Conclusions The current evidence is not sufficiently strong to verify a preventive role of probiotics in AR , but probiotics may improve the overall quality of life and nasal symptom scores .
Background Allergic rhinitis ( AR ) is a disease of respiratory allergy , and probiotics can provide a potential strategy for its management .
The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review to investigate the role of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of AR .
Effect of Milk Fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain L-92 on Symptoms of Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
A placebo-controlled , single-blind study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus strain L-92 ( L-92 ) on the symptoms of Japanese cedar-pollen allergy .  This study was carried out during the 2002 and 2003 seasons of Japanese cedar pollination . Twenty-three in-house volunteers were asked to drink 100 ml of heat-treated milk fermented with L-92 containing 5 × 1010 of the bacteria , twice a day , for 6 consecutive weeks . A similar study was carried out during the 2003 season for 10 weeks , but the daily dose of bacteria was 2 × 1010 . A significant improvement of the ocular symptom-medication score ( SMS ) was observed in 2002 and of the score of distress of life in 2003 . These data show that a daily oral intake of not less than 2 × 1010 heat-treated L-92 cells  improved the symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis  , thereby contributing to reduce the dose of concomitant medications . However , no blood parameter was significantly affected in these trials
Conclusions The current evidence is not sufficiently strong to verify a preventive role of probiotics in AR , but probiotics may improve the overall quality of life and nasal symptom scores .
Background Allergic rhinitis ( AR ) is a disease of respiratory allergy , and probiotics can provide a potential strategy for its management .
The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review to investigate the role of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of AR .