Probiotics intake beneficial against infections in kids

Lactobacillus Acidophilus can decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections including rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and the common cold in children attending day care centers. The findings, which were published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found that the rate of absence from childcare centers due to infections was lower in children receiving the probiotic in comparison to those who were not.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 281 children attended day care centers in Zagreb, Croatia. The authors found that, compared to the placebo group, children in the probiotic group (probiotic powder put into milk) had a significantly reduced risk of upper respiratory tract, a reduced risk of respiratory tract infections lasting longer than three days, and a significantly lower number of days with respiratory symptoms. However, they noted that there was no risk reduction in regard to lower respiratory tract infections as a result of the consumption of the probiotic. And they found that children in the probiotic group had no significant reduction in the risk of gastrointestinal infections, vomiting episodes, and diarrheal episodes and no reduction in the number of days with gastrointestinal symptoms compared to the placebo cohort.

Bonnie - I would venture to say that these results were not as impressive as the Pediatrics study because the product was put in a milk. I would have liked to have seen them have some of the subjects take the probiotics alone.