Browsing by Subject "probiotics"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies infantis (B. infantis) in Pediatric Nutrition: Current State of Knowledge
    (MDPI, 2020-05-28) Chichlowski, Maciej; Shah, Neil; Wampler, Jennifer L.; Wu, Steven S.; Vanderhoof, Jon A.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Since originally isolated in 1899, the genus Bifidobacterium has been demonstrated to predominate in the gut microbiota of breastfed infants and to benefit the host by accelerating maturation of the immune response, balancing the immune system to suppress inflammation, improving intestinal barrier function, and increasing acetate production. In particular, Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis (B. infantis) is well adapted to the infant gut and has co-evolved with the mother-infant dyad and gut microbiome, in part due to its ability to consume complex carbohydrates found in human milk. B. infantis and its human host have a symbiotic relationship that protects the preterm or term neonate and nourishes a healthy gut microbiota prior to weaning. To provide benefits associated with B. infantis to all infants, a number of commercialized strains have been developed over the past decades. As new ingredients become available, safety and suitability must be assessed in preclinical and clinical studies. Consideration of the full clinical evidence for B. infantis use in pediatric nutrition is critical to better understand its potential impacts on infant health and development. Herein we summarize the recent clinical studies utilizing select strains of commercialized B. infantis.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Probiotic Therapy for Treating Behavioral and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
    (Springer, 2019) Liu, Jun; Wan, Guo-bing; Huang, Ming-shi; Agyapong, George; Zou, Tian-le; Zhang, Xue-ying; Liu, Yen-Wenn; Song, Yi-qing; Tsai, Ying-Chieh; Kong, Xue-jun; Epidemiology, School of Public Health
    The therapeutic potentials of probiotics in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains controversial, with the only existing systematic review on this topic published in 2015. Results from new trials have become available in recent years. We therefore conducted an updated systematic review, to assess the efficacy of probiotics in relieving behavioral symptoms of ASD and gastrointestinal comorbidities. Our review includes two randomized controlled trials, which showed improvement of ASD behaviors, and three open trials, all which exhibited a trend of improvement. Four of these trials concluded from subjective measures that gastrointestinal function indices showed a trend of improvement with probiotic therapy. Additional rigorous trials are needed to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplements in ASD.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Quantitative Risk-Benefit Analysis of Probiotic Use for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
    (Springer, 2016-04) Bennett, William E., Jr.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Probiotics have seen widespread use for a variety of gastrointestinal problems, especially in two common disorders: irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Since a wide variety of probiotic preparations has been used, and despite a large number of studies performed, a great deal of heterogeneity exists among them. Straightforward evidence-based recommendations for the use of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease have thus been difficult to formulate. In an effort to improve understanding of the risk–benefit balance of probiotics in these conditions, this study (1) queried the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database for all reported adverse drug events related to probiotics in 2013, and (2) constructed risk–benefit planes for both irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease using a geometric approximation of the confidence region between risk and benefit. The results show that adverse events from probiotics vary widely by disease, and when they occur, they are mild and may be difficult to distinguish from the natural history of the underlying disorders they are used to treat. The risk–benefit plane for irritable bowel syndrome straddles the risk–benefit threshold, so patients can expect a balance between a low chance of risk and also a low chance of benefit. The risk–benefit plane for inflammatory bowel disease largely lies above the risk–benefit threshold, so patients may expect more benefit than risk in most cases. More standardized and high-quality research is needed to improve our understanding of risk and benefit for these complex biopharmaceuticals.