According to the study, which was compiled from the results of 12 similar studies, infants and children were 29 percent less likely to be prescribed antibiotics when given probiotics as a daily supplement. If the analysis was repeated only with the highest quality studies, this percentage increased to 53.
"Given this finding, one way to reduce the use of antibiotics is the regular use of probiotics," said Daniel Merenstein, senior investigator of the study.
"We already have evidence that the use of probiotics reduces the frequency, duration and severity of certain types of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, the question is whether this reduction is strongly linked to the decline in antibiotic use, and we see that there is an association, added Merenstein.
Sarah King, lead author of the study, said, "More studies are needed at all ages, especially in the elderly, to see if sustained probiotic use coupled with a general reduction in antibiotic prescriptions has a major impact on the use of probiotics in general practice and consumers in general. "
"We do not know all the mechanisms that probiotic strains can use, but as most of the human immune system is found in the gastrointestinal tract, ingesting healthy bacteria can eliminate bacterial pathogens associated with intestinal infections and make the immune system fight others, King added.
The study appears in the European Journal of Public Health.