HYATTSVILLE, Md.—Daily intake of a fermented dairy drink containing the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 showed some promise in reducing overall incidence of illness, but was primarily driven by gastrointestinal (GI) infections, according to a study published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010;64:669–77).
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center conducted a double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled allocation concealment clinical trial in the Washington metropolitan area. A total of 638 children 3 to 6 years old in daycare/schools were intervened with a fermented dairy drink containing a specific probiotic strain or matching placebo with no live cultures for 90 consecutive days.
The rate of change of behavior because of illness was similar among active and control groups. However, the incidence rate for common infectious diseases (CIDs) in the active group (0.0782) was 19 percent lower than the control group (0.0986).
