Long-Term Use of Synbiotics Is Safe

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can have positive health effects when ingested, and prebiotics are indigestible nutrients that help the growth and activity of probiotics. When given together, they are called synbiotics. Probiotics and prebiotics are added to commercial dairy products in some countries, such as Finland, where researchers examined the safety and long-term effects of synbiotics in infants in the largest randomized clinical trial to date.

Investigators randomized 1018 pregnant women whose newborn infants were at high risk for allergy (defined as 1 parent, mostly mothers, diagnosed with an allergic disease) to receive capsules containing four probiotic species or placebo for 4 weeks before delivery. Newborn infants receiv…