Probiotics May Reduce Beta-Cell Islet Autoimmunity In Babies At Risk For T1D.

Medscape (9/20, McCall) reported that according to the results of a study involving some 7,000 youngsters and presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, babies “who are at genetic risk of developing type 1 diabetes [T1D] and who were given probiotics before three months of age had a 33% reduction in the risk of pancreatic beta-cell islet autoimmunity.” The probiotics given in the study contained “mainly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium” and “were given either as a supplement or in probiotic-fortified infant formula.”