Probiotics may help prevent colds

By David Liu (davidl@foodconsumer.org)

Not all bacteria are bad for humans. A new study suggests that probiotics, a group of bacteria that are believed to benefit human health, may be enlisted to help prevent colds in children at least.

The Chinese study in Pediatrics showed that children drinking milk with probiotics in the winter and spring had fewer colds, used fewer antibiotics and missed fewer days of school than those who did not drink the milk with probiotics.

Previous studies have suggested that probiotics may benefit those who have acquired certain diseases by boosting the immunity. The preventive effect of probiotics has remained unknown until the current study.

In the study, 326 children aged 3 to 5 who were randomly picked into three groups were given twice a day milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus, milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium animalis, and milk with placebo. The dietary intervention started from November 2005 through May 2006.

Children who received milk with Lactobacillus had 53 percent fewer fevers, 41 percent fewer cough episodes and 28 percent fewer runny noses compared to those who drank the milk with placebo.

In those who received the milk with both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, incidences of fevers, coughs and running noses were reduced compared to the control group by 72 percent, 62 percent and 59 percent respectively.

Those in the study groups who got fevers, coughs or running noses still recovered significantly faster compared to those who got the colds, but drank no probiotic-containing milk.

Researchers found that compared to the placebo group, the odds of using antibiotics were 68 percent lower in the Lactobacillus group and 84 percent lower in the Lactobacillus/Bifidobacterium group.

Those who drank milk with probiotics were about 30 percent less likely to miss school days than those who used milk with placebo.