Probiotic supplementation during the first 6 months of life does not reduce the incidence of eczema or asthma later in childhood, according to the randomized controlled study. At 2 years of age, 68 children had eczema. At 5 years, 27 had asthma. It was thought that probiotic supplementation during infancy could affect immune system development and reduce the risk of allergic diseases, particularly eczema and asthma, later in childhood.
“However, our results do not support the use of early-life LGG [ Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG] probiotic supplementation for the prevention of asthma or eczema in children at high risk,” said the researchers. The trial involved 184 newborns who were randomized to a daily dose of 10 billion colony-forming units of LGG and 225 mg of inulin (n=92) or 325 mg of inulin alone (n=92) for 6 months and followed for up to 6 years. All newborns had at least one…
