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Food and health

Role of short-term use of L. acidophilus DDS-1 and B. lactis UABLA-12 in acute respiratory infections in children: a randomized controlled trial

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 463–469 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Evidence suggests that the long-term consumption of probiotics may help in reducing the incidence of or modifying acute respiratory infection (ARI). We assessed the role of the short-term use of probiotics in ARI in children.

Subjects/Methods:

This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled study that enrolled 315 children with 90 dropouts. On the first day of appearance of a sick household member, otherwise healthy children of both sexes aged 3–12 years were allocated to receive Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 and Bifidobacterium lactis UABLA-12 (Up4-Junior) in a dose of 5 billion colony-forming units daily with 50 mg of fructooligosaccharide (the probiotic group) or rice maltodexrin (the control group). Test supplementation and follow-up lasted for 2 weeks or until the end of the secondary ARI in a child. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of ARI. Time to resolution and the severity of ARI served the secondary outcome measures.

Results:

In all, 64 of 113 children in the probiotic group (57%) and 73 of 112 children in the control group (65%) developed ARI (P=0.261). Time to resolution of the secondary ARI was shorter in the probiotic group (5.0 (interquartile range (IQR): 4.0–6.0) vs 7.0 (IQR: 6.0–8.0) days, P<0.001). The median severity of ARI was 240 (IQR: 163–350) score-days in the probiotic vs 525 (IQR: 364–736) score-days in the control group (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

The short-term use of probiotics does not reduce the incidence, but shortens ARI in preschool and elementary school children.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the family and pediatric physicians who helped to recruit children into this study, and the caregivers and children for taking part. The study was supported as a part of the program ‘Optimization of the prognosis, prophylaxis and treatment of the most common pediatric illnesses and functional disorders’ approved by the Health Ministry of Ukraine (0113U000209).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Lviv National Medical University, Lviv, Ukraine

    S V Gerasimov & L P Dedyshin

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Lviv City Children Hospital, Lviv, Ukraine

    V A Ivantsiv, L M Bobryk, N V Guta & B V Yandyo

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

    O O Tsitsura

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  1. S V Gerasimov
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Correspondence to S V Gerasimov.

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Gerasimov, S., Ivantsiv, V., Bobryk, L. et al. Role of short-term use of L. acidophilus DDS-1 and B. lactis UABLA-12 in acute respiratory infections in children: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 463–469 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.171

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