Abstract and Introduction
Abstract
Infant formulae and food products marketed for children have been increasingly supplemented with probiotics and/or prebiotics. A vast number of studies have accounted for the transit of probiotic use from alternative to more evidence-based medicine. Data support the use of certain probiotics for the adjunct treatment of acute viral gastroenteritis, and for prevention of gastrointestinal diseases. Further roles of prebiotics and probiotics are seen in the prevention of overall infectious diseases and respiratory infections. Data from well-conducted randomized-controlled trials support the therapeutic role for probiotics toward necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. However, it is difficult to translate heterogeneous-based study results, which are mainly due to varying genera, strains, doses, study settings and measured outcomes, into evidence-based recommendations. This article focuses on the evidence of clinical benefits of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics toward prevention and treatment of pediatric infectious diseases.
Introduction
In the last decade, infant formulae and food products marketed for children have been increasingly supplemented with probiotics, prebiotics, or with the combination of both, synbiotics. Distribution and use of such products seem to be ahead of our basic understanding of how probiotics work and of what long-term impact they have on modulation of our gut microbiota. Also, interpretation and extrapolation of data is limited, mostly due to a high heterogeneity of clinical studies with regard to varying genera, strains, doses, study settings and measured outcomes. Nevertheless, with an increasing number of well-conducted clinical studies, the body of evidence for or against the use of probiotics and prebiotics is growing. This article will focus on the evidence of clinical benefits of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics toward prevention and treatment of pediatric infectious diseases.