Abstract

The consumption of functional foods has been growing worldwide, motivating the development of beneficial foods for consumers. Based on this, we highlight the probiotic functional foods that, containing the appropriate concentration of microorganisms, are beneficial to the host organism. Thus, probiotic cheeses are considered relevant because of their pH range that are ideal for probiotics, usually between 5.5 to 6, and high water concentration, when compared to other dairy products, such as yoghurts and fermented milks. In this sense, research has been carried out on the benefits of consuming probiotic functional foods for people with diabetes. Thus, from the consumption of probiotic foods, this bibliographic review highlights positive aspects for diabetic consumers, such as the decrease in body fat, the decrease in cholesterol and the improvement of skeletal muscle. However, to obtain more satisfactory results, the journals consulted highlight the need to combine physical activities with the consumption of probiotic foods together with whole grains, in a sugar-restricted diet.

Keywords

functional foods, probiotics, diabetes, cheeses