Allergy & Sensitivity
Impact of maternal atopy and probiotic supplementation during pregnancy on infant sensitization: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.
Clin Exp Allergy. 2008 Aug;38(8):1342-8
Infants of atopic mothers, specifically when breastfed exclusively over 2.5 months or totally over 6 months, had a higher risk of sensitization at the age of 12 months. This risk could be reduced by the use of probiotics((L. rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12 (1×1010)) during pregnancy and lactation, partly by resulting in a beneficial composition of the breast milk.
Probiotics and prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides in the prevention of allergic diseases: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Jan;119(1):192-8
The increase in allergic diseases is attributed to a relative lack of microbial stimulation of the infantile gut immune system. Probiotics, live health-promoting microbes, might offer such stimulation. The results suggest an inverse association between atopic diseases and colonization of the gut by probiotics.