'Prebiotic' reduces risk of eczema in infants
Adding a supplement to infant formula that encourages the growth
of beneficial intestinal bacteria lowers the chances of high-risk babies developing
eczema, an international team of researchers report.
"Using this "prebiotic" boosts the development of an immature immune system, the
scientists explained, and that can help prevent allergies. Human breast milk contains
natural prebiotics.
In the study, researchers made an infant formula based on the prebiotic content
of human breast milk, and tested it on a group of high-risk babies. At least one
parent of each child had a history of eczema, hay fever or asthma. The study was
published in the July 26 online issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Infants who develop eczema are likely to develop other allergies as they age. In
fact, 75 percent of infants who have eczema go on to develop hay fever, and half
of those will go on to develop asthma.
The infants were placed into two groups: 102 were given a prebiotic formula, and
104 were given a normal formula.
Over six months, 10 babies receiving the prebiotic formula developed eczema, compared
with 24 who received the normal formula.
"Although further studies are needed to understand completely the mechanism behind
the immune-modulating effect of the studied prebiotics, the data support the potential
role of prebiotics as dietary manipulation for primary allergy prevention during
infancy," the study authors concluded.
The study, done by German, Italian and Dutch researchers, was partially funded by
Numico Research Friedrichsdorf, a subsidiary of the Numico infant nutrition food
company.
One expert thinks the use of prebiotics to prevent infant allergies will continue
to grow, but he cautions that more research is needed before this approach is proven.
"This study demonstrates for the first time that prebiotics given to human infants
decreases the likelihood of atopic dermatitis," said Dr. Martin G. Martin, a professor
of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at Mattel Children's Hospital at the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Martin noted the prebiotic was given to children who were at high risk for developing
eczema. However, most infants who develop eczema do not have a family history of
the disease or of any allergies, he said.
"It would be nice to look at the broader population, where 80 percent have no family
history of allergies," Martin said. "It would be nice to see if these prebiotics
have the same beneficial effects in this group."
Prebiotics may be the wave of the future in preventing childhood allergies, Martin
said. "But these results need to be repeated to see if this first observation is
true," he said. It remains to be seen if using prebiotics to prevent eczema also
prevents hay fever and asthma from developing, Martin added."