Conclusion : Based on the available data and taking into account the safety profile of RCTs , probiotic consumption appears to be a feasible way to decrease the incidence of RTIs in children
Background : Respiratory tract infections ( RTIs ) represent one of the main health problems in children .
Probiotics are viable bacteria that colonize the intestine and affect the host intestinal microbial balance .
Accumulating evidence suggests that probiotic consumption may decrease the incidence of or modify RTIs .
The authors systematic ally review ed data from r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) to investigate the effect of probiotic consumption on  RTIs in children .
Milk containing probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and respiratory illness in children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Background / Objectives : To determine whether long-term daily consumption of milk containing probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( GG ) decreases respiratory illness in children . Subjects/ Methods : A r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 523 children aged 2–6 years attending day care centers in Finl and . Subjects received either normal milk or the same milk with GG on three daily meals for 28 weeks . Daily recording of childrens ’ symptoms was done by parents . Primary outcome data from 501 subjects were available for analysis , and data from 128 subjects were analyzed as completed cases in terms of recovery of GG in fecal sample s. Results : Number of days with at least one respiratory symptom in all subjects was 5.03/month ( 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : 4.92–5.15 ) in the GG group and 5.17/month ( 95 % CI : 5.05–5.29 ) in the placebo group incidence rate ratio ( IRR ) 0.97 ; 95 % CI : 0.94–1.00 ; P=0.098 ) . In the completed cases , the figures were 4.71 days/month ( 95 % CI : 4.52–4.90 ) in the GG group and 5.67 days/month ( 95 % CI : 5.40–5.94 ) in the placebo group ( IRR 0.83 ; 95 % CI : 0.78–0.88 ; P<0.001 ) . Conclusions : Consumption of GG reduced the occurence of respiratory illness in children attending day care centers in the completed cases subgroup , but not in the total population . Thus , future clinical trials are warranted to clarify the association between fecal recovery of a probiotic and the symptom prevalence
Conclusion : Based on the available data and taking into account the safety profile of RCTs , probiotic consumption appears to be a feasible way to decrease the incidence of RTIs in children
Background : Respiratory tract infections ( RTIs ) represent one of the main health problems in children .
Probiotics are viable bacteria that colonize the intestine and affect the host intestinal microbial balance .
Accumulating evidence suggests that probiotic consumption may decrease the incidence of or modify RTIs .
The authors systematic ally review ed data from r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) to investigate the effect of probiotic consumption on  RTIs in children .