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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. Jun 5, 2025; 16(2): 105242
Published online Jun 5, 2025. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i2.105242
Published online Jun 5, 2025. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i2.105242
Probiotics and prebiotics in the treatment of functional constipation in the elderly individuals
Li Xu, Jian-Tang Guo, Jing Zhao, Ming-He Liu, Chen Mo, Department of Gerontology, The Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100039, China
Author contributions: Xu L, Guo LT, Zhao J and Liu MH performed the research; Xu L and Mo C wrote the paper; Mo C designed the research study; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chen Mo, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gerontology, The Third Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, No. 69 Beijing Yongding Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100039, China. mchen@sohu.com
Received: January 16, 2025
Revised: February 28, 2025
Accepted: March 20, 2025
Published online: June 5, 2025
Processing time: 138 Days and 22.1 Hours
Revised: February 28, 2025
Accepted: March 20, 2025
Published online: June 5, 2025
Processing time: 138 Days and 22.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Probiotics and prebiotics may play a significant role in managing functional constipation (FC) in elderly individuals by modulating gut microbiota and alleviating symptoms. The interplay between gut microbiota dysbiosis and the gut-brain axis further complicates FC, necessitating a multifaceted treatment approach that includes microecological agents to enhance gut health and improve the quality of life for older adults. Recent studies have highlighted the potential use of probiotics and prebiotics in managing FC, particularly in the elderly individuals.