Baby eat probiotics to prevent allergic diseases?

▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor The gastrointestinal tract is the largest immune organ in the human body, and gut microbes are one of the key factors in the human immune defense system
.

A newborn's immune system is not yet fully functional
.

Several studies have pointed out that exposure to antigens (specific strains of probiotics) during infancy can promote the development of the intestinal mucosal immune system, stimulate and modulate the immune response, and maintain the stability of the immune system
.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic rod-shaped microorganism and one of the most common lactobacilli in infant feeding
.

At present, Lactobacillus rhamnosus has been included in the "List of Microorganisms with Recorded History of Safe Use in Foods"
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Numerous studies have reported that feeding Lactobacillus rhamnosus to infants from birth is safe and well-tolerated, and may also prevent eczema in children
.

A recent study published in Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, came to the opposite conclusion
.

The study found that administering a probiotic supplement [Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG)] to high-risk infants during the first 6 months of life was not effective in reducing the incidence of eczema, asthma or rhinitis in later childhood
.

Screenshot source: Pediatrics This study is an analysis based on another randomized, double-blind controlled trial (TIPS study)
.

To investigate the association between taking probiotics during the first 6 months of life and later development of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in children, the researchers included 184 high-risk neonates
.

At least one of the parents of these newborns had a history of asthma
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The researchers then randomly assigned all participants to 2 groups: the intervention group (n=92): each infant received 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU) of LGG and 225 mg of chrysanthemum per day for the first 6 months of life inulin; control group (n=92): each infant received only 325 mg of inulin
.

The primary outcome was the incidence of eczema within 2 years of participants' birth, and the secondary outcomes were the incidence of asthma and allergic rhinitis within 5 years of participants
.

After a median follow-up of 4.
6 years, the researchers found that at age 2 years, the estimated cumulative incidence of eczema was 30.
9% in the control group and 28.
7% in the intervention group, with no significant difference in risk between the two groups (HR=0.
95, P= At 5 years, the cumulative incidence of asthma was 17.
4% in the control group and 9.
7% in the intervention group, with no significant difference in risk between the two groups (HR=0.
88, P=0.
25)
.

After seven years of follow-up, a significant number of participants were still in the study, 49 in the intervention group and 54 in the control group
.

Of all participants, a total of 78 were diagnosed with eczema, 32 with asthma and 15 with rhinitis
.

The incidence of eczema is high in infancy and low in childhood; the incidence of asthma and rhinitis is stable throughout childhood
.

The researchers also compared the relationship between mode of delivery and the duration of the child's breastfeeding and outcomes, and found that cesarean delivery was associated with a 233%, but not statistically significant, increase in the incidence of rhinitis (HR=3.
33, 95%CI: 1.
21).
~9.
21)
.

Image source: The 123RF paper pointed out that for high-risk infants, supplementation with LGG in the first 6 months of life does not appear to prevent the incidence of eczema, asthma or rhinitis in children; however, no significant side effects of LGG supplementation were found in the study
.

Jonathan Spergel, Ph.
D.
, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said: "The study of probiotics in allergic disease is complex and depends on many factors, such as the environment in which the child grows, including exposure to pets and pollution, and whether the child was born vaginally or not.
Cesarean section, etc.

This
interesting study shows that there are multiple factors to consider in preventing allergies
.

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