Taking the probiotics whilst pregnant can reduce your babies risk of allergies
A daily intake of probiotics given to pregnant women and their newborns could halve the chances of allergies and eczema, according to research.
Swansea University demonstrates that the daily intake of a specific type of probiotics given to pregnant mothers and their newborn babies halves the child's potential development of allergic sensitization and atopic eczema.
Currently, the UK is one of the top three countries in the world for the highest incident of allergy, with over 21 million UK adults suffering from some kind of allergic reaction. Most children develop allergic sensitivity in the first two years of life.
Allergic conditions such as asthma, rhinitis and eczema have trebled over the last 20 years, and currently 40 per cent of children and 30 per cent of adults have one or more of these three allergic conditions.
The study, run by Professor Stephen J Allen MD at The College of Medicine at Swansea University is being presented as the plenary session of top pediatricians and child health specialists attending the RCPCH (Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health) Annual Conference at the SECC in Glasgow and has been submitted to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The study was conducted on 454 mothers-infant pairs, who took a daily dose of ProVen Probiotics (providing 10 billion of the specific Lab4 probiotic strains) from 36 weeks of pregnancy and during the first six months of life.
The babies were then assessed at 2 years of age and it was found that those taking the probiotic significantly reduced their chance of developing common reactions to things such as pollen, cat dander, house dust mite, cow’s milk and egg by half (50%). Moreover, the risk of the children developing atopic eczema was reduced by 60 per cent.
The Lab4 probiotic can be found in a new range of supplements - ProVen Probiotics. Five published double-blind studies have already demonstrated the benefits of Lab4, and there are 12 products in ProVen’s newly launched range with different formulations to suit all ages and lifestyles.
Tagged in Parenting Common University children's health allergy baby health