Strain-Specific Effects of Early-Life Probiotic Supplementation on Respiratory Infections in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Salvatore Michele Carnazzo, Emanuele Sinagra, Dario Raimondo, Arianna Sferruzza, Roberto Ajovalasit, Alessandro Vitello, Andrea Domenico Praticò, Marcello Maida · 2026
Read Strain-Specific Effects of Early-Life Probiotic Supplementation on Respiratory Infections in Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Salvatore Michele Carnazzo, Emanuele Sinagra, Dario Raimondo, Arianna Sferruzza, Roberto Ajovalasit, Alessandro Vitello, Andrea Domenico Praticò, Marcello Maida (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13363551.txt.
Description
Salvatore Michele Carnazzo and colleagues present a 2026 review pooling trials of probiotics given to babies to prevent chest and airway infections. Parents and doctors alike hope friendly bacteria can cut the colds and lung infections of the first two years. The team kept nine randomized trials of probiotics or synbiotics started before age two, checked their quality, and graded the overall certainty of the pooled proof.
Overall, supplements did not significantly cut upper airway infections, and the trend toward fewer infections of any kind stayed short of proof. Two specific strains hinted at benefits in side analyses, but each rested on very few studies. No serious harms were tied to the products. The authors advise against routine use for this purpose until strain-level trials firm up.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Salvatore Michele Carnazzo, Emanuele Sinagra, Dario Raimondo, Arianna Sferruzza, Roberto Ajovalasit, Alessandro Vitello, Andrea Domenico Praticò, Marcello Maida |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 36113 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |