P0909 EVALUATION OF A DIET CONTAINING PROBIOTICS AND ZINC FOR THE TREATMENT OF MILD DIARRHEAL ILLNESS IN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN ONE YEAR OF AGE

Abstract

Introduction: Supplementation of probiotics, and supplementation of zinc, during acute gastroenteritis in children has positive effects on diarrhea duration and severity. Our study aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new diet enriched with zinc and probiotic bacteria in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis in young children. Methods: In a double blind prospective study, 65 children aged 6–12 months were randomized to receive 6 ×109 of streptococcus Thermophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, Lactobacillus Acidophilus (2 ×109 of each strain), 10 mg of Zinc/day and 0.3 grams of fructo-oligosaccharides in the supplemented group (n=33) or placebo (n=32) given as the same amount and composition of a soy protein based rice cereal. For each child age, sex, weight, degree of dehydration, the presence of fever or vomiting, stool frequency and consistency were recorded daily until diarrhea resolution. Results: Diarrhea resolution occurred after 1.43 ± 0.71 days in the supplemented group vs. 1.96 ± 1.24 in the control group (p=0.017). In the subset of children who presented with vomiting, time to vomiting resolution was 0.27±0.59 vs. 0.81±0.91 days in the supplemented and controlgroups respectively (p=0.06). On day 3, there was only 1 child with wattery stools in the supplemented group compared with 10 children in the control group (p=0.02). However, there was no difference in stool frequency between the study groups. Conclusion: The supplementation of a cereal containg streptococcus Thermophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, Lactobacillus Acidophilus and zinc shortens the severity and duration of acute gastroenteritis in children six to twelve months of age.