Scientist - News - 28-10-2008:
Contradictory results regarding eczema and probiotics
Beintema, Nienke
Two recently published studies reach opposite conclusions on the effect of probiotics on eczema. One meta-analysis shows no positive effect and cautions against side effects, while a second study reports a positive effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
Eczema is a skin condition characterised by an itchy red rash. It affects between 5 and 20% of people at some time in their life, and is most common among children. Previous research has shown that the gut microbiota of people with eczema differs from that of people without eczema, and that eczema is sometimes associated with gut inflammation. This has lead scientists to suggest that probiotics may modulate eczema by improving gut health.
Immunologists from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Parkville, Australia, conducted a meta-analysis of twelve scientific studies on the effect of different probiotics on eczema, involving a total 781 patients. They worked together with colleagues from the University of Nottingham, UK, and published their conclusions in the Cochrane Library.
This review found that none of the examined probiotics reduced the chance of developing eczema, nor did they change the overall severity of eczema judged by patients or their doctors. "The results varied between different trials," write the authors, "but overall they do not suggest that probiotics are an effective treatment for eczema." However, the authors note that further studies are needed, because different types of probiotics could possibly be more effective.
Meanwhile, the October issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology featured an article by New Zealand authors that is more promising for eczema patients. The researchers, from the Universities of Otago and Auckland, studied the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis on eczema. They conducted a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial among families at risk of allergic disease. 474 pregnant women were randomised to take one of these two probiotics, or placebo, daily from 35 weeks gestation until 6 months if breast-feeding. Their infants received the same treatment from birth to 2 years. The results showed that L. rhamnosus significantly reduced the risk of developing eczema, but this was not the case for B. animalis.
More information:
Australian/British study in the Cochrane Library
New Zealand study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
«BackContradictory results regarding eczema and probiotics
Beintema, Nienke
Two recently published studies reach opposite conclusions on the effect of probiotics on eczema. One meta-analysis shows no positive effect and cautions against side effects, while a second study reports a positive effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus.Eczema is a skin condition characterised by an itchy red rash. It affects between 5 and 20% of people at some time in their life, and is most common among children. Previous research has shown that the gut microbiota of people with eczema differs from that of people without eczema, and that eczema is sometimes associated with gut inflammation. This has lead scientists to suggest that probiotics may modulate eczema by improving gut health.
Immunologists from the Royal Children’s Hospital in Parkville, Australia, conducted a meta-analysis of twelve scientific studies on the effect of different probiotics on eczema, involving a total 781 patients. They worked together with colleagues from the University of Nottingham, UK, and published their conclusions in the Cochrane Library.
This review found that none of the examined probiotics reduced the chance of developing eczema, nor did they change the overall severity of eczema judged by patients or their doctors. "The results varied between different trials," write the authors, "but overall they do not suggest that probiotics are an effective treatment for eczema." However, the authors note that further studies are needed, because different types of probiotics could possibly be more effective.
Meanwhile, the October issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology featured an article by New Zealand authors that is more promising for eczema patients. The researchers, from the Universities of Otago and Auckland, studied the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis on eczema. They conducted a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial among families at risk of allergic disease. 474 pregnant women were randomised to take one of these two probiotics, or placebo, daily from 35 weeks gestation until 6 months if breast-feeding. Their infants received the same treatment from birth to 2 years. The results showed that L. rhamnosus significantly reduced the risk of developing eczema, but this was not the case for B. animalis.
More information:
Australian/British study in the Cochrane Library
New Zealand study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology