Diarrhea, colic, constipation … When a baby has a stomach ache, many parents turn to probiotics.
These “good bacteria” (which we know to be safe for young children thanks to various scientific studies) participate in the preservation of the balance of the intestinal flora, which promotes good digestion, a strengthening of immunity and improved transit. In short, that’s good !
Except, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis (US), probiotics are simply useless in cases of gastroenteritis.
To reach this conclusion, the American researchers (who published their work in the New England Journal of Medicine) worked with a group of 971 children aged 3 months to 4 years, suffering from gastroenteritis with the characteristic symptoms: watery stools, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach aches …
Probiotics, no more useful than placebo for gastro
The young participants were divided into two groups: the first received a probiotic-based treatment for 5 days (with a twice-daily administration), the second took a placebo.
Verdict? “We tested different scenarios: we compared the two groups of volunteers, we compared the youngest to the oldest, we compared the impact of probiotics and placebo in cases of gastroenteritis of viral and bacterial origin. .. ”explain the researchers.
“Either way, we came to the same conclusion: while probiotics pose no health risk to children, they are as ineffective as a placebo for gastroenteritis. ” Good to know !
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Probiotics, unnecessary or even harmful
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