| Scientist - News - Febr. 2008: Pediatrics 121; 4. Randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of probiotics for primary prevention: no clinical effects of Lactobacillus GG supplementation. 2008 Kopp V., Hennemuth I., Heinzmann A., Urbanek R. The use of probiotics as primary prevention is controversial. Studies vary in design and products, therefore limiting comparability of the results. LGG is one of the most investigated probiotics at the moment and has shown good results for some indications. The purpose of this trial was to study the preventive effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus GG on the development of atopic dermatitis. Study design: 105 pregnant women from families with ≥1 member (mother, father, child) with an atopic disease were assigned to receive either LGG or placebo. 94 families completed the trail. Supplementation started 4-6 weeks before expected delivery, followed by a postnatal period of months. Primary end point was occurrence of atopic dermatitis at the age of 2 years. Results indicated that 28% of the children in the LGG group and 27.3% in the placebo group was diagnosed. Notably children with recurrent episodes of wheezing bronchitis were more frequent in the LGG group as compared to placebo (26% vs. 9.1% ; P = 0.03). No difference was seen in total immunoglobulin E concentrations or numbers of specific sensitization to inhalant allergens. The conclusion of the study is that the use of LGG during pregnancy and early infancy neither reduced the incidence of atopic dermatitis nor altered the severity of atopic dermatitis in affected children. The use of LGG was however associated with an increased rate of recurrent episodes of wheezing bronchitis. Therefore LGG cannot be generally recommended for primary prevention. This study again shows there is no specific strain that can work for everything. Specific strains or combinations of bacteria might be more suitable for specific problems. Research in that field is ongoing at the moment. Reviewed by Ivor Hidding «Back |