Probiotic BLIS K12 Offers Children Relief from Ear Infections?
A new pilot study explores the effect of Stratum Nutrition’s probiotic strain BLIS K12 on middle ear infections in children aged 3-9.
Photo © iStockphoto.com/Piotr Marcinski
Building on the body of research behind BLIS K12 for upper respiratory immune health, partners Stratum Nutrition (Saint Charles, MO) and BLIS Technologies (Dunedin, New Zealand) have announced results of a new pilot study that suggests the BLIS K12 probiotic strain may have a beneficial effect in children suffering from middle ear infections.
Researchers in Italy conducted the pilot study, which included 22 children aged 3-9 with a recent history of acute otitis media (AOM), otherwise known as a middle ear infection. All participants had a recent history of AOM and fluid in one or both ears for at least two months.
For 90 days, participants took one daily chewable lozenge containing BLIS K12, a unique strain of Streptococcus salivarius developed by BLIS Technologies. At the end of the treatment period, participants were evaluated for AOM episodes and subjected to other tests, including tone audiometry, tympanometry, endonasal endoscopy, otoscopy, and a tonsilar examination.
Researchers found that the rate of AOM infections-defined as the number of episodes per month per child-dropped by more than 40% compared with diagnosed infections from the 12 months prior to the study. Additionally, researchers observed a 50-60% improvement in specific measurements for hearing and a 40% improvement in the appearance of the ear canal and eardrum, including a reduction of fluid buildups in the middle ear, according to Stratum. None of the participants reported side effects or dropped out of the study.
“The results of this study also reconfirm the excellent safety profile of BLIS K12 in children and show, for the first time, a beneficial effect in children with a history of chronic middle ear asymptomatic ear infections,” says Stratum, the North American distributor of BLIS probiotic products manufactured by BLIS Technolobies.
Read more:
Health Canada Approves Oral-Health Probiotic
Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com
References:
Di Pierro F et al., “Oral use of streptococcus salivarius K12 in children with secretory otitis media: preliminary results of a pilot, uncontrolled study,” International Journal of General Medicine, vol. 15, no. 8 (September 2015): 303-308
