As mentioned in the section on vaginosis, the vagina contains a complex combination of various probiotics and eubiotic organisms. In a balanced state, these not only can defend against invaders: They can help manage the pH environment and the balance of hormones and nutrients. As the research will show, the baby thrives from a particular environment within the womb of the mother. Healthy colonies of probiotics help create and maintain that environment. Dysbiosis, on the other hand, produces a toxic environment for both the mother and the baby.

In a German study (Hoyme and Saling 2004), among 381 pregnant women, seventy-three were identified as risk cases for premature birth. Fifty-eight of the high-risk cases were treated with a Lactobacillus preparation (applied to the vagina) and 24 were treated with clindamycin (antibiotic) cream. (Others refused any therapy). The prematurity rate was 8% in the probiotic group, versus 12% in the control group. Furthermore, the probiotic group resulted in 0.3% versus 3.3% of their neonates being classified as “very early” premature infants.

Seventy-three preterm infants were given either Lactobacillus probiotics or placebo at the Ewha Womans University Hospital (Lee et al. 2007) between March 2003 and July 2004. The Infants with gestational ages less than 37 weeks were given Lactobacillus acidophilus orally, mixed with breast milk or put into formula. After two weeks, the infants given the probiotics had significantly improved feeding tolerance.

Low Birth Weights

When a baby is born premature, they are also likely to have a very low birth weight. Very low birth weights are considered one of the leading causes of death among premature infants. The problem is that with a low birth weight, the infant struggles to maintain metabolic and enzymatic activity. The key to stimulating weight among a low birth weight infant is thus proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. The problem often with a premature infant is that they have yet to develop the mechanisms for the production of digestive aids such as bile, enzymes and gastrin that properly break down foods. This is where probiotics come into play. Probiotics help the body break down nutrients, and help stimulate the production of enzymes. Probiotics also help stimulate healthy mucosal membranes and intestinal barriers. Let’s review some research that supports this:

Japanese scientists from the Osaka Medical Center (Kitajima et al. 1997) gave Bifidobacterium breve or placebo to 91 very low birthweight infants for eight weeks and followed up for three years. At two weeks of age, colonization rates of the administered bacteria were 73% versus 12% among the control group. The probiotic group showed significantly fewer abnormal abdominal signs and better weight gain than the control group.

Scientists from China’s Medical University (Lin et al. 2005) gave 367 infants with very low birth weights either Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium infantis with their breast milk or breast milk alone. Those given the probiotics were five times less likely to contract necrotizing enterocolitis—a frequent disorder among very low birth weights—than did the control group. Furthermore, the probiotic group had no severe cases of necrotizing enterocolitis while the control group suffered six severe cases.

Another study—this time a multicenter study of 435 infants—from some of the same researchers (Lin et al. 2008) showed that death and necrotizing enterocolitis among low birth weight newborns significantly decreased for newborns who were supplemented with probiotics.

Researchers from Israel’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the Faculty of Medicine from Hebrew University (Bin-Nun et al. 2005) gave a combination of Bifidobacteria infantis, Streptococcus thermophilus and Bifidobacteria Bifidus or a placebo to 145 low birth-weight infants. Necrotizing enterocolitis was significantly lower in the probiotic group than in the placebo group (4% versus 16%). Fewer severe cases also occurred in the probiotic infants. Three of the 15 babies who developed necrotizing enterocolitis died—with all the deaths sadly occurring among the placebo infants.

Researchers from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Italy’s Azienda Ospedaliera Regina Anna Hospital (Manzoni et al. 2006) studied 180 neonates with very low birth weight. They gave either a placebo or oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus beginning on the first three days of life through the earlier of six weeks or until discharge. The infants’ health was tracked over a 12-month period. Incidence of Candida infections among the infants was significantly lower in the probiotic group (23.1% vs. 48.8%).

Researchers from India’s Kolkata Medical College (Samanta et al. 2009) showed that death and necrotizing enterocolitis among low birth weight newborns significantly decreased for those newborns given probiotics.

Scientists from the University of Tartu’s Department of Pediatrics in Estonia (Vendt et al. 2006) investigated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation among normal healthy infants. One hundred and twenty healthy infants under two months old were given a probiotic-supplemented formula or a non-probiotic formula until the age of six months. Weight, length and head circumference were measured monthly. Combined, these measurements were all greater among the probiotic infants. In other words, those infants given Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG with their feeding formula grew significantly faster than those not given probiotics!

References and more information are available from Probiotics – Protection Against Infection: Using Nature’s Tiny Warriors to Stem Infection and Fight Disease.