Does the addition of prebiotics to infant formula have beneficial effects for the baby?

Breast-feeding is known to have many benefits for babies. Attempts have been made to reproduce the effectiveness of the protective components of breast milk in formula milk by the addition of prebiotics, non-digestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth or activity of indigenous beneficial bacteria. The aim of this mini review is to determine whether the addition of prebiotics does indeed have beneficial effects for infants. The Cochrane Library, CINHAL, Embase, Medline and the full text database were searched for randomized controlled trials, which compared formulas, supplemented with prebiotics to those without added prebiotics. Three RCTs were identified which considered whether prebiotic enhanced formulas led to an increase in faecal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli which inhibit the development of pathogenic organisms and whether these formulas are well tolerated and free of side effects. One study considered healthy premature infants and the other two considered well term infants, with one also considering two different doses of prebiotic mix. All studies showed increases in these beneficial bacteria and determined that the prebiotic enhanced feeds were well tolerated with no adverse side effects. There is now a need for long term studies to determine whether these effects lead to reduced infections and allergies in later childhood.