Probiotic Helps Children's Stomach Pain
Probiotic Helps Children's Stomach Pain
Nov. 16, 2010 -- A common probiotic may help ease tummy troubles for children with chronic stomach pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
A new study shows the probiotic Lactobacillusrhamnosus strain GG, commonly known as lactobacillus GG or LGG, significantly reduced the severity and frequency of bouts of abdominal pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome.
Probiotics are "friendly bacteria" that are similar to organisms naturally found in the digestive tract. Certain types of probiotics have been linked to a number of health benefits in adults, such as soothing irritable bowel syndrome. But they have not been widely studied in children.
Researchers say recurrent abdominal pain affects 10% to 15% of school-aged children. Irritable bowel syndrome is often the cause, and there are few treatment options available for children with this disorder.
"One of the best-studied probiotic bacteria in clinical trials for treating and/or preventing several intestinal disorders is Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG)," researcher Ruggiero Francavilla, MD, PhD, of the University of Bari in Bari, Italy, and colleagues write in Pediatrics.
Slideshow: Top Foods for Probiotics
A new study shows the probiotic Lactobacillusrhamnosus strain GG, commonly known as lactobacillus GG or LGG, significantly reduced the severity and frequency of bouts of abdominal pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome.
Probiotics are "friendly bacteria" that are similar to organisms naturally found in the digestive tract. Certain types of probiotics have been linked to a number of health benefits in adults, such as soothing irritable bowel syndrome. But they have not been widely studied in children.
Researchers say recurrent abdominal pain affects 10% to 15% of school-aged children. Irritable bowel syndrome is often the cause, and there are few treatment options available for children with this disorder.
"One of the best-studied probiotic bacteria in clinical trials for treating and/or preventing several intestinal disorders is Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG (LGG)," researcher Ruggiero Francavilla, MD, PhD, of the University of Bari in Bari, Italy, and colleagues write in Pediatrics.
Slideshow: Top Foods for Probiotics
