The importance of prebiotics in the regulation of metabolic syndrome disorders

The products of functional foods differ from other meals by their ability to improve health and well‑being or to reduce the risk of diseases and not only to provide the good nutrition. The composition of such products includes oligosaccharides of the fructan type such as inulin. Inulin is a soluble dietary fiber, consisting of a group of natural polysaccharides that are not digested in the intestine and instead fermented into short‑chain fatty acids associated with multiple metabolic processes, including glucose homeostasis and insulin resistance. Besides, inulin affects the lipid exchange regulation and improvement of lipid profile. Inulin is a mixture of linear fructose polymers or fructans with 2 — 60 units, each of them is connected by unique β (2‑1) bonds with a glucose unit. In contrary to typical carbohydrate, these β (2‑1) connections cannot be hydrolyzed by enzymes of saliva or pancreas, that’s why inulin has a reduced energetic value as well as dietary prebiotic effects.Functional food is an important component of the change in the lifestyle to control obesity and related risks for health. Obesity and dyslipidemia are important aspects of metabolic syndrome, associated with changes in the gut microbiome. The most important direction in the modern preventive and therapeutic medicine presents the use of prebiotics, that provide positive effects on the normal microflora and cause a whole cascade of secondary beneficial effects for humans (metabolic, anticarcinogenic, immunostimulating, antitoxic, etc.). Prebiotic Inulin promotes the restoration of intestinal microbiome by means of increasing production of intestinal epithelial cells and recovering interleukin‑22 expression.On the domestic market inulin presented as an Inulin‑NEO preparation, available in a form of tablets and sachet, which makes it easy to use.