Gut Microbiota-Targeted Nutritional Interventions Improving Child Growth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this systematic literature review was to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic interventions compared with control on improving growth outcomes of children living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Probiotics had a beneficial effect on ≥1 of the growth outcomes in 5 out of the 11 included studies. Of these, 3 studies were conducted in undernourished children, 1 in healthy children, and 1 in children without a described health status. No effect of prebiotics on growth outcomes was seen in the 4 included studies. Synbiotics had a beneficial effect on growth outcomes in 3 out of 4 studies. Although a limited number of studies with high heterogeneity indicate that probiotics and synbiotics may have the potential to improve the growth of both un

SUBMITTER: Heuven LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8575755 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature