Against antibiotics with priobiotics, Health News, and HealthWorld

Washington DC, [USA]: A recent study has highlighted that the use of probiotics is directly related to reducing the need for antibiotic treatment in infants and children.

According to research compiled using results from 12 similar studies, infants and children were 29% less likely to have received antibiotics if they were receiving probiotics as a daily health supplement. When the analysis was repeated with studies of the highest quality, this percentage rose to 53.

"Given this finding, one way to reduce the use of antibiotics is to use probiotics on a regular basis," said Daniel Merenstein, principal investigator of the study.

"We already have evidence that the use of probiotics reduces the incidence, duration and severity of certain types of common acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. The question is whether this reduction is closely related to the decrease in antibiotics. Merenstein added.

Sarah King, lead author of the study, said, "More studies are needed at all ages, and especially among the elderly, to see if sustained use of probiotics is linked to an overall reduction in the number of prescriptions. antibiotics. huge impact on the use of probiotics in general medicine and consumers in general. "

"We do not know all the mechanisms that probiotic strains could use, but since most of the human immune system is found in the gastrointestinal tract, the ingestion of healthy bacteria can rule out bacterial pathogens linked to intestinal infections. "Added King.

The study is published in the European Journal of Public Health.