TABLE 1.
Characteristics of individual studies included in meta-analysis1
| First author, year (ref) | Location | Participants | n | Outcome(s) | Treatment duration | Probiotic(s) | Prebiotics | Administration form | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synbiotics vs. control | |||||||||
| Auinger, 2013 (24) | Germany | Adults | 162 | Common cold infections | 16 wk | Saccharomyces cerevisiae | (1,3)-(1,6)-β-Glucan | Capsule | 19% less RTI incidences, no significant improvement in severity |
| Cazzola, 2010 (25) | France | 3- to 7-y-old children | 135 | Winter diseases | 3 mo | Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium bifidum | FOS | Dissolved powder | 25% risk reduction in winter diseases |
| Cohen, 20132 (26) | France | 7- to 13-mo-old infants | 224 | AOM, LRTIs, antibiotic treatment | 12 mo | Streptococcus thermophilus, Streptococcus salivarius, Lactobacillus rhamnosus | Raftilose/raftiline | Infant formula | No significant effects |
| Gerasimov, 2016 (23) | Ukraine | 3- to 12-y-old children | 240 | Acute RTIs | 2 wk | Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis | FOS | Dissolved powder | No significant effects on incidences, reduced severity scores, and time to resolution |
| Kukkonen, 2008 (15) | Finland | Newborns | 1018 | RTIs, antibiotic uses | 6 mo | Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve, Propionibacterium freudenreichii | GOS | Capsule | Reduced RTIs (OR: 0.49) after, but not during, intervention |
| Panigrahi, 20172 (27) | India | Newborns | 4556 | LRTIs, sepsis, meningitis | 7 d | Lactobacillus plantarum | FOS | Capsule | 40% reduced risk of sepsis and death; 34% risk reduction in LRTI |
| Pregliasco, 2008a (21) | NR | Adults | 237 | RTIs | 90 d | Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium lactis | FOS | Dissolved powder | Reduced duration of RTIs by 0.97 d, reduced episodes and severity |
| Pregliasco, 2008b (21) | NR | Adults | 234 | RTIs | 90 d | Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus,Bifidobacterium lactis | FOS | Dissolved powder | Reduced duration of RTIs by 0.97 d, reduced episodes and severity |
| Pregliasco, 2008c (21) | NR | Adults | 250 | RTIs | 90 d | Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus,Bifidobacterium lactis | FOS and GOS | Dissolved powder | Reduced duration of RTIs by 0.97 d, reduced episodes and severity |
| Sazawal, 2010 (28) | India | 1- to 3-y-old children | 624 | Pneumonia, common childhood diseases | 1 y | Bifidobacterium lactis | Oligosaccharides | Infant formula | 24% reduction in pneumonia, 35% reduction in severe acute LRTIs |
| Picaud, 20103 (29) | France | Infants | 771 | RTIs, infections, antibiotic uses | 3 mo | Bifidobacterium longum,Streptococcus thermophilus | FOS | Infant formula | No significant effects on RTIs, reduced GI and overall infections |
| Puccio, 2007 (30) | Italy | Healthy infants | 138 | Weight gain, GI tolerability, RTIs | 112 d | Bifidobacterium longum | FOS and GOS | Infant formula | A nonsignificant trend of LRTI incidences (28% vs. 43%) by synbiotics compared with control |
| Xuan, 20132 (31) | Vietnam | 18- to 36-mo-old children | 368 | URTIs, LRTIs | 5 mo | Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium longum | Inulin + FOS | Follow-on formula | No significant effects |
| Synbiotic vs. probiotic | |||||||||
| Bocquet, 20132 (32) | France | Newborns | 528 | RTIs, infections, antibiotic uses | 11 mo | Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis | GOS + FOS | Milk formula | No significant effects |
| Synbiotic vs. prebiotic | |||||||||
| Gil-Campos, 2012 (33) | Spain | 1-mo-old infants | 137 | RTIs, antibiotic uses | 6 mo | Lactobacillus fermentum | GOS | Infant formula | No significant effects |
| Maldonado, 2010 (34) | Spain | 6-mo-old infants | 188 | RTIs, other infections | 6 mo | Lactobacillus fermentum | GOS | Follow-on formula | Reduced rates of RTIs, URTIs; no significant effects on LRTIs or otitis |
| Szajewska, 20172 (35) | Poland | Infants | 182 | RTIs | 5 mo | Lactobacillus F19 | FOS + GOS | Infant formula | 66% risk reduction in LRTIs |
| Vlieger, 2009 (22) | Netherlands | Newborns | 126 | URTIs, antibiotic uses | 3 mo | Bifidobacterium BB-12, Lactobacillus paracasei | GOS | Infant formula | No significant effects |
1
AOM, acute otitis media; FOS, fructo-oligosaccharides; GI, gastrointestinal; GOS, galacto-oligosaccharides; LRTI, lower respiratory tract infection; NR, not reported; Ref, reference; RTI, respiratory tract infection; URTI, upper respiratory tract infection.
2
Multicenter study.
3
Open-label study.