Bacteria Help Fight Eczema

Taken from FOOD WATCH section, Montreal's "[i]The Gazette[/i]" Sat. July 28, 2001 issue (pg W9):

"Supplements of a friendly bacteria found in live yogurt could halve the chances of infants developing eczema, a skin disease some never outgrow, according to new research.
In the study by scientists at the National Public Health Institute in Finland, 159 pregnant women with a family history of allergies were randomly given either lactobacillus GG, which belongs to a class of supplements known as probiotics, or fake pills twice a day for about three weeks before they gave birth.
After they delivered, breast-feeding mothers took the capsules for six months, while bottle-fed babies were fed the contents of the capsules mixed with water for the same length of time. Both methods delivered the same concentration of the bacteria.
23% of those fed the probiotic developed eczema by age 2 vs. 46% of the infants given the fake pills.
"These figures are remarkable and, if confirmed in other studies and applicable to other allergic diseases, probiotics would represent an important therapeutic advance," said Dr. Simon Murch of University College, London.
Probiotics are thought to improve the balance of germs in the intestines, which proponents believe might enhance the immune system."