Effect of Prebiotic-Added Foods on Infant Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Objective: In cases where breastfeeding is not possible, one of the recommended strategies to change the composition of the nutritional baby’s gut microbiota and bring it closer to breastfed infants is to enrich the infant’s food with prebiotics. The aim of this study was to systematically review the results of its effect on growth, gait and gastrointestinal (GI) system in infants fed with prebiotic-added formula and to perform a meta-analysis of the available evidence.
Materials and Methods: The literature review for this systematic review was conducted between January and February 2023 using five electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS and ULAKBİM. Articles were scanned using MeSH-based keywords. Only Randomized Controlled Trials conducted in the last five years were included. The data were analyzed using the Review Manager computer program (Version 5.3).
Results: The analysis included six studies involving 1399 formula-fed infants. In the post-intervention analysis of the included studies, there were no significant differences in weight (SMD: −0.21 95% CI: −0.45 to 0.03, Z=1.68, p=0.09), stool frequency (SMD:0.34 95% CI:−2. 89 to 3.58, Z=4.58, p=0.84), but there was a significant difference in the stool consistency (SMD:−0.50 95% CI:−0.73 to −0.27, Z=4.24, p<0.00001).
Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis confirmed that prebiotic-enriched infant formulas are likely to provide benefits for healthy infants. The studies indicate that the inclusion of prebiotics in formulas improves stool consistency. However, no significant effects were found on growth or stool frequency. These findings suggest that further research is needed to better understand the effects of prebiotics on infant gastrointestinal health.