The ProChild & ProChild-2 Studies: Preschool children
The impact of probiotics and vitamin C on the prevention of upper respiratory tract symptoms in two preschool children cohorts
SUMMARY
Pooling data from multiple trials can provide strong evidence regarding the effectiveness of an intervention. We assessed the impact of the Lab4 probiotic/vitamin C combination on preventing coughs and colds in two groups of preschool children participating in the ProChild and ProChild-2 studies.
- The Lab4 probiotics in combination with a low dose of vitamin C significantly reduced the incidence and duration of coughs and colds in preschool children aged 3 to 6 years.
- The incidence of absence from school was significantly reduced by 25%.
- The number of visits to the paediatric G.P was significantly reduced by 44%.
- The antibiotic usage was significantly reduced by 47%.
Aim
To confirm the beneficial effects of the Lab4 probiotic with a low dose of vitamin C on preventing cough and cold symptoms and reducing absenteeism among preschool children in our ProChild & ProChild-2 studies.
Method
Results
Symptoms
- A 25% significant reduction in the incidence of cough and cold symptoms was observed in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (*P<0.0001).
- There was a 40% significant reduction in the duration of coughs and colds in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (*P=0.0030).
Absenteeism
- A 25% significant reduction in preschool absenteeism was observed in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (*P<0.0001).
Paediatric physician visits and antibiotic usage
- Over the 6-month study period, GP paediatric visits for any reason were significantly reduced by 44% (*P<0.0001).
- In Group 2, there was a significant reduction in antibiotic use by 47% compared to Group 1 (*P<0.0001).
Conclusion
The pooled analysis of data from two studies confirmed the beneficial effect of La4 probiotic in combination with a low dose vitamin C in the prevention and management of coughs and colds in preschool children.
Study links
2021
The ProChild-2 Study
Probiotics with vitamin C for the prevention of upper respiratory tract symptoms in children aged 3-10 years: a randomised controlled trial
2015
The ProChild Study
This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a probiotic consortium (Lab4) in combination with vitamin C in the prevention of respiratory tract infections in children attending preschool facilities.
