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Efficacy of probiotics in preventing atopic dermatitis in infants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Tianli Wei1, Yingxue Ding1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.

The Journal of International Medical Research
|July 30, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Probiotic supplementation in infants does not prevent atopic dermatitis. Current evidence does not support routine use for prevention, as benefits seen in other studies involved maternal and infant regimens.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Microbiome Research
  • Preventive Medicine

Background:

  • Probiotic modulation of infant gut microbiota is explored for atopic dermatitis prevention.
  • Existing evidence on probiotics for preventing atopic dermatitis in infants is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials on probiotic supplementation in infants (0-36 months) for atopic dermatitis prevention.
  • To assess the clinical relevance and efficacy of infant-only probiotic use.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library up to January 2026.
  • Inclusion of randomized controlled trials in infants aged 0-36 months comparing probiotics to placebo or no intervention.
  • Risk of bias assessment using Cochrane risk of bias 2 tool and random-effects meta-analysis.

Main Results:

  • Eighteen randomized controlled trials with 10,195 participants were analyzed.
  • No significant protective effect of probiotics against atopic dermatitis was found (Risk Ratio = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.72-1.25).
  • Substantial heterogeneity (I² = 72.8%) was observed; sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness, and no publication bias was detected.

Conclusions:

  • Current evidence does not support routine probiotic supplementation solely during infancy for atopic dermatitis prevention.
  • Positive effects in prior meta-analyses may stem from perinatal (maternal-plus-infant) regimens, not infant-only supplementation.
  • Infant-only probiotic supplementation has not demonstrated consistent preventive benefits for atopic dermatitis.

Keywords:
Atopic dermatitisinfantsmeta-analysispreventionprobioticssystematic review

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