Synbiotics failed to significantly increase growth in boys and girls .
Use of synbiotics increased stool frequency , had no impact on stool consistency , colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
Probiotics in formula also failed to have any significant effect on growth , stool frequency or consistency .
Probiotics did not lower the incidence of diarrhoea , colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
Prebiotics in formula did increase weight gain but had no impact on length or head circumference gain .
Prebiotics increased stool frequency but had no impact on stool consistency , the incidence of colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
There was no impact of prebiotics on the volume of formula tolerated , infections and gastrointestinal microflora .
Authors ’ conclusions There is not enough evidence to state that supplementation of term infant formula with synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics does result in improved growth or clinical outcomes in term infants .
There is no data available to establish if synbiotics are superior to probiotics or prebiotics
Background Synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics are being added to infant formula to promote growth and development in infants .
Previous review s ( 2007 to 2011 ) on term infants given probiotics or prebiotics focused on prevention of allergic disease and food hypersensitivity .
This review focused on growth and clinical outcomes in term infants fed only infant formula containing synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics .
Early supplementation of prebiotic oligosaccharides protects formula-fed infants against infections during the first 6 months of life.
A mixture of neutral short chain galactooligosaccharides and long chain fructo-oligosaccharides ( scGOS/lcFOS ) has been shown to have prebiotic and immunomodulatory effects comparable to human milk oligosaccharides . This can be translated into clinical practice as a potential to prevent infections and allergy . The hypothesis of this study was that this specific prebiotic mixture could have a preventive effect against infections during the first 6 mo of life . In a prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial , healthy term infants with a parental history of atopy were fed either prebiotic-supplemented ( 8 g/L scGOS/lcFOS ) or placebo-supplemented ( 8 g/L maltodextrin ) hypoallergenic formula during the first 6 mo of life . The primary outcome measures were infectious episodes , number of infections requiring antibiotics , and incidence of infections . During the study period , infants in the scGOS/lcFOS group had fewer episodes of all types of infections combined ( P = 0.01 ) . They also tended to have fewer upper respiratory tract infection episodes ( P = 0.07 ) and fewer infections requiring antibiotic treatment ( P = 0.10 ) . Similarly , the cumulative incidence of recurring infections was significantly lower in the scGOS/lcFOS group . The cumulative incidence of any recurring infection and recurring respiratory infections was 3.9 and 2.9 % in the scGOS/lcFOS group and 13.5 and 9.6 % in the placebo group , respectively ( P < 0.05 ) . Oligosaccharide prebiotics reduced the number of infectious episodes and the incidence of recurring , particularly respiratory , infections during the first 6 mo of life . Although the exact mechanism of action is under investigation , it is very likely that the immune modulating effect of this prebiotic mixture through intestinal flora modification is the principal mechanism for the observed infection prevention early in life
Synbiotics failed to significantly increase growth in boys and girls .
Use of synbiotics increased stool frequency , had no impact on stool consistency , colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
Probiotics in formula also failed to have any significant effect on growth , stool frequency or consistency .
Probiotics did not lower the incidence of diarrhoea , colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
Prebiotics in formula did increase weight gain but had no impact on length or head circumference gain .
Prebiotics increased stool frequency but had no impact on stool consistency , the incidence of colic , spitting up / regurgitation , crying , restlessness or vomiting .
There was no impact of prebiotics on the volume of formula tolerated , infections and gastrointestinal microflora .
Authors ’ conclusions There is not enough evidence to state that supplementation of term infant formula with synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics does result in improved growth or clinical outcomes in term infants .
There is no data available to establish if synbiotics are superior to probiotics or prebiotics
Background Synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics are being added to infant formula to promote growth and development in infants .
Previous review s ( 2007 to 2011 ) on term infants given probiotics or prebiotics focused on prevention of allergic disease and food hypersensitivity .
This review focused on growth and clinical outcomes in term infants fed only infant formula containing synbiotics , probiotics or prebiotics .