The Benefits of Probiotics during
Pregnancy
Every mother wants to
do what’s best for their baby. This journey starts from the moment a woman
finds out that there is a tiny human growing inside her. Suddenly her world
revolves around this new life, effecting every decision that she makes from
this point forward.
One of the first decisions
to be made is that of what to put into her body on a daily basis. Nutrition
plays a huge role in the overall health of a woman’s pregnancy. One nutritional
component that has been found to have benefits for the infant is the
consumption of probiotics during pregnancy.
In a study conducted by
Randi Bertelsen, PhD, of the
Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, it was found that when mothers
ate probiotic enhanced dairy products while pregnant, their children were less
likely to develop eczema and nasal allergies during infancy and toddlerhood. Specifically, mothers who consumed milk and
yogurt fortified with probiotic bacteria, were found to lower the risk of
atopic dermatitis in infants at 6 months by 7% and the risk of rhino
conjunctivitis at ages 18-36 months by 12%.
Although previous
studies have been conducted to show similar results, evidence from these
studies has been questionable. With The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort
Study, results offer an increased level of significance and reliability. It was
a large, ongoing observational study that enrolled 108,000 pregnant women and
their children for over 9 years. The risks were adjusted to control for
maternal factors including age, education, smoking status, body mass index at
conception, dietary fiber intake, breastfeeding, parity and history of asthma
and allergy, as well as infant gender and type of delivery.
It was noted that
children born vaginally versus C-section were more likely to see the benefits
of probiotics consumed during pregnancy. Although the study mentioned a
possible confounding variable to be that more women delivered vaginally than by
C-section. One theory presented by Bertelsen however, is that newborns receive an inoculation of bacteria at birth
from the mother's vaginal flora during normal delivery, which does not occur
with C-section.
Also, Bertelsen noted
that in previous studies, breastfeeding was found to be another route that the
intake of probiotics could affect infants. Probiotic bacteria consumed by
mothers can make their way into breast milk and have been found to increase
interleukin-10 levels. This in turn could decrease the allergic reactions in
breastfed infants.
Bertelsen also
mentioned that the colonization of exogenous probiotic bacteria is not
permanent, and the protective effect in children may not last beyond 18-36
months. Although the matter of whether
it can be maintained by continued probiotic
administration remains unclear, it seems that the benefits could be
significant.
Sources: “Probiotics in Pregnancy Cut Allergies in Tots” by John Gever , Senior Editor, MedPage Today. Reviewed by Zalman S.
Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and
Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse .
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma,
and Immunology. Source reference: Bertelsen R, et
al "Maternal probiotic intake and
respiratory and allergy outcomes in early childhood" AAAAI 2013; Abstract 463.