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Reduced occurrence of early atopic dermatitis because of immunoactive prebiotics among low-atopy-risk infants

Christoph Grüber1, Margriet van Stuijvenberg, Fabio Mosca

  • 1Department of Pediatric Pneumology and Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. christoph.grueber@charite.de

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|September 14, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Supplementing infant formula with specific oligosaccharides helped prevent atopic dermatitis in low-risk infants. This prebiotic formula intervention reduced the occurrence of eczema in the first year of life.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Immunology
  • Nutrition

Background:

  • Atopic dermatitis (eczema) affects many infants, but primary prevention is challenging.
  • Most infants who develop atopic dermatitis have a low initial risk for atopy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of infant formula supplemented with prebiotic and immunoactive oligosaccharides on atopic dermatitis incidence.
  • Assessing the efficacy of specific oligosaccharide mixtures in preventing eczema in the first year of life.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving healthy term infants across five European countries.
  • Infants were assigned to receive either a prebiotic-enhanced formula or a standard formula.
  • Breast-fed infants served as a reference group.

Main Results:

  • Atopic dermatitis occurred in significantly fewer infants receiving the prebiotic formula (5.7%) compared to the control group (9.7%).
  • The incidence of atopic dermatitis in the prebiotic group was comparable to the lower range observed in breast-fed infants.
  • Cox regression analysis indicated a 44% reduction in atopic dermatitis rates with prebiotic supplementation.

Conclusions:

  • Supplementation of infant formula with a specific oligosaccharide mixture effectively prevents atopic dermatitis in infants with low atopy risk.
  • Prebiotic-enhanced formula represents a viable strategy for primary prevention of eczema.
Abstract

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