Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis (BioGaia) reduced Diarrhoea in children

A placebo-controlled study showed that nutritional supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis, from BioGaia, reduced episodes of Diarrhoea. Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis was particularly effective in children with lower nutritional status. Another probiotic strain, which was also tested, was without effect. The six month long study was performed in Indonesia and included 494 healthy children aged one to six years. The children were randomly assigned to receive low-lactose milk with or without Lactobacillus casei 431 or Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis. The results showed that the incidence of all diarrhoea episodes was reduced by 32 per cent in the group supplemented by Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis compared to placebo. In children with lower nutritional status (below median height and weight for the age group) Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis had significant effect on both WHO defined and all episodes of diarrhoea. None of the other interventions showed any significant effects on either WHO defined or all episodes of diarrhoea and none of the interventions affected incidence or duration of acute respiratory infections. The study will be published in Journal of Pediatrics.