Probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic interventions targeting the early-life gut-brain axis: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Salvatore Michele Carnazzo, Alessandro Vitello, Fabio Allia et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review evaluated randomized controlled trials assessing probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic interventions in infants aged 0-36 months, focusing on their effects on gut-brain axis biomarkers. The review included six trials with 1148 participants, revealing that interventions led to localized mucosal effects, such as selective enrichment of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, but did not significantly impact systemic neuroimmune or neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Key findings
- Interventions were associated with selective enrichment of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus.
- Modest reductions in fecal pH were observed across trials.
- Fecal secretory sIgA showed modest, variably reported increases.
- No robust differences were found in systemic cytokines or neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Why it matters
Understanding the impact of microbiota-directed interventions during early life is crucial for developing strategies to support gut-brain communication and overall infant health. This review highlights the potential for localized effects but also the limitations in translating these findings to systemic outcomes.
What to keep in mind
Methodological heterogeneity and frequent values below assay detection limits limited the ability to conduct a quantitative meta-analysis.