Probiotics Alleviate Eczema in Infants

Probiotics Alleviate Eczema in Infants

Infants who are fed the good bacteria Bifidobacterium as they are weaned are less likely to develop the skin disease, eczema, and the associated allergies.

In the past, researchers have linked an imbalance between beneficial and harmful bacteria in the large intestine with food allergies and inflammation.

In the current study, researchers randomized 21 breast-fed infants with early onset atopic eczema to two groups: one group was weaned on hydrolysed whey formula (EHF) supplemented with the probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis. Another group was weaned on the whey formula without the probiotic.

The infants who were not consuming the probiotic-supplemented whey formula were more likely to have bowels infested with higher concentrations of pathogenic bacteria, such as Escherichia coli. In these infants, the existence of the 'bad' bacteria was linked to impaired immune systems and the severity of eczema.

The researchers concluded that supplementation with Bifidobacterium (as in VRP's BioPro) appears to modify the microflora of the intestines in a manner that may alleviate allergic inflammation. They called for more studies to confirm this finding.

Reference:

Kirjavainen PV, Arvola T, Salminen SJ, Isolauri E. Aberrant composition of gut microbiota of allergic infants: a target of bifidobacterial therapy at weaning? Gut. 2002 Jul;51(1):51-5.