The gut microbiome is being more widely recognized for its association with 
positive health outcomes, including those distant to the gastrointestinal 
system. This has given the ability to maintain and restore microbial homeostasis 
a new significance. Prebiotic compounds are appealing for this purpose as they 
are generally food-grade substances only degraded by microbes, such as 
bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, from which beneficial short-chain fatty acids 
are produced. Saccharides such as inulin and other fructo-oligosaccharides, 
galactooligosaccharides, and polydextrose have been widely used to improve 
gastrointestinal outcomes, but they appear to also influence distant sites. This 
review examined the effects of prebiotics on bone strength, neural and cognitive 
processes, immune functioning, skin, and serum lipid profile. The mode of action 
is in part affected by intestinal permeability and by fermentation products 
reaching target cells. As the types of prebiotics available diversify, so too 
will our understanding of the range of microbes able to degrade them, and the 
extent to which body sites can be impacted by their consumption.