Pediatria pre prax 2/2020

Prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics and their role in allergy prevention

Allergic diseases are a global health problem. Their prevalence is on the rise and their first manifestations are dropping to lower age categories. The ideal prevention of allergy development is exclusive breastfeeding for the first 4 months of life. In cases when breastfeeding is not possible, baby milk formulas with partially hydrolysed cow´s milk protein may be beneficial. Clear evidence for their usage in allergy prevention is, however, limited. The effect of adding prebiotics and probiotics into these formulas was studied separately and is regarded as proven. Nowadays, the major research focus is on the effect of adding synbiotics into these formulas. The results from the first studies regarding this subject are very promising and they may point towards the future of allergy prevention in non-breastfed infants

Keywords: allergy, atopic marsh, prevention, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics