Healthcare

Latest meta-analysis about Probiotic benefits is may reduce the risk of medical condition primarily seen in premature infants where portions of the bowel undergo necrosis (tissue death) or necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and death in preterm neonatas.

Published in Pediatric on April 19th, 2010, lead author, Girish Deshpanda, FRACP, from King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in Perth, Western Australia, and colleagues, by using the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group data, write, “The result confirm the significant benefits of probiotic supplements in reducing death and disease in preterm neonatas. The dramatic effect sizes, tight confidence intervals, extremely low P values, and overall evidence indicate that additional placebo-controlled trials are unnecessary if a suitable probiotic product is available.”

However, the researcher added that although probiotic significantly reduce the risk of NEC and death, but the risk of sepsis was not different significantly.
Based on trial sequential analysis of probiotic benefits, the incidence of NEC decrease 30% and no significant adverse effects.

Despite several limitation of the study such as inherent in meta-analysis, inability to determine the effects of specific product/strains, duration, dosage, and practicalities of administration, the authors note that the effect of a probiotic bacterium is strain specific and cannot be extrapolated even to other strains of the same species.

The author conclude, before offering this therapy as a routine in this high-risk but most deserving population, selection of a safe and suitable product with documented probiotic properties and close monitoring of the target population is a must.