Supplementation with a blend of probiotic strains was found to be beneficial among infants with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), including a role in reducing colic and functional constipation severity, a new study found. The strains were provided by supplier AB-Biotics – specifically, it was a blend of Bifidobacterium longum KABP042 and Pediococcus pentosaceus KABP041. These two strains were isolated from healthy infants, rather than adults or other mammal sources, the company reports.
 
The infant study was published in Frontiers in Microbiology, which looked potential mechanisms of action by which the two strains could benefit a number of disorders in which brain-gut interaction is implicated, comprising regurgitation, infant colic, and functional constipation. There are currently few ways to prevent FGIDs in infants, the authors of the study said.
 
The authors identified several key findings, including that the strains efficiently adhered to human intestinal epithelium through multiple mechanisms, that the formula protected the intestinal barrier by regulating the expression of tight junction proteins (which are involved in the maintenance of barrier integrity), and that both strains demonstrated pathogen inhibition capacity, through the production of organic acids and antimicrobials.
 
This publication also included the outcomes of a separate observational pilot trial, which recruited 36 infants. It was concluded that a daily dose of the two probiotic strains for 14 days was safe and effective at reducing the severity of FGIDs, namely by decreasing colic and constipation symptoms. The efficacy of these two strains was not affected by whether the infant was breastfed or formula-fed, mode of birth delivery, or use of other medications, according to the authors, unlike other probiotic supplements which are only effective in breastfed infants.  The findings in this pilot study, the authors said, set a framework for future larger, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials in infants with a diverse range of FGIDs.
 
This research adds to prior studies, such as one published in Frontiers in Pediatrics in 2021 which found that supplementation with these two probiotic strains was an effective solution for the prevention of colic.
 
“Growing evidence demonstrates the important role of probiotics during the first 1,000 days – that is from the moment a child is conceived until they have reached two years of age,” Sergi Audivert Brugue, executive director of AB-Biotics, said. “The benefits of probiotics in gut health, especially, is gaining rising interest in the infant nutrition space, including their potential role in FGIDs, a condition which causes significant discomfort in infants and distress for parents. The new clinical evidence published in the Frontiers journal is an exciting step forward for innovation in the field, which we hope can be translated into novel probiotic solutions targeted towards gut health-related issues, such as FGID, one day.”