Bifidobacterium-Based Treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis and Intermittent Asthma in Children

by | Oct 17, 2017 | 2017, Allergies, Infant and Children's Health, Probiotics

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. Four weeks of probiotic supplementation with B longum BB536, B infantis M63, and B breve M-16 V significantly improved symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis in the participating children compared placebo.

probioticsSeasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is an allergic reaction to pollen exposure, involving sneezing, itching, and watery eyes. Most commonly affecting children, SAR is also a key risk factor for the onset and worsening of allergic asthma 1, which involves airway inflammation and bronchial hyperreactivity. Over the last few decades, a notable surge in the prevalence of allergies has taken place, potentially due to lower exposure to microbial agents and, therefore, diminished immunological tolerance to allergens 2,3. Non-pharmacological treatment of allergic disorders has evolved to include probiotic supplementation as a way to restore the intestinal microbiota 4. Through their anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects, probiotics, including various strains of bifidobacteria, have been shown to reduce allergic symptoms and upregulate production of cytokines involved in the dampening of allergy-related inflammation 5,6. Recent research provides promising evidence for the clinical use of a unique mixture of bifidobactera (B longum BB536, B infantis M-63, and B breve M-16 V) as a class I medical device 7. To evaluate the efficacy of this mixture in relation to allergy treatment, researchers in Genoa, Italy (2017)8 conducted a controlled study assessing the impact of the Bifidobacteria mixture on symptoms of SAR and intermittent asthma in children.

A total of 40 children (mean age = 9 +/- 2.2 years) carrying a diagnosis of SAR and well-controlled asthma were recruited for participation in a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Patients were randomized to receive either active medication with an oral supplement containing B longum BB536 (3×109 CFU), B infantis M-63 (1×109 CFU), and B breve M-16 V(1×109 CFU) as powder in a 3 mg sachet or matching placebo daily for 4 weeks. At baseline and following treatment, symptoms of AR (nasal itching, sneezing, nasal obstruction, itchy eyes) were assessed, along with quality of life, based on a self-report questionnaire.

A significant improvement of symptoms (p < 0.005) and quality of life (p < 0.001) were observed in children treated with the probiotic mixture, whereas placebo showed a worsening of both symptoms (p < 0.005) and quality of life (p < 0.001). An intergroup comparison confirmed that the probiotic mixture produced significantly greater improvements on all parameters (p < 0.001), as compared to placebo.

In the treatment of pollen-induced AR and intermittent asthma, evidence suggests that a mixture of probiotic strains including B longum BB536, B infantis M-63, and B breve M-16 V is capable of significantly alleviating symptoms of AR and improving quality of life in young patients. Probiotics may play a modulatory role in the management of AR and other respiratory infections. The interactive relationship between intestinal flora and innate immune response, as well as the unique impact of specific probiotic strains, warrants further study.

Source: Del Guidice M, Indolfi C, Capasso M. Bifidobacterium mixture (B longum BB536, B infantis M-63, B breve M-16 V) treatment in children with seasonal allergic rhinitis and intermittent asthma. Italian Journal of Pediatrics. 2017; 43: 25. DOI: 10.1186/s13052-017-0340-5.

© The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

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Posted October 17, 2018.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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