POTENCY OF PROBIOTICS ON DIGESTIVE DISORDERS AND ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

PRAGYA SANTRA, AMITY UNIVERSITY KOLKATA

The health problems and the mortality rate of children below 5 years of age is a serious threat globally especially to Asian and African countries. WHO reported Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) and diarrhoea as the leading cause of death of ⅓ of children worldwide. Besides, protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) is also a fatal inclination towards the children’s health. Increased incidence and severity of disease led to multi-immune disorders in the children.  

Global Millennium Development aims at the health of the children of Vietnam and proposed the production of probiotics as the supplement in the diet. Probiotics are strain-specific and thus is not generalised. Lactobacillus casei strain (LcS), a well-recognised strain is used for the production of fermented milk. The Probiotic fermented milk contained 6.5 billion of LcS per 65 mL (108 CFU/mL), with nutritional composition of 0.8 g of protein, <0.1 g of fat, and 12.4 g of carbohydrates, and the total energy is 52.7 kcal per bottle, manufactured by Yakult Vietnam, Co., Ltd.

Nutrient deprived children of either sex were selected for the survey under the conditions to feed them with a diet free of fermented milk products for the past 18 months and during the study of 12 months. Total 1036 children (518 children for each category of control and probiotic) were selected. Daily analysis of each child was recorded to check the intake of test products, defecation status and abdominal symptoms. 

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As per the report further, LcS was found to be beneficial against malnutrition, diarrhoea, gastro-intestinal disorder, respiratory infections and increase in nutritional status in the children who were administered with the probiotic milk in comparison to the control group of children. Stool consistency and number of defecations were evaluated as an average for the 4 weeks during every study. As well as Diarrhoea and ARI were also evaluated by experts every 4 weeks. 

• The severity of constipation was significantly low in the probiotic group (affecting 21.2%, 12%, 15.5% children in 8th, 12th and 16th weeks respectively) compared to the control group (affecting 28.8%, 32%, 30% children in the same respective weeks). Studies revealed that LcS could enervate constipation by hardening stools.
• Similarly, the severity of diarrhoea was also significantly low in the probiotic group (affecting 5.7%, 4.9%, 4.1% children in 8th, 12th and 16th weeks respectively) than the control group ((affecting 8.7%, 7.9%, 8.1% children in the same respective weeks). The analysis showed that LcS was nearly successful to improve diarrhoea by improving and regulating the intestinal microbiota and environment.
• In case of ARI, the severity of the disease remained nearly same for the 4th and 8th week, (29.4% and 22.7% for probiotics) and (28.8% and 26.2% for the controls). But significant increment in the health was obtained henceforth the weeks (affecting 15.9% and 13.1% probiotics children in 12th and 16th weeks respectively) whereas (24.5% and 25.4% control children in the same respective week). As the major target of LcS, ARI was demonstrated to be successfully treated. It reduced the chances of pneumonia and days of fever and illness. LcS up-regulates the NK cells, therefore promoting the immune responses against infections.
• In the case of nutritional assessment, the probiotic children had body weight and height less than that of the control group. The weight gain of the probiotic children happened after 12th week. Thus the cause for the weight gain is still not clear which may occur due to due to a gap in age, the increase in energy intake, or the improvement of nutritional absorption by probiotics.

Apart from the successful survey 3 limitations need to be supervised further. First, the age of the children was not equalised because the nutritional assessment is not effective. Secondly, the double-blind placebo-controlled design lacked in the clinical trial, for the study also aimed for the basic health survey of the children. Third, there is no supportive data for the potential beneficial effect of LcS on children’s nutritional absorption. These unsatisfied data require further attention. 

Administering LcS in the dietary food for the children may be effective against ARI, diarrhoea and PCM with some further modifications of the proposed study being conducted, thus conferring remarkable health benefits.

SOURCE:

1. Efficacy of probiotics on digestive disorders and acute respiratory infections: a controlled clinical trial in young Vietnamese children; Truong Tuyet Mai et all; 28 September 2020; European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Vol: 10, Pg-1038; doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-00754-9 
2. Malnutrition and Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Infections in Children: A Public Health Problem; Leonor Rodrgíuez et al; 18 April 2011; International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Vol: 8, Pg.: 1174-1205; doi: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/8/4/1174 

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