects and energy functions. Product examples include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics and fermented foods, all well defined by expert panels. However, the term co-biotics has recently appeared in scientific publications and commerce without a definition or clarity. Scope and approach: We performed a literature and product review with the goal of identifying how the term co-biotics was being used. We then assessed it within the context of other microbiome-based biotics. Key findings and conclusions: With the aim of bringing clarity to the field, we propose that co-biotics are defined as “A compound that simultaneously modulates biological processes in both the host and resident microbiota, to confer a health benefit". This covers a unique dual targeting of host cells and the gut microbiome, allowing for enhanced function and health promoting effects. We illustrate how to develop future co-biotics, as differentiated from other defined biotics, and discuss delivery requirements.