Ancient Probiotic Drink to be Tested in Young Children Receiving Antibiotics (8/30/2007)

Infections are pretty common in young children, and so is use of antibiotic treatment. But this rite of passage often has unpleasant consequences - about one-third of kids will develop diarrhea because either the infection or its treatment upsets their bodies' normal balance of intestinal bacteria. Now, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center are, for the first time, set to test whether one of the world's oldest "health" drinks can produce a better outcome in children being treated for an infection.

This month, researchers in the Department of Family Medicine began a clinical trial to study whether use of kefir, a drink rich in "probiotics," can prevent diarrhea in children who have been prescribed a ten-day course of antibiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria, which given in sufficient amounts, may improve health, says the study's lead investigator, Daniel J. Merenstein, M.D., director of the Department of Family Medicine. Probiotics are found in supplemental forms or in foods such as yogurt, kombucha tea, sauerkraut and kefir.

"Kefir, which originated in Eurasia, has been used for hundreds of years to promote health, and has much promise as a preventive food that may help treat certain conditions," Merenstein says. "We are interested in putting such potential benefits under the microscope, so to speak, by examining it through clinical trials."

Kefir is a milk product produced by the action of ten probiotics, which is "five times the amount that most yogurts contain," he says. Some probiotics have been shown to keep the stomach and immune system strong and stable, especially when disturbed by antibiotics. Studies have examined the potential health benefits of other probiotics in the prevention and treatment of both antibiotic and infectious diarrhea, Merenstein says. "The probiotics have generally been given as supplements or pills, but we want to test the effects of supplying these probiotics in food products that are more readily available."

Their MILK Study will enroll 130 children, 1-5 years of age, who will be randomized into two groups. One group will drink 5 ounces of kefir with their antibiotic tablet each day and the other group will be given a similar-tasting placebo drink. According to research associate Haewon Park, M.P.H., investigators will look to see if there is a statistically significant reduction of 10 percent or more in occurrence of diarrhea in patients drinking kefir, compared to participants who consumed the placebo drink.

The study is being funded by Lifeway Foods, which manufacturers Probug's Organic Whole Milk Kefir™, but Georgetown University owns all of the data that results from the study and has full publication rights, Merenstein says.

"The current treatment for diarrhea in young children is oral rehydration products and while they do rehydrate youngsters, they play no role in the prevention of diarrhea," Merenstein says.

Enrollment in the study requires no travel for the participants and the caregiver and the participating child will be compensated for their time. For further information, call project coordinator Jennifer Foster at 202.687.MILK (6455).

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Georgetown University Medical Center

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