Reduced incidence and duration of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children fed a follow‐up formula containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a prebiotic blend of polydextrose (PDX) and galacto‐oligosaccharides (GOS), and yeast beta glucan

Abstract

Intakes of DHA, prebiotics, yeast‐β‐glucan, and other micronutrients have been associated with reduced incidence of respiratory infections.To determine if a follow‐up formula containing a combination of DHA, a prebiotic blend of PDX and GOS, and yeast β‐glucan reduced the incidence of ARI in children.In this double‐blind, randomized, controlled trial, healthy children (3–4yrs) were fed 3 servings per day of a follow‐up formula (FF; n=156) containing DHA (25mg/serving), PDX and GOS (1.2g/serving), and yeast β‐glucan (12.8mg/serving), or a control powdered cow's milk (C; n=154) for 28 weeks. The incidence and duration of ARI were obtained from medical records. Incidence of ARI was analyzed with the CMH test. Duration of ARI was analyzed with ANOVA.The FF group had fewer episodes and shorter average duration of ARI compared to the control group (Table).When compared to cow's milk, daily intake of a follow‐up formula containing DHA, a prebiotic blend of PDX and GOS, and yeast β‐glucan over a 28 week period resulted in fewer episodes and shorter duration of acute respiratory infections.