Infant formulae supplemented with prebiotics: Are they better than unsupplemented formulae? An updated systematic review

Abstract

In 2011, the Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition systematically reviewed published evidence related to the safety and health effects of the administration of formulae supplemented with pro- and/or prebiotics compared with unsupplemented formulae. We updated evidence on the effects of the administration of prebiotic-supplemented infant formulae (IF) compared with unsupplemented IF. Five databases were searched up to March 2017 for randomised controlled trials. In all, forty-one publications were identified, including twenty-five new publications. The administration of currently evaluated prebiotic-supplemented formulae to healthy infants does not raise safety concerns with regard to growth and adverse effects. Some favourable clinical effects are possible, primarily stool softening, which may be beneficial in some infants. Currently, there is no existing robust evidence to recommend the routine use of prebiotic-supplemented formulae. The latter conclusion may reflect the small amount of data on specific prebiotics and outcomes, rather than a genuine lack of an effect. The efficacy and safety should be considered for each prebiotic(s)-supplemented formula.

Prebiotics in infant nutrition: a critical appraisal

“…The same evaluation has been recently presented by Skorka et al [11] as regards growth and tolerance parameters, so confirming the same statements of all most recent reviews [79][80][81][82][83][84][85]. Then the following considerations will be focused only on the efficacy of prebiotics as functionally active ingredients of infant formula.…”

“…It is thus interesting to note that, while probiotics are well described in term of adequate amount and specific role/effect as well as type of microorganisms, the definitions of prebiotics proposed to date have not considered either the specificity of the chemical composition of the prebiotic or its dosage. This is reflected by the heterogeneity of the studies available on prebiotics which differ a lot in terms of amount/dose and type of prebiotics administrated, making direct comparison among results very difficult and not really focused also in meta-analysis and systematic reviews [11].…”

Bovine Milk Oligosaccharides with Sialyllactose for Preterm Piglets

“…The studies showed overall good tolerability but limited clinical effects on growth, gastrointestinal infections, respiratory tract infections and allergic manifestations, but increased stool frequency with a softer stool consistency. Further, changes in microbiota composition has been observed with the increased number of bifidobacteria [ 34 ].…”

Probiotics, Non-Dairy Prebiotics and Postbiotics in Nutrition

“…So, the knowledge of the adverse effects of overdosing of prebiotics is very limited. This subject is ignored even in serious well-composed scientific studies, such as the effects of formulae supplemented with prebiotics upon the health of infants [91]. However, some reports demonstrate an adverse effect.…”