On the basis of this review , available scientific data suggest that the administration of currently evaluated probiotic- and /or prebiotic-supplemented formula to healthy infants does not raise safety concerns with regard to growth and adverse effects .
Infant formulae are increasingly supplemented with probiotics , prebiotics , or synbiotics despite uncertainties regarding their efficacy .
The present article , developed by the Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology , Hepatology , and Nutrition , systematic ally review s published evidence related to the safety and health effects of the administration of formulae supplemented with probiotics and /or prebiotics compared with unsupplemented formulae .
Feeding of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus to infants in hospital for prevention of diarrhoea and shedding of rotavirus
Acute diarrhoea is a serious cause of infant morbidity and mortality , and the development of preventive measures remains an important goal . Bifidobacteria ( which constitute the predominant intestinal flora of breastfed infants ) , as well as other lactic-acid-producing organisms such as Streptococcus thermophilus , are thought to have a protective effect against acute diarrhoeal disease . However , their efficacy has not been assessed in controlled trials . In a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial , infants aged 5 - 24 months who were admitted to a chronic medical care hospital were r and omised to receive a st and ard infant formula or the same formula supplemented with Bifidobacterium bifidum and S thermophilus . Patients were evaluated daily for occurrence of diarrhoea , and faecal sample s , obtained weekly , were analysed for rotavirus antigen by enzyme immunoassay . Faecal sample s were also obtained during an episode of diarrhoea for virological and bacteriological analyses . 55 subjects were evaluated for a total of 4447 patient-days during 17 months . 8 ( 31 % ) of the 26 patients who received the control formula and 2 ( 7 % ) of 29 who received the supplemented formula developed diarrhoea during the course of the study ( p = 0.035 , Fisher 's exact test , two-tailed ) . 10 ( 39 % ) of the subjects who received the control formula and 3 ( 10 % ) of those who received the supplemented formula  shed rotavirus at some time during the study ( p = 0.025 ) . The supplementation of infant formula with B bifidum and S thermophilus can reduce the incidence of acute diarrhoea and rotavirus shedding in infants admitted to hospital
On the basis of this review , available scientific data suggest that the administration of currently evaluated probiotic- and /or prebiotic-supplemented formula to healthy infants does not raise safety concerns with regard to growth and adverse effects .
Infant formulae are increasingly supplemented with probiotics , prebiotics , or synbiotics despite uncertainties regarding their efficacy .
The present article , developed by the Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology , Hepatology , and Nutrition , systematic ally review s published evidence related to the safety and health effects of the administration of formulae supplemented with probiotics and /or prebiotics compared with unsupplemented formulae .