Table 1.
Main features and results of studies investigating active supplementation of pre- and probiotics.
| References | Study design | Population | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre- and probiotics and asthma/wheezing | |||
| (9) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
184 high-risk infants supplemented in the first 6 months of life |
Early LGG supplementation does not prevent the development of asthma at 2 years of age |
| (10) | Randomized double-blind controlled trial |
253 infants at risk for allergy, supplemented in the first 6 months of life | At the age of 5 years, in children who had developed asthma, there were no significant differences between the groups supplemented or not |
| (11) | Randomized double-blind controlled trial |
231 newborns of women with allergy, supplemented for the first 6 months of life | The rate of wheezing was significantly higher in the probiotic group in the second 6 months of life |
| (12) | Randomized double-blind controlled trial |
153 newborns of women with allergy, supplemented in the first 6 months of life | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 2.5 years |
| (13) | Randomized double-blind controlled trial |
178 infants with atopic mothers, supplemented in the first 6 months of life | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 5 years |
| (14) | Randomized controlled trial |
75 infants with atopic dermatitis, supplemented in the first 6 months of life | The prevalence of frequent wheezing and the number of children treated with asthma medication was significantly lower in the synbiotic than in the placebo group |
| (15) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
171 children <13 months of life, supplemented from the 4th to the 13th month of life | No long-term effect in infants supplemented with probiotics on development of asthma |
| (16) | Randomized controlled trial |
1,223 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 36gw (mothers) to 6 months of life (infants) | The lifetime prevalence of asthma was similar in the probiotic and placebo groups |
| (17) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
232 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 36gw (mothers) to 12 months of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic group and control group in the rate of wheeze at 2 years |
| (18) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
1,223 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 36gw (mothers) to 6 months of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 5 years |
| (19) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
131 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 36gw (mothers) to 6 months of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 5 years |
| (20) | Randomized controlled trial |
425 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 35gw (mothers) to 6 months of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 4 years |
| (8) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
1,223 mother-infant pairs, supplemented from 36gw (mothers) to 6 months of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma at 13 years |
| (21) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
171 infants, supplemented in the first 6 months of life | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of wheezing |
| (22) | Randomized controlled trial |
83 pregnant women with a positive family history of allergic disease, supplemented during pregnancy (mothers) to the first year of life (infants) | No differences in probiotic and control group in the rate of asthma |
| Pre- and probiotics and RTI | |||
| (23) | Randomized double blind controlled trial |
203 children, aged 6-36 months, supplemented for 90 days | Use of the probiotic strains BB-12 and L3 statistically reduced the risk of URTIs in healthy children |
| (24) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
188 infants, supplemented from 6 to 16 months of life | Administration of a formula with probiotics may be useful for the prevention of community-acquired and upper RTI |
| (25) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
81 infants, supplemented for the first 12 months of life | Probiotics may offer a safe means of reducing the risk of early acute otitis media and antibiotic use and the risk of recurrent RTI during the first year of life |
| (26) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
109 infants, supplemented for the first year of life | The infants receiving BB-12 were reported to have experienced fewer RTI than the control infants |
| (27) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
109 infants, supplemented for the first 2 years of life | The infants receiving BB-12 were reported to have experienced fewer RTI than the control infants |
| (28) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
224 children, supplemented from 7 to 13 months of life | The pro- and prebiotics included in follow-up formula do not reduce the risk of AOM, recurrent AOM, antibiotic use or lower RTI at 1 year |
| (29) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
43 infants, aged 4-46 months, supplemented for 4 months | No significant differences regarding the number of episodes of AOM in the active group and in the placebo group |
| (30) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial |
201 infants, aged 4-10 months of life, supplemented for 12 weeks | Rate and duration of respiratory illnesses did not differ significantly between groups |