Differences were potentially attributable to differences in infant risk , prebiotic formulation or measurement of eczema .
There is insufficient evidence to determine the role of prebiotic supplementation of infant formula for prevention of allergic disease and food hypersensitivity .
Further trials are needed to determine whether this finding persists over a longer period of time , applies to other manifestations of allergic disease , is associated with reductions in allergen sensitisation , and is reproducible
BACKGROUND The composition of the intestinal microflora may be different in individuals with atopic eczema from those without this condition , and such differences may precede the development of eczema .
Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of non-pathogenic bacteria in the colon .
Prebiotics ( commonly oligosaccharides ) added to infant feeds have the potential to prevent sensitisation of infants to dietary allergens .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of prebiotics given to infants for the prevention of allergic disease or food hypersensitivity .
Acidified Milk Formula Supplemented With Bifidobacterium lactis: Impact on Infant Diarrhea in Residential Care Settings
Objectives Probiotics may be useful in preventing acute infectious diarrhea .  Bifidobacteria are particularly attractive as probiotics agent because they constitute the predominant colonic flora of breastfed infants and are thought to play a role in the decreased incidence of diarrhea in breastfed infants . Methods This was a multicenter , double-blind , controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of a milk formula supplemented with viable Bifidobacterium lactis strain Bb 12 ( BbF ) in the prevention of acute diarrhea in infants younger than 8 months living in residential nurseries or foster care centers . Results Ninety healthy children received either the BbF or a conventional formula ( CF ) daily . The mean duration of the stay in the residential center was similar ( 137 v 148 days ) . At enrollment , there were no differences between the two groups with respect to age ( 3.7 ± 2.1 months ) , gender , anthropometric data , history of allergy or gastrointestinal disease , frequency of breast-feeding in the neonatal period or timing of introduction of solid food . Altogether , 28.3 % of the BbF infants  had diarrhea during the study compared with 38.7 % of controls ( NS ) . There was a statistically insignificant trend for shorter episodes of diarrhea in the BbF group ( 5.1 ± 3.3 days v 7 ± 5.5 days , NS ) . The number of days with diarrhea was 1.15 ± 2.5 in the BbF group with a daily probability of diarrhea of 0.84 versus 2.3 ± 4.5 days and 1.55 , respectively , in the CF group ( P = 0.0002 and 0.0014 ) . Feeding infants with the BbF reduced their risk of getting diarrhea by a factor of 1.9 ( range , 1.33–2.6 ) . Analysis of the cumulative incidence of diarrheal episodes showed a trend that the first onset of diarrhea occurred later in the BbF group . Conclusion These results provide some evidence that viable Bifidobacterium lactis strain Bb 12 , added to an acidified infant formula , has some protective effect against acute diarrhea in healthy children
Differences were potentially attributable to differences in infant risk , prebiotic formulation or measurement of eczema .
There is insufficient evidence to determine the role of prebiotic supplementation of infant formula for prevention of allergic disease and food hypersensitivity .
Further trials are needed to determine whether this finding persists over a longer period of time , applies to other manifestations of allergic disease , is associated with reductions in allergen sensitisation , and is reproducible
BACKGROUND The composition of the intestinal microflora may be different in individuals with atopic eczema from those without this condition , and such differences may precede the development of eczema .
Prebiotics are nondigestible food components that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of non-pathogenic bacteria in the colon .
Prebiotics ( commonly oligosaccharides ) added to infant feeds have the potential to prevent sensitisation of infants to dietary allergens .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of prebiotics given to infants for the prevention of allergic disease or food hypersensitivity .