Study Finds Probiotic Use in Mothers Limits Eczema in their Babies

Eczema is a common term which includes a variety of different skin conditions.  Lots of kids develop some form of eczema in early childhood yet many will eventually outgrow the condition.  Eczema in infants is typically dry, itchy skin which can develop anywhere on their bodies.  Typically, eczema is treatable but nonetheless pretty uncomfortable for a baby.  What if mothers could help prevent it from even ocurring? A new study reveals expecting mums may be able to parlay the condition before a baby is even born. 

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that mums who drank milk containing a probiotic supplement were able to cut the occurrence of eczema in their babies by half.  Following 415 pregnant women and their children until 2 years of age, researchers gave half of the women a probiotic boosted milk and the other half of the mothers a placebo- all unbeknownst to the mums as this was a double-blind study.

The women were given a glass of milk daily starting a 36 weeks until 3 months after birth.  The probiotic packed milk reduced the rate of eczema by 40%.  In addition, the probiotic packed babies who did have eczema had less severe cases than their non supplemented counterparts. 

Since the mothers in the study were delivered non-marked cartons of milk, researchers are leaving this study pretty convinced it was the probiotics alone that reduced the rate of eczema.  Previous studies have found that giving kids probiotics can help reduce eczema but this is the first study to show that mums can help prevent it.  Researchers also did a follow-up on the babies in the study to see if the probiotics had any effect on the incidence of asthma and allergies, only to find they did not.

What this Means for Mums

Yogurt loving mums rejoice! There are good amount of probiotics naturally occurring in cultured foods like yogurt and Kefir- just make sure the label says “contains active cultures”.  Probiotics are dubbed the ‘good bacteria’ as they already exist in the digestive tract aiding in digestion and absorption of nutrients.  Recent research has found that probiotics can also aid in regulating bowel movements, prevention/treatment of yeast and bladder infections, and prevention or reduction in the severity of colds- all troublesome things women typically encounter during pregnancy. Probiotic supplements are available, just be sure to talk to your doctor before taking any supplements during pregnancy.