Table 2.
Randomized controlled trials on prebiotics/probiotics and LCPUFA supplementation for the prevention of childhood wheezing/asthma.
| Authors, Years | Population (N), characteristics | Time of exposure | Interventions | Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prebiotics Probiotics |
Arslanoglu et al. (59) |
134, high-risk infants | Postnatal | 8 g/L scGOS/lcFOS vs. placebo during the first 6 months of life |
Allergic manifestations and infections during the first 2 years of life |
| Niele et al. (60) | 113, preterm infants | Postnatal | prebiotic mixture of 80% scGOS/lcFOS and 20% pAOS vs. placebo between days 3 and 30 of life |
Allergic manifestations and infections during the first year of life | |
| Peldan et al. (61) |
1,223, pregnant women and their offspring | Pre and postnatal | mixed of LGG, L. rhamnosus LC705, Bifidobacterium breve Bb99 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS vs. placebo (prebiotics) twice daily from 36 weeks of gestation until delivery and in infants daily for the first 6 months of life |
Allergic manifestations during the first 10 years of life | |
| LCPUFA | Dunstan et al. (62) |
98, pregnant atopic women | Prenatal | 3.7 g n-3 PUFAs vs. placebo daily from 20 weeks of gestation until delivery |
Allergy, including asthma at 1 year of age |
| Bisgaard et al. (63) |
736, pregnant women | Prenatal | 2.4 g n-3 LCPUFA (fish oil) vs. placebo (olive oil) daily from 24 weeks of gestation until delivery |
Persistent asthma and wheezing at 5 years of age | |
| Olsen et al. (64) |
533, pregnant women | Prenatal | 2.7 g n-3 PUFAs vs. capsules with olive oil vs. no oil capsules from 30 weeks of gestation until delivery |
Asthma at 16 years of age | |
| D'Vaz et al. (65) |
420, high-risk infants | Postnatal | 280 mg docosahexaenoic acid and 110 mg eicosapentaenoic acid vs. placebo (olive oil) from birth to age 6 months |
Eczema, food allergy and asthma at 1 year of age | |
| Mihrshahi et al. (66) |
376, high-risk infants | Postnatal | tuna fish oil and omega-3-rich margarine and cooking oils vs. placebo (polyunsaturated margarine and cooking oils) from 6 months of life (or at the start of formula feeding) |
Allergic sensitization and asthma/wheezing at 18 months of age | |
| Marks et al. (67) |
516, high-risk children | Postnatal | House dust mite avoidance (mattress cover) vs. placebo Dietary fatty acid modification (see (66)) vs. placebo |
Asthma, allergic sensitization and eczema at 5 years of age |
Cfu, colony forming units; lcFOS, longchain fructo oligosaccharides; LCPUFA, omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; scGOS, short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides; pAOS, pectin-derived acidic oligosaccharides.