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When children catch a stomach virus, they are increasingly treated with probiotics in the hope of improving the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. But rigorous new research reveals that commonly used probiotics do not seem to benefit young children with intestinal infections.
Two large studies – one conducted in the United States and one in Canada – found that preschool children with gastroenteritis had similar symptoms and recovery period, which Whether they have received probiotics or not.
"Because of the popularity of probiotics, it was important to make sure that their use was worth it," said Dr. David Schnadower, pediatric emergency physician, who led the study. American study at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A declaration. "In this case, the probiotics bring no measurable benefit and therefore are not worth the extra cost." [Don’t Be Fooled: 5 Probiotics Myths]
Both studies were published Nov. 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Do probiotics really help?
Gastroenteritis – or intestinal inflammation caused by infections with viruses, bacteria or parasites – is a common condition in young children. It represents approximately 1.7 million pediatric emergency room visits in the United States each year.
Some studies suggest that probiotics, or "good bacteria," may help children with gastroenteritis, but many of these studies were small and not rigorously designed, the researchers said.
In the new US study, nearly 1,000 children with gastroenteritis were randomized to receive either probiotics lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or placebo for five days. The children were between the ages of 3 months and 4 years, and visited the emergency department for symptoms of gastroenteritis, which may include loose stools, vomiting and diarrhea. The study took place in hospitals in 10 US cities.
The study was "double blind", which means that neither the patients (nor the parents of the children in this case) nor the researchers knew whether the children had received the probiotic or the placebo.
During the two-week study, children in the probiotic group achieved about the same results as children in the placebo group. For example, in both groups, symptoms of diarrhea disappeared after two days and children missed about two days of child care.
"We tested many different scenarios – comparing infants to young children, if the patient had taken antibiotics, if gastroenteritis was caused by a virus or bacteria, and how long the diarrhea had occurred before treatment, "said Schnadower, now senior academic director of the division of emergency medicine at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "Each time we came to the same conclusion …[the probiotic] did not help. "
The Canadian study, which was similar in design to that of the United States and involved nearly 900 preschool children, also showed no benefit for another common probiotic containing two strains of bacteria, Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052.
The researchers found that they relied on parents' reports about children's symptoms and that even though they had a journal to record their symptoms, the researchers could not rule out the possibility that some of these reports are not entirely accurate.
The results can not be generalized to all probiotics on the market. But the results add to recent research questioning the benefits of probiotics. For example, a recent study has shown that some people's intestines appear to be resistant to probiotics, which means that bacteria can not live properly or "colonize" their intestines. But some conditions and population groups may benefit from some probiotics, said the Canadian team.
Originally published on Science live.
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