The following is a summary of “Probiotic Supplementation for Promotion of Growth in Undernourished Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysisle,” published in the December 2023 issue of Pediatrics by Imdad, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to comprehensively synthesize existing evidence regarding the use of probiotic supplementation as a therapeutic strategy to enhance growth outcomes in undernourished children. The primary focus was on investigating the impact of probiotics on weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height in children under 5 years of age who are experiencing undernutrition.

A systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, LILACS, and Scopus, targeting randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The trials involved the administration of probiotics or comparable interventions to undernourished children. The primary outcomes assessed were weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height, considering the longest follow-up points reported. Standardized mean differences (SMD) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria were employed to evaluate the certainty of the evidence.

The inclusion comprised nine RCTs encompassing a total of 5,295 children, with treatment durations ranging from 1 month to 1 year. Pooled analyses from seven studies suggested that probiotics exhibit minimal to no discernible effect on weight-for-age (SMD 0.05 SD, 95% CI: −0.04 to 0.13, n = 2,115 children; low-certainty evidence) and height-for-age (SMD −0.04 SD, 95% CI: −0.14 to 0.07, n = 1,357 children; low-certainty evidence). The evidence regarding the impact on weight-for-height was highly uncertain.

The synthesis indicated that probiotics may have marginal to negligible effects on anthropometric measures in undernourished children. However, the considerable heterogeneity observed among the reviewed trials underscores the complexity of the interaction between gut microbiota and human nutrition. Further research was imperative to elucidate the intricate relationship between the gut microbiome, undernutrition, and the potential influence of probiotics on growth outcomes in the vulnerable population.

Source: journals.lww.com/jpgn/abstract/2023/12000/probiotic_supplementation_for_promotion_of_growth.7.aspx