Sunday June 15, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) — A new study in Iranian Journal of Pediatrics suggests that taking probiotics supplements can help imporve quality of life in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) often have troubled intestinal microbiota and dysregulated immune functionalities because of massive exposure to antibiotics.
The study intended to examine the effect of probiotics on quality of life and pulmonary exacerbation in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis.
In the prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 37 cystic fibrosis patients aged 2 to 12 years were randomly assigned to either probiotics in a dose of 2×10(9)CFU per day or placebo for one month.
The patients were evaluated for their quality of life using PedsQL™4.0 questionnaire at baseline and then three and six months after the treatment.
Patients with cystic fibrosis significantly improved the mean total score of quality of life compared with those taking placebo at three months, but was not significant at six months. The rate of pulmonary exacerbation was reduced significantly in the group taking probiotics.
The probiotics used in the study was Protexin® made by Probiotics International Company, U.K. and two capsules were used per day for one month, each containing 10(9) CFU bacteria including Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifido-bacterium breve, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
The study suggests that probiotics are useful nutritional supplements for patients with cystic fibrosis to reduce pulmonary exacerbations and improve quality of life and their effects seem to be temporary and continued supplementation is needed to maintain the improvement in quality of life. (David Liu, PHD)
Jafari SA, Mehdizadeh-Hakkak A, Kianifar HR, Hebrani P, Ahanchian H, Abbasnejad E. Effects of probiotics on quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis; a randomized controlled trial. Iran J Pediatr. 2013 Dec;23(6):669-74.
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