08.20.10
Two recently published studies indicate the potential of probiotics to relieve colic in infants and diarrhea in children.
The first study, published in the journal Pediatrics, concluded that Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri DSM 17 938) improved symptoms of infantile colic and was well tolerated and safe in early breastfed infants at a dose of 108 colony-forming units per day. Gut microbiota changes induced by the probiotic could be involved in the observed clinical improvement, researchers said.
This study randomly assigned 50 exclusively breastfed colicky infants, diagnosed according to modified Wessel's criteria, to receive either L reuteri DSM 17 938 or placebo daily for 21 days. Parental questionnaires monitored daily crying time and adverse effects. Stool samples were collected for microbiologic analysis.
Forty-six infants (L. reuteri group: 25; placebo group: 21) completed the trial. Daily crying times in minutes/day (median [interquartile range]) were 370 (120) vs. 300 (150) (P = .127) on day 0 and 35 (85) vs 90 (148) (P = .022) on day 21, in the L. reuteri and placebo groups, respectively.
Responders (50% reduction in crying time from baseline) were significantly higher in the L. reuteri group vs. placebo group on days 7 (20 vs. 8; P = .006), 14 (24 vs. 13; P = .007), and 21 (24 vs. 15; P = .036). During the study, there was a significant increase in fecal lactobacilli (P = .002) and a reduction in fecal Escherichia coli and ammonia in the L. reuteri group only (P = .001). There were no differences in weight gain, stooling frequency or incidence of constipation or regurgitation between groups, and no adverse events related to the supplementation were observed.
In the second study, researchers found that daily intake of Yakult was efficacious in reducing the incidence of acute diarrhea in young children. The study was published in Epidemiology and Infection.
This double-blind, randomized, controlled field trial involving 3585 children between ages 1 and 5 was carried out in Kolkata, India. The participating children were given either "Yakult" or a placebo drink daily for 12 weeks to observe the incidence of acute diarrhea and pathogenic microbes in the stool.
Results showed the proportion of children suffering from diarrhea was significantly lower in the Yakult group (608 out of 1802) compared to the placebo group (674 out of 1783). Moreover, the incidence of diarrhea was lower in the Yakult group (0.88/child/year) compared to the placebo group (1.029/child/year). Analysis of pathogenic bacterial, viral and parasitic agents in the children with diarrhea resulted in the lower detection rate of Aeromonas spp and Cryptosporidium spp in the Yakult group compared to the placebo group.
