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Probiotics represent a new approach to treating allergic disease. Investigators from Australia conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial in which 56 children (age range, 6–18 months) with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis received twice-daily oral suspensions of either the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum or placebo for 8 weeks.
Sixteen weeks after enrollment, clinical outcomes significantly favored the probiotic group. For example, scores on a standardized measure of disease severity improved significantly in the probiotic group but not in the controls; scores improved in 92% of children in the probiotic group, compared with 63% in the control group. No differences were noted between groups in parental reports of disease sever…