A newly-published clinical study found that two specific strains of probiotic bacteria, both manufactured by Probi, had good tolerability profiles in a group of newborns as young as 11 days of age.
 
Because newborn infants have a very low microbial content in their digestive tract, it is believed that they might be more susceptible to GI distress – however, over time, exposure to microbiota helps them build a barrier in their GI tract, gain healthy immune function, and prevent infections. While babies acquire the bacteria that populate in their gut through breast milk and later food, probiotics may allow babies to populate their gut with beneficial bacteria more quickly.
 
In the present study, the authors divided 36 healthy infants between the ages of 4-83 days upon recruitment who were administered either a placebo or a supplement containing the probiotic strains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HEAL9 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus 271 daily for a period of eight weeks. The authors of the study then followed any adverse events, growth parameters, fecal microbiome changes, and intestinal performance.
 
Between the two groups, there were no differences in growth parameters, adverse events, or intestinal performance. Meanwhile, the fecal levels of L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus, and lactobacilli increased after 4 and 8 weeks of intake, and the fecal microbial diversity of the two groups was similar at the end of the study.
 
While strains of L. rhamnosus have a long history of use in probiotics for infants and children, L. plantarum is a species that seldom has been analyzed in infants, Probi reports. Because probiotics have strain-specific effects, it’s of utmost importance especially in vulnerable newborns that the safety aspects of each strain are assessed.
 
“Even though L. plantarum is a species that seldom has been analyzed in newborns, it could be detected in 25% of the subjects before administration (mean age 41 days). The L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus strains establish well in the intestine of the newborns and are safe. Intake of the study product was safe and did not result in any adverse effects on growth and infant behavior,” Titti Niskanen, director of R&D and Clinical Operations at Probi, said. “Furthermore, the study suggests that the two strains might have immune-supporting effects, as none of the newborns in the probiotic group experienced an upper respiratory tract infection while 25% in the placebo group suffered from an infection during the study.” However, the formula used in the pilot study will need to be assessed in a greater population of infants in order to substantiate clinical efficacy, the study concluded.
 
“Safety data are necessary for marketing and sales of probiotic strains, in particular targeting infants or young children, but also for products targeting adults and sensitive populations,” Tom Rönnlund, CEO of Probi, said. “This study adds to our knowledge of probiotics in newborns and children, and we will evaluate further investigations in the health benefits in infants.”