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 .
Urinary D-Lactate Excretion in Infants Receiving Lactobacillus johnsonii with Formula
Background / Aims : Supplementation with certain probiotics can improve gut microbial flora and immune function but should not have adverse effects . This study aim ed to assess the risk of D-lactate accumulation and subsequent metabolic acidosis in infants fed on formula containing Lactobacillus johnsonii ( La1 ® ) .  Methods : In the framework of a double-blind , r and omized controlled trial enrolling 71 infants aged 4–5 months , morning urine sample s were collected before and 4 weeks after being fed formulas with or without La1  ( 1 × 108/g powder ) or being breastfed . Urinary D- and L-lactate concentrations were assayed by enzymatic , fluorimetric methods and excretion was normalized per mol creatinine . Results : At baseline , no significant differences in urinary D-/L-lactate excretion among the formula-fed and breastfed groups were found . After 4 weeks , D-lactate excretion did not differ between the two formula groups , but was higher in both formula groups than in breastfed infants . In all infants receiving La1  , urinary D-lactate concentrations remained within the concentration ranges of age-matched healthy infants which had been determined in an earlier study using the same analytical method . Urinary L-lactate also did not vary over time or among groups . Conclusions : Supplementation of La1 to formula did not affect urinary lactate excretion and there is no evidence of an increased risk of lactic acidosis
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 .