A probiotic developed from dairy cultures by Fonterra Nutrition has been shown to have significant long term benefits for children suffering from eczema.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001™ was shown in a previous trial to help reduce the occurrence of eczema symptoms in children by almost 50 per cent when they took the probiotic up to two years of age. Now, a follow-up study published in the respected international journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy has shown that this reduction in symptoms continues through to four years old, even though the children stopped taking the probiotic at two years of age.
Fonterra Nutrition Senior Research Scientist Dr James Dekker said the results indicate that Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001™ may be able to modify the immune system early in a child’s development, to deliver long term benefits with no discernable side effects.
“Eczema affects millions of children worldwide, with around half the cases being diagnosed before one-year of age,” he said.
“The long term benefits shown by Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001™ are extremely encouraging and are particularly relevant in New Zealand which has one of the highest incidence rates of eczema in the world,” said Dekker. . .
This is an exciting development for eczema sufferers and Fonterra.
