Probiotics Usage in Pregnancy Lowers Risk of Skin Disorder in Newborn

Taking a probiotic supplementation during and after pregnancy (while breastfeeding) can protect babies against eczema (dermatitis), a chronic skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes, a new study from Finland says.

Probiotics also known as "good bacteria" are live microorganisms similar to helpful microorganisms found in human gut. Taking probiotics, available in dietary supplements and foods can keep people healthy.

Eczema or dermatitis is a chronic disease that affects approximately 10 percent to 20 percent of all infants. Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common types of eczema found among babies and children. According to New York Presbyterian Hospital, more than 15 million American adults and children have atopic dermatitis.

The researchers led by Samuli Rautava of Turku University Central Hospital looked at 241 mothers with a history of allergies and their infants.  

All the participants were given either a probiotic combination or a placebo, two months prior the due date and two months after giving birth(breastfeeding period).

Infants were followed for two years and skin prick tests were conducted at different stages like six months, one year and two years.

At the end of the study, researchers found a significant number of children of mothers receiving placebo (71 percent) experiencing eczema, compared to the probiotic group (29 percent). The researchers didn't find any side effects related to the probiotic use.

"Prevention regimen with specific probiotics administered to the pregnant and breast-feeding mother, that is, prenatally and postnatally, is safe and effective in reducing the risk of eczema in infants with allergic mothers positive for skin prick test," the authors wrote.

The findings bring new hopes in women having allergies and planning to get pregnant.

"(The study) really shows a reduction in eczema from probiotics, which is such a simple and easy intervention for mothers," Today quoted Ruchi Gupta, an allergy an eczema researcher at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Findings of the study have been published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.