Probiotics Support Respiratory Tract Health

A recently published analysis reports that probiotics play a role in the health of the upper respiratory tract. Probiotics, as beneficial bacteria in the intestines, help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria, aid in digestion, and may influence immune function. There are over 400 strains of bacteria that reside in the human digestive tract.

Researchers evaluated currently published randomized controlled trials comparing probiotic intake to placebo and lung and upper respiratory tract health. The data from 10 studies was combined resulting in 3,451 subjects.

The combined data showed that probiotics enhanced respiratory tract function compared to placebo. The study found a 42 percent reduction in the likelihood of the subjects having less than optimal respiratory tract health at least once, and a 47 percent reduction in experiencing this at least three times. The rate ratio, which compares the rate of events occurring at any given point in time, showed a 12 percent reduction with probiotic supplementation compared to placebo. In addition, there was a 33 percent reduction in the need for additional support for upper respiratory health for those taking probiotic supplementation compared to placebo. There was no difference found in duration of suboptimal lung health.

The study authors concluded that probiotics were superior to placebo in supporting optimal upper respiratory well-being, and reducing the need for additional conventional support.

Reference:

Hao Q, Lu Z, Dong BR, Huang CQ, Wu T. Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Sep 7;9:CD006895.