Contribution of the system of “Foods with Function Claims” to the industrial use and research of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in Japan

The “Foods with Function Claims” system is a notification system that allows health claims to be labeled on products. Businesses have taken advantage of this system to promote research on lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. As a result, more than 40 strains of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are currently granted health claims under this system. This review comprehensively presents the health functions and mechanisms of these lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. To promote health claims, confirmation of effects in human clinical trials and estimation of their mechanisms are required as evidence. The accumulation of such concrete evidence is considered important to elucidate this complex and influential interaction. From these perspectives, the “Foods with Function Claims” system is considered to make an important contribution to their industrial use as well as to elucidating the roles of microorganisms in their hosts.