The administration of currently evaluated prebiotic-supplemented formulae to healthy infants does not raise safety concerns with regard to growth and adverse effects .
Some favourable clinical effects are possible , primarily stool softening , which may be beneficial in some infants .
Currently , there is no existing robust evidence to recommend the routine use of prebiotic-supplemented formulae .
In 2011 , the Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology , Hepatology and Nutrition systematic ally review ed published evidence related to the safety and health effects of the administration of formulae supplemented with pro- and /or prebiotics compared with unsupplemented formulae .
Early Gut Colonization With Lactobacilli and Staphylococcus in Infants: The Hygiene Hypothesis Extended
Objectives : The aim of the present study was to assess the mode of delivery and type-of-feeding impact on gut microbiota . We demonstrated higher fecal bifidobacteria in infants who were breast-fed ( BF ) or fed formula with prebiotics polydextrose ( PDX ) and galactooligosaccharides ( GOS ) versus formula without prebiotics . Here , we tested feces of that cohort for lactobacilli and Staphylococcus aureus , 2 types of bacteria present in breast milk . Methods : In a double-blind , r and omized study , 21- to 30-day-old term infants vaginally delivered and exclusively formula-fed received a cow 's milk – based formula ( control , n = 80 ) or the same formula with 4 g/L ( 1:1 ratio ) of PDX/GOS ( PDX/GOS , n = 77 ) . A reference BF group ( n = 71 ) was included . Stool sample s were obtained at baseline and after 30 and 60 days of feeding to assess fecal bacteria by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction . Results : Pairwise comparisons between baseline-adjusted means log10 colony-forming unit per gram feces of total lactobacilli counts ( 8.37 in control , 8.46 in PDX/GOS , and 8.42 in BF ) showed a significant difference only between PDX/GOS and control at 30 and 60 days combined ( P = 0.035 ) , utilizing generalized estimating equations method . Baseline-adjusted odds ratio ( OR ) of colonization with S aureus was lower in control ( OR 0.47 , 95 % confidence interval 0.22–1.00 , P = 0.049 ) and PDX/GOS ( OR 0.44 , 95 % confidence interval 0.21–0.94 , P = 0.03 ) groups versus the BF group . Conclusions : Bacteria found in breast milk , such as lactobacilli and S aureus can also be found in infant feces . S aureus , traditionally considered harmful , may aid in educating the coevolving immune system . Modifying formula by adding prebiotics may bring gut microbiota closer to that of BF infants in terms of beneficial microbes
The administration of currently evaluated prebiotic-supplemented formulae to healthy infants does not raise safety concerns with regard to growth and adverse effects .
Some favourable clinical effects are possible , primarily stool softening , which may be beneficial in some infants .
Currently , there is no existing robust evidence to recommend the routine use of prebiotic-supplemented formulae .
In 2011 , the Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology , Hepatology and Nutrition systematic ally review ed published evidence related to the safety and health effects of the administration of formulae supplemented with pro- and /or prebiotics compared with unsupplemented formulae .