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Title: Probiotics at Weaning may Lessen Atopic Eczema

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GUT 2002; 51: 51-5
06/25/2002 06:36:04 PM
By Harvey MConnell

Probiotics given to infants during weaning may help alleviate the symptoms of atopic eczema. This has been demonstrated in a study of 21 infants who already had evidence of atopic eczema and were at heightened risk for chronic allergic disease, report Dr. Pirkka Kirjavainen and colleagues at the Functional Foods Forum, University of Turku, Finland. Recent studies have indicated a relationship between the composition of the intestinal microflora and allergic inflammation, and demonstrated the competence of probiotics in down-regulation of such inflammation. When the infants were weaned onto hydrolysed whey formula feed, eight of them had an adverse reaction. Of the other 13 infants, seven were fed the formula supplemented with probiotic bacteria (Bifidobacterium lactis) and six were fed formula and without any supplementation. Stool samples were taken from the eight highly reactive infants before weaning, while stool samples were taken before and after weaning for the remaining infants. The eight highly reactive infants had greater numbers of lactobacilli/enterococci in their stool samples than the 13 infants who had no reaction to the formula feed. Dr Kirjavainen and colleagues gauged the allergic response in all the infants by measuring IgE levels. They found that these directly corresponded to the levels of Escherichia coli, which can cause infection in this age group, and the numbers of bacteroides species in the highly reactive infants. This indicated that the presence of these bacteria is associated with the extent of atopic sensitisation. Supplementation of formula feed with probiotic bacteria significantly reduced the numbers of E. coli bacteria and prevented an increase in the numbers of bacteroides during weaning. Probiotic supplementation, might help alleviate the allergic response in infants during weaning, the researchers said. Dr Kirjavainen and colleagues conclude, "A conceivable explanation is that allergic sensitization promotes the growth of lactobacilli and/or enterococci by causing changes in the gut ecology. Such an effect could be secondary to the disease; for example, the increase in the numbers of oral lactobacilli in asthmatic children has been suggested to be a response to their medication."

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