Good Bacteria May Thwart Allergies in Toddlers
 (NY, Reuters Health, 5/30/03)

Dr. Marko Kalliomaki and fellow researchers at Turku University Hospital in Finland gave 107 pregnant women either a bacteria called lactobacillus rhamnosus GG which is found naturally in the digestive tract or a placebo. For six months after the babies were born, women who breastfed continued taking the bacteria or placebo; while bottle-fed infants were given these substances directly. The investigators found that the children in the probiotic supplemented group were 43% less likely to develop the allergic skin condition, atopic eczema, by age four. Since all the children in this experiment were considered at high-risk for developing eczema, the findings suggest that giving pregnant women and newborns probiotics may boost the child's immune system and block the development of allergies.