A study to investigate the ability of a probiotic formulation to reduce potential gastrointestinal side effects of antibiotic treatment has found significant benefits from dietary supplementation with HOWARU Restore, part of the DuPont Danisco probiotic range from DuPont Nutrition & Health.
The study, which was conducted by the company and Changhai Hospital in Shanghai, China, was published in Vaccine Journal and is titled Clinical Dose Response Study Examines Use of Probiotics to Reduce Symptoms of Antibiotic Use.
The triple-blind, dose-response study concludes that the four-strain probiotic combination in HOWARU Restore appears to lower the risk and duration of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD).
A decrease in gastrointestinal symptoms – fever, bloating and abdominal pain – also was observed compared to the placebo group.
More than 500 participants
The 503 adult subjects who participated in the study were recruited at Changhai Hospital in Shanghai.
They were divided into three groups: a placebo group and two groups that received either a low dose or high dose of HOWARU Restore (guaranteed to a minimum dose of 2.5×109 and 10×109 colony forming units [CFU], respectively, at end of shelf-life).
Both probiotic treatments and the placebo were administered daily in the form of capsules during and for seven days following antibiotic treatment.
High probiotic dose shows most significant results
While the low-dose group were found to experience fewer antibiotic side effects than the placebo group, the incidence of AAD in the high-dose group was, at 12.5%, close to half that of the placebo group (24.6%).
The high-dose group similarly had a considerably lower rate of fever and gastrointestinal discomfort.
In addition, the study indicates a tendency toward reduced Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) – Clostridium difficilebeing the pathogen responsible for 10-25% of AAD episodes and almost all episodes of antibiotic-induced pseudo-membranous colitis.
