Current research does not support Lactobacillus GG as therapy for which conditions in infants or children?

Current research does not support Lactobacillus GG as therapy for which conditions in infants or children?

• A. Acute infectious diarrhea
• B. Constipation
• C. NEC, Crohn's disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection
• D. Celiac disease

Answer: (C)

Lactobacillus GG is a probiotic strain whose effects are highly specific to the condition being treated and to the patient population. In infants and children, there is solid evidence supporting some benefits for acute infectious diarrhea and, to a lesser degree, other GI symptoms, but the data are not consistent for every condition. For NEC, Crohn’s disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection, the available research does not establish Lactobacillus GG as an effective stand-alone therapy. In the case of NEC, especially in preterm infants, results are variable and safety considerations limit routine use as a preventive or therapeutic measure. For Crohn’s disease in children, probiotic benefits with this strain have not been consistently demonstrated to induce or maintain remission. And for H. pylori infection in children, antibiotics remain the main treatment, with probiotics possibly offering adjunctive, not primary, benefit; L. GG alone is not supported as a primary therapy. Therefore, these are the conditions where current evidence does not support using Lactobacillus GG as therapy.

Lactobacillus GG is a probiotic strain whose effects are highly specific to the condition being treated and to the patient population. In infants and children, there is solid evidence supporting some benefits for acute infectious diarrhea and, to a lesser degree, other GI symptoms, but the data are not consistent for every condition. For NEC, Crohn’s disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection, the available research does not establish Lactobacillus GG as an effective stand-alone therapy. In the case of NEC, especially in preterm infants, results are variable and safety considerations limit routine use as a preventive or therapeutic measure. For Crohn’s disease in children, probiotic benefits with this strain have not been consistently demonstrated to induce or maintain remission. And for H. pylori infection in children, antibiotics remain the main treatment, with probiotics possibly offering adjunctive, not primary, benefit; L. GG alone is not supported as a primary therapy. Therefore, these are the conditions where current evidence does not support using Lactobacillus GG as therapy.