Probiotics Prevent Cold Symptoms in Children

In a study sponsored by Danisco, the maker of probiotics products, researchers found daily dietary probiotic supplementation reduced the incidence of cold and flu symptoms in children. The study, “Randomized, Controlled Trial of Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children,” included 326 children ages 3 to 5 in a child care center in China. Twice a day for six months, one group of children received a single strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, one group received a combination of L acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bi-07, and a third group received a placebo. Compared to the placebo group, the single and combination probiotics reduced fever incidence by 53 percent and 72.7 percent respectively; coughing incidence by 41.4 percent and 62.1 percent; and runny nose incidence by 28.2 percent and 58.5 percent. Duration of symptoms and use of antibiotics were reduced in children receiving probiotics, and these children also missed fewer days of child care. The use of probiotics to treat acute illness was not evaluated in this study. The authors suggest that the potential of probiotics to prevent illness is especially relevant in light of recent advisories against the use of cough and cold medicines in young children.