Research announced on Tuesday the 22nd of May by Swansea University demonstrates that the daily intake of a specific type of probiotics given to pregnant mothers and their newborn babies halves the child’s potential development of allergic sensitization and atopic eczema.
Currently, the UK is one of the top three countries in the world for the highest incident of allergy (2), with over 21 million UK adults suffering from some kind of allergic reaction (3). Most children develop allergic sensitivity in the first two years of life.
Allergic conditions such as asthma, rhinitis and eczema have trebled over the last 20 years (9), and currently 40% of children and 30% of adults have one or more of these three allergic conditions (10).
The study, run by Professor Stephen J Allen MD at The College of Medicine at Swansea University is being presented as the plenary session of top pediatricians and child health specialists attending the RCPCH (Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health) Annual Conference at the SECC in Glasgow and has been submitted to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study was conducted on 454 mothers-infant pairs, who took a daily dose of ProVen Probiotics (providing 10 billion of the specific Lab4 probiotic strains*) from 36 weeks of pregnancy and during the first six months of life.
The babies were then assessed at 2 years of age and it was found that those taking the probiotic significantly reduced their chance of developing common reactions to things such as pollen, cat dander, house dust mite, cow’s milk and egg by half (50%). Moreover, the risk of the children developing atopic eczema was reduced by 60%!
The Lab4 probiotic can be found in a new range of supplements – ProVen Probiotics. Five published double-blind studies (4, 5, 6, 7, 8) have already demonstrated the benefits of Lab4, and there are 12 products in ProVen’s newly launched range with different formulations to suit all ages and lifestyles.
Products in the newly launched ProVen Probiotics range including specific formulations for Babies, Toddlers, and older children, as well as a high potency, and multi-nutrient products for adults. Prices range from under £5.00 to £19.95. ProVen Probiotic supplements are available on-line from www.provenprobiotics.co.uk as well as Lloyds pharmacies and leading health food stores.
(1) Swansea baby trial submitted to The Journal of Allergy and Child Immunology, 2012, being presented at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health annual conference, Glasgow 22nd May, 2012.
(2) Allergic Invasion, 1999
(3) Mintel 2010
(4) Plummer S. et al Clostridum difficile pilot study: effects of probiotic supplementation on the incidence of C. difficile diarrhea: Int Microbiol 2004; 7; 59-62
(5) Plummer S. F. et al. Effect of probiotics on the composition of the intestinal microbiola following antibiotic therapy. International Journal Antimicrob Agents 2005: 26: 69-74
(6) Madde J. A. J. et al. Effect of probiotics on preventing disruption of the intestinal microflora following antibiotic therapy. A double-blind placebo-controlled study. Int Immunophar 2005: 5: 1091-1097
(7) Williams E. A. et al. Clinical trial: a multi-strain probiotic preparation significantly reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in a double blind placebo-controlled study. Ailment Pharmacol Ther 2009: 29: 97-103.
(8) Allen S. j. et al. Dietary supplementation with lactobacilli and bifdobacteria is well tolerated and not associated with adverse events during later pregnancy and early infancy. J Nur 2010: 140: 483-488
(9) Allergy The Unmet Need: a blueprint for better care, Royal College of Physicians (London) 2003
(10) Allergy The Unmet Need: a blueprint for better care, Royal College of Physicians (London) 2003
(11) Gupta R, Sheikh A, Strachan DP, Anderson HR. Time trends in allergic disorders in the UK. Thorax 2007: 62: 91-96
(12) A review of services for allergy, House of Commons Health Committee, 2004 and Allergy, Still not meeting the unmet need, Royal College of Physicians (London) 2010
