The research published in the Journal of Paediatrics found that children who took probiotic supplements missed fewer days of school, needed fewer antibiotics and recovered significantly faster when ill.
The study, 'Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children', showed that children who took the probiotic were absent from daycare 28-32 per cent less and had 72 per cent fewer fevers, compared to children who didn't take the supplement. Previous studies have suggested that the healthy bacteria in probiotics enhance the body's defences and boost the immune system.
Now researchers believe that probiotics may limit the need for medicines for young children, which have come under particular scrutiny. A review by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in March 2009 found that medicines for children under 12 have little effect and can cause reactions (5 March 2009).
In the study, 326 children aged three to five were given probiotic supplements in milk twice a day for six months during the winter. One group took a single probiotic supplement - Lactobacillus acidophilus; another took a combined probiotic supplement -Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis. Both were compared to a placebo group, who drank plain milk.
The research, carried out by scientists in China and the US, found that although both groups of children had improved health, the combined supplement had the most profound effect.
Dr Gregory Leyer from Danisco, a Danish nutritional supplement company that makes probiotic products and sponsored the study, said, 'Young children are especially prone to colds and flu symptoms due to attending childcare centres or schools. Also, their immune systems are developing. Parents and carers could use probiotics to maintain children's health.'
