Gut microbiota plays important role in functional bowel disorders

(24 February 2013) An estimated 50 per cent of patients consulting a gastroenterologist suffer from functional bowel disorders (FBD), such as dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is characteristic for these conditions that underlying physiological mechanisms are hard to be found. "However, recent research shows that the gut microbiota is a likely candidate for filling some of the gaps in the causal chain leading to FBD," says Professor Fernando Azpiroz, Chairman of the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of the European Society of Neurogastroenterology & Motility (ESNM). Further information on this issue — ¬one of three topics to be presented at Tuesday's online press conference on the occasion of the 2nd World Summit "Gut Microbiota For Health" in Madrid, Spain — can be found at http://bit.ly/SUN24PR.

World-leading experts will inform about the gut microbiota's impact on health during an online press conference on Tuesday, 26 February 2013, 8 a.m. ET (14.00-5.30 h CET), moderated by UK media medic Dr Mark Porter, best known for his television and radio work for the BBC. The following questions will be dealt with:

In what way does the gut microbiota influence functional bowel disorders?
Speaker: Prof. Fernando Azpiroz, Barcelona, Spain Can faecal microbiota transplantation be used to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection?
Speaker: Prof. Lawrence Brandt, New York, USA The gut–brain axis: can probiotics have a positive effect on mental health?
Speaker: Prof. Emeran Mayer, Los Angeles, USA

Attend the press conference from your office If you would like to attend, please write an email to gutmicrobiota@impressum.de. The online press conference will be held in English. Details on how to access the press conference will be sent to you after your registration.

### For further information on the summit programme, please refer to the following website: http://presscorner.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/scientific-information/program.

About the Gut Microbiota For Health Experts Exchange website The www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com Experts Exchange, provided by the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM, is an online platform for health-care professionals, scientists, and other people interested in the field. Thanks to being an open, independent and participatory medium, this digital service enables a scientific debate in the field of gut microbiota.

Connected to www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com, the Twitter account @GMFHx, animated by experts, for experts from the medical and scientific community, actively contributes to the online exchanges about the gut microbiota. Follow @GMFHx on Twitter. Join the event on #GMFH2013

About the Gut Microbiota & Health Section of ESNM ESNM stands for the European Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, a member of United European Gastroenterology (UEG). The mission of the ESNM is to defend the interests of all professionals in Europe involved in the study of neurobiology and pathophysiology of gastrointestinal function. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section was set up to increase recognition of the links between the gut microbiota and human health, to spread knowledge and to raise interest in the subject. The Gut Microbiota & Health Section is open to professionals, researchers, and practitioners from all fields related to gut microbiota and health. www.esnm.eu/gut_health/gut_micro_health.php?navId=68

About the AGA The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include more than 16,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programmes of the organisation. www.gastro.org

About Danone Dairy and Gut Microbiota For Health Danone's conviction is that food plays an essential role in human health namely through the impact that gut microbiota may have on health. That is why Danone Dairy supports the Gut Microbiota For Health World Summit and Experts Exchange web platform with the aim to encourage research and increase knowledge in this promising area, in line with its mission to "bring health through food to as many people as possible.