Probiotics During Pregnancy Reduce Allergies in Children

A new study suggests that probiotics used by mothers and/or their offspring may reduce risk of childhood allergy and infections.

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Oslo, Norway) reviewed the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, a large, ongoing observational study that enrolled around 108,000 pregnant women and their children from 1999 to 2008. Mothers participating in the study completed detailed food-frequency and lifestyle questionnaires, and their medical histories and those of their children were obtained from Norway's comprehensive registry system. The current analysis involved 41,000 mother-child pairs.

The researchers prospectively examined associations of maternal intake of milk-based products containing probiotic lactobacilli during pregnancy, ascertained by the food-frequency questionnaires and questionnaire reports of lower respiratory tract infections and atopic eczema in children followed to 6 months, 18 months, and 36 months, as well as asthma and allergic symptoms (hayfever/rhinitis) at 36 months of age. The data were analyzed controlling for maternal height, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), fiber intake, total energy intake, length of education, and maternal history of allergic disease. Mothers were also asked if they gave probiotic foods or supplements to the children.

The results showed that probiotic intake during pregnancy was associated with a reduction of 7% in the risk of atopic dermatitis at 6 months, and a reduction of 12% of the risk of rhinoconjunctivitis at ages 18-36 months. When the mothers used the products and also gave probiotic supplements to their children after 6 months of age, the risk was reduced significantly. There was no association between probiotic intake and asthma. The study was presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology's annual meeting, held during February 2013 in San Antonio (TX, USA).

“Most of the mothers' probiotic consumption was in the form of yogurt and milk. About 37% of the women included in the study reported using these products regularly, whereas only 0.4% indicated that they took probiotic supplements in capsule form,” said lead author and study presenter Randi Bertelsen, PhD. “Some 18% of mothers—essentially all of whom took probiotics themselves—said they also gave probiotic products to their children after age six months.”

Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures, such as in yogurt, or in dietary supplements. The dairy products consumed are usually fortified with standard Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis strains.

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Norwegian Institute of Public Health