Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, which is beneficial to the regulation of human health. Its growth ability and activity are affected by external conditions. Growth promoting-factor is a kind of substance which can promote the growth and reproduction of microorganism and can be used to effectively increase the quantity and activity of lactic acid bacteria. In this paper, we review the relationship between lactic acid bacteria growth promoting-factors and prebiotics, as well as their sources, classes and mechanisms of action, and look forward to their future development, in order to provide a reference for the application of growth-promoting factors in the lactic acid bacteria industry.