Probiotic milk may help prevent common childhood infectionsMay 30, 2001Probiotic milk (milk containing bacteria that colonise the intestine and stimulate antibody production) may slightly reduce respiratory infections among children attending day care centres, finds a study in this week's BMJ. These findings suggest that these bacteria may help prevent common infections, particularly in high risk children. Over a seven month winter period, 571 children attending day care centres in Helsinki, Finland received milk with or without the probiotic bacteria strain Lactobacillus GG. During the study, parents recorded any respiratory symptoms (fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, chest wheezes, earache) gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach ache) and absences from the day care centre. Although there were no significant differences between the groups in the number of days with respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, the actual number of days with symptoms was lower in the Lactobacillus group. Children in the Lactobacillus group also had fewer days of absence because of illness and required less antibiotic treatment. Although encouraging, we do not yet have a final answer on whether probiotics are sufficiently effective in preventing common childhood diseases that they can be routinely recommended, writes Professor Christine Wanke of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, USA. However, she concludes: "the accumulating data suggest that these organisms may help prevent both respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases in children at increased risk of such infections, such as those in day care facilities or living in developing countries." British Medical Journal (BMJ) |
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