A study suggests that infants born to mothers who have taken probiotics during pregnancy and infants who have been given the “good bacteria” supplements during their early lives may be at lower risk for allergies – but not asthma – than other babies.
Dr. Erick Forno, lead author of the study and acquainted with Children’s hospital of Pittsburg, wrote that physicians don’t normally recommend taking probiotics during pregnancy. They are neither against it. But even with the breakthrough, it is still early to change course.
Dr. Forno and his team made use of probiotics supplements in pill form during their trials. Participants of the study were asked to take probiotics during pregnancy or a year after birth for babies. Some were given daily doses of probiotic supplements, and some cases have taken more than daily, for a number of months to a year.
The study tracked via questionnaires handed to parents if kids will have allergies when exposed to common allergens like nuts or pollens and if they showed signs of asthma attack.
Since asthma and allergies both come out from hypersensitive immune responses, a number of trials have set out to assess the effect of probiotic supplements on those conditions.
Their findings revealed that infants exposed to probiotics while still in the womb and have taken probiotic supplements after birth displayed a 12 percent lower risk in having allergies than those infants in the other group. However, risk in having allergies didn’t show difference if infants were started on probiotics after birth only.
In an e-mail sent to Reuters Health, Dr. Forno stated that based on their findings, protective effect against allergies are acquired through probiotics, but there’s still much to learn before disseminating general advice to the public.
In general, probiotics are regarded harmless and studies have not found serious side effects, though it’s still unclear which certain microbes are good and at what dose.
