ProbioKid® Boosts Immune, Respiratory Health

MONTREALThe results of a randomized study published in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory found  a three-month supplementation with ProbioKid® from Institut Rosell-Lallemand , a synbiotic preparation, can decrease the risk of occurrence of common infectious diseases in children and limits the risk of school day loss (2010;4(5):271-8).

The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study was conducted in young school-age children (3 to 7 years old) during a winter period. Participants were otherwise healthy children who suffered from at least three episodes of ear, nose and throat (ENT), respiratory tract or gastrointestinal illness during the previous winter. They were supplemented daily with either a synbiotic preparation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Bifidobacterium infantis R0033, Bifidobacterium bifidum R0071, and fructooligosaccharide) or a matched placebo for three months. Over this period, all emergent health episodes of any type were recorded by parents in a diary. They were checked by investigators at regular monthly visits. The main study outcome was the percentage of children free of any episode during the study course.

Researchers randomized 135 children to the synbiotic group (n=62) or placebo (n=73) group. At least one illness episode was reported in 32 children in the synbiotic group and 50 in the placebo group (51.6 percent versus 68.5 percent). This corresponded to a significant 25 percent relative risk reduction. This difference was due to a decrease in the number of children who suffered from at least one ENT, respiratory tract or gastrointestinal disorder (50 percent with synbiotic versus 67.1 percent with placebo; P=0.044). At least one sickness school day loss was noted in 25.8 percent of children with the synbiotic as compared with 42.5 percent with placebo (P=0.043). No treatment related side effects were detected in either group.