‘Good’ bacteria may thwart allergies in toddlers

"The main finding is that administration of probiotics (shortly before and after birth) may prevent the development of atopic eczema during the first 4 years of life in high-risk children," Kalliomaki told Reuters Health. Children at high risk, he said, are those whose mother, father or older sibling has asthma, atopic eczema or allergic rhinitis. "The new finding is that the preventive potential of Lactobacillus GG may extend beyond infancy ... to the age of 4 years," the researcher added.

Probiotics have been shown to have favorable effects on the gut, according to Kalliomaki. Moreover these agents have clear effects on the developing immune system, he explained. By the age of four years, 25 of 54 children in the placebo group had developed allergic eczema, a condition in which the skin becomes irritated, red and itchy. But just 14 of the 53 children who had received probiotics developed the skin condition -- a 43-percent reduction, according to report. [via Reuters Health eLine]