Probiotics and immunity: provisional role for personalized diets and disease prevention

There is great interest in the interaction between diet and immune system and concomitantly in the potential of probiotic bacteria, especially given recent advances in understanding of gut microbiota effects on health in the context of microbiome research. Following our recent study on bacterial wall elasticity as a predictive measure of phagocytic cellular reactions and related outcomes, a question was raised regarding the scope of the application of these findings in various medical conditions in the context of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM). This summarizing review of the data describes the contributions, both observed and potential, of probiotics to the gut-brain axis and various medical conditions, including immune and atopic states, metabolic and inflammatory diseases—including liver disease and diabetes mellitus—cancer, and more. It also suggests novel insights for a number of beneficial applications of probiotics and advances in development of novel probiotic-based treatments and personalized diets, as well as application of sophisticated imaging techniques and nanobiotechnologies that can be adopted in the near future by innovative medical experts, warranting further research and practical translation.