Inflammatory Bowel Disease
REASONS TO AVOID ANTIBIOTICS ESPECIALLY IN INFANTS – (02-11-08)
High dose probiotic and prebiotic cotherapy for remission induction of active Crohn’s disease
While this is a small study, it’s definitely an important one for a variety of reasons. First, much research suggests that altered bacterial flora plays almost the pivotal role in development of inflammatory bowel disease, but that this alteration occurs early in life. All the more reason to avoid antibiotics at all costs, especially in infants.
Next, the levels used in this study were substantial, with the average being 45 billion CFUs for the entire 13 months of the study. Lastly, the response was quite strong, with NO side effects noted. Given the litany of problems associated with pharmaceutical treatment of IBD, this lack of side effects is a strong selling point.
