Integrative medicine and human health - the role of pre-, pro- and synbiotics

Human life without access to plants and bacteria would be miserable. Plants and bacteria, which have existed for billions of years, have often robust protection system, which can be used by humans. Our Palaeolithic forefathers did on annual basis receive their daily food from at least five hundred plants and also, as the food they ate often were stored in the soil, a rich supply of various microorganisms. The food of modern food is based on nutrients received from only a small number of plants; 80% of the nutrients come from 17 plants and 50% of the calories from eight grains. Furthermore, the main part of Western foods is extensively processed; growth enhancement, separation, condensing, drying, freezing, irradiation, burning, microwaving, toasting, adding various ingredients and especially heating. It is well-known that some important plant ingredients start disappearing already when heated above 28oC, important plant enzymes and microbes above 42o C, dys-functioning proteins be added above 80oC and heterocyclic amines and also trans-fatty acids from about 130oC, and increasing as the heating of the food increases further, all changes being negative to human health.Among the dys-functioning proteins produced during heating of foods are the so called Maillard products, often referred to as advanced glycation and advanced lipoxidation end products, and abbreviated as AGEs and ALEs. Among foods rich in AGEs and ALEs are: dairy products especially powder milk (frequently used in enteral nutrition and baby formulas, as well as in numerous foods such as ice cream), cheese, bakery products (bread crusts, crisp breads, pretzels, biscotti) and cereals (rice crispies), overheated (especially deep-fried and oven-fried) meat and poultry but also fish, drinks like coffee and coca cola, Asian sauces including Chinese soy sause, balsamico products and smoked foods in general - for further information, see Goldberg et al [1,2]. The consumption of such foods, often main constituen