Probiotics ‘good for baby’s health’

A PROBIOTIC a day could protect babies from asthma, diabetes and cancer.

Very young children are believed to need a proper balance of bacteria in their gut to help prevent such illnesses.

Being born prematurely or by caesarean changes gut bacteria, as might antibiotics given to the mother during pregnancy and modern living conditions.

Scientists found a probiotic may help restore the balance of gut bacteria. Babies given the supplement daily for three weeks still its ‘good’ bacteria in their bodies a month later.

Researcher Professor Mark Underwood, of the University of California Davis, said: ‘[Good bacteria] were surviving and dominating, and that’s something we really have not seen before.’

All 66 babies were breastfed during the study – funded by probiotic maker Evolve Biosystems and published in mSphere, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. It is thought sugars in the milk may sustain the bacteria.