According to a recent article featured in Medscape,  "probiotics may be useful as prophylaxis against cold and influenza-like symptoms in children," according to the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study reported in the August issue of Pediatrics.  The effects of probiotic intake on incidence and duration of cold and influenza-like symptoms during the winter season were evaluated in healthy children aged 3 to 5 years. Of 326 eligible children, 104 were  randomly assigned to receive placebo, 110 to Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, and 112 to L acidophilus NCFM combined with Bifidobacterium animalis. All children were treated twice daily for 6 months.

     Compared with the placebo group, the groups receiving single and combination probiotics fared significantly better in several outcomes, including fever incidence (53.0% lower with single and 72%lower with combination), coughing  incidence ( 41% lower with single and 62% lower with   combination) and rhinorrhea incidence (28% lower with    single and 58% lower with combination).  In addition,  antibiotic use was 68% lower for single strain vs. placebo and 84% lower for strain combination.  The children also had a 31% decrease in days absent from group child care.  In conclusion, "Daily probiotic supplementation for 6 months was a safe effective way to reduce fever, rhinorrhea, and cough incidence and duration and antibiotic prescription incidence, as well as the number of missed school days." No notable adverse events were attributed to study probiotic strains.*

     Probiotics are also considered to be both safe and effective for preventing and treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea and infectious diarrhea. The probable mechanism of action may be a combination of  direct competition between pathogenic bacteria in the gut and immune modulation and enhancement. **

 * cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/707328

 ** www.medscape.com/viewarticle/583117

 To be sure that your patients are getting the proper strains and numbers of organisms, ask our pharmacists about Florajen 3 and Florajen4Kids.