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Probiotics and prebiotics in pediatric diarrheal disorders

Y Vandenplas1, Elisabeth De Greef, Bruno Hauser

  • 1Vrije Universiteit Brussel, UZ Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090 Brussels, Belgium. yvanvandenplas@uzbrussel.be

Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
|February 15, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Prebiotics and probiotics in infant formula show limited evidence of benefit, though they appear safe. While some probiotics aid in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea, overall efficacy for other conditions remains uncertain.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Microbiome Research
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Prebiotics and probiotics are added to infant formula for disease prevention, particularly diarrheal disorders.
  • Probiotic supplements and medications are commonly used for treating diarrheal disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent evidence on the use of prebiotics and probiotics in pediatrics.
  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of these supplements in infant formula and for treating diarrheal disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies indexed in PubMed and CINAHL.
  • Emphasis on recent review papers and evidence for specific probiotic strains.

Main Results:

  • Limited evidence supports the benefit of prebiotics/probiotics in infant formula.
  • Saccharomyces boulardii is the only probiotic strain widely registered as medication.
  • Some products show efficacy in reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea and acute infectious diarrhea duration by approximately 24 hours.

Conclusions:

  • While generally safe, the benefits of pre/probiotics in infant formula require more robust evidence.
  • Efficacy data for probiotics as food supplements is often limited to specific commercialized products.
  • Promising results exist for inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, but overall data is disappointing; a 'medical food' category is suggested.
Abstract

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