About International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
This podcast covers emerging topics and challenges in the science of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics and fermented foods. This is the podcast of The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotic (ISAPP), a nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to advancing the science of these fields.
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International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
Highlights of the HealthFerm initiative, with Prof. Christophe Courtin
This episode features Prof. Christophe Courtin from KU Leuven (Belgium), speaking about the European HealthFerm initiative. HealthFerm began in September 2022 and brought together multiple institutions and companies to advance the project with a grant of 30 million Euros. The main aim of the project was to improve public acceptance of plant-based foods through fermentation. A citizen science component of the project involved gathering fermented food samples from all over Europe, both home fermenters and small bakeries, to analyze the microorganisms. The researchers received over 650 sourdough starter samples and around 200 other fermented foods samples; from these, they identified some new species that still need to be named. Another part of the project involved a clinical trial on how the body responds if short-chain fatty acids are released in the small intestine versus in the colon. They found that small intestinal release increased GLP-1 levels more than PYY; the opposite happened with colonic release. Another study in the project compared oat to fermented oat, and found that the fermentation changed the fiber (degree of polymerization), and also led to positive health effects. Prof. Courtin says the potential for future research in this area is to find out how to add nutritional benefits through fermentation (for example, vitamin B12 in plant-based foods), as well as how to change the fiber profile in a food to yield specific health benefits.
Episode abbreviations and links:
Study on properties of a plant-based gurt: Process-induced changes in starch, dietary fiber, and protein in a fermented plant-based dairy alternative (yo)gurt.
Paper exploring oat fermentation: Enzyme activity and constituent extractability of kilned and non-kilned oats at pH values relevant for acidic food fermentations.
Study on gut microbiota signatures of type 2 diabetes risk: Gut microbiome composition and functional potential associate with incident type 2 diabetes in 4,685 adults from a Swedish prospective cohort
About Prof. Christophe Courtin:
Prof. Christophe Courtin is a full professor at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry at KU Leuven, Belgium. His research focuses on cereal constituents, the enzymes that degrade them and microorganisms in cereal processing. The emphasis is on a basic understanding of the structure and properties of these constituents as well as on their technological and health functionality in cereal-based processes and products. Expertise and an extensive network in this area have been built up through over 40 supervised PhDs, projects and national and international collaborations. He coordinates HealthFerm, a 23 partner Horizon Europe project. He is author of 380 peer-reviewed papers (WoS h-index: 74) and inventor on 12 patent families. Recent awards are the Harald Perten Prize (ICC, 2021) and the Belfort Lecture Award (Whistler Centre for Carbohydrate Research, Purdue University, 2023).
4 Sept 2026
Epidemiological insights on the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer, with Dr. Mingyang Song ScD
This episode features Dr. Mingyang Song ScD from Harvard University (USA), speaking about epidemiological evidence connecting the gut microbiota to colorectal cancer (CRC) and whether the evidence supports the gut microbiota as a ‘driver’ or a ‘passenger. Dr. Song explains how he and colleagues studied the gut microbiome in a subset of people from the Nurses’ Health Study. It’s known that adenoma removal reduces CRC risk, but doesn’t eliminate it. Does the gut microbiome contribute to this remaining risk? The researchers found that many years after adenoma removal, individuals had a different gut microbiota compared with healthy controls, indicating that the microbiome profile is not fully restored by adenoma removal. People with past adenoma removal had a gut microbiota that overlapped with that of current CRC patients, with the caveat that lots of heterogeneity was observed. Diet and lifestyle also correlate with both CRC development and gut microbiome composition, with some of the main factors reducing CRC risk being dietary fiber, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and calcium. These and other healthy lifestyle factors were associated with fewer of the gut microbial members typically seen in CRC. Next, prospective studies are needed to determine whether gut microbiota changes truly precede CRC and independently contribute to risk. This line of research could also lead to a more tailored approach to CRC screening, with risk factors being taken into account.
Episode abbreviations and links:
Study on a subset of participants in the Nurses’ Health Study, showing those who previously experienced adenoma removal had gut microbial similarities to CRC: Long-lasting gut microbiome and fecal metabolome alterations after colorectal adenoma removal and their relationship to colorectal cancer
About Dr. Mingyang Song ScD:
Mingyang Song, MBBS, ScD is Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Nutrition and Faculty Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on two complementary areas: (1) integrating large-scale prospective cohort studies with biomarker-driven clinical trials to develop nutrition- and microbiome-based approaches for cancer prevention and treatment; and (2) combining electronic health records with molecular and spatial profiling to enable precision risk prediction and personalized colonoscopy screening and surveillance. Dr. Song has received numerous honors, including the NextGen Star Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Young Investigator Award from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition (OMN) Section at AGA, Statistics Associate Editor of Gut, Associate Editor of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), and Editor of the European Journal of Epidemiology.
20 Aug 2026
Molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer development, with Prof. Alberto Martin PhD
Professor Alberto Martin PhD explains how specific bacteria like pks+ E. coli contribute to colorectal cancer development through molecular mechanisms.
Who has been a guest on International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Alberto Martin
Georg Zeller
Cynthia L Sears
Anne Salonen
Christopher Stewart
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
34
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
81
Contact International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
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