New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research’s Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme will investigate whether giving premature babies probiotics decreases the risk of bacterial infections. Over 42,000 premature babies are born per year, and they have an increased risk of picking up infections which can cause long term complications or even be fatal.
Opinion is divided over the use of probiotics in the healthcare setting, however. Doctors at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, Holland, reported that 24 out of 296 patients died during a study to find out whether friendly bacteria affected inflammation of the pancreas.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority now states that supplements should not be given to patients in intensive care, those with organ failure, or patients being fed through a drip.
