ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the role of yogurt containing 2 type of Bifidobacterias in improving the intestinal comfort in children. Methods:A 4-week, single-arm, non-randomized study was conducted from October 23, 2021 to November 21, 2021, in which, healthy children aged 3-6 years in real life were provided with commercially available children′s yogurt supplemented with Bifidobacteriumlactis BL-99 and Bifidobacterium infantis YLGB-1496.The questionnaire on gastrointestinal symptoms in children and the Patient-Oriented SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD) index were used to evaluate the intestinal comfort and skin sensitivity changes at baseline, week 1, week 2, and week 4, respectively. Kruskal- Wallis rank sum test was used for comparison at different time points. Results:A total of 39 children, involving 20 boys and 19 girls with the median age of 5.0 years completed the study.There were significant differences in intestinal comfort score and PO-SCORAD scores, distribution of stool consistency and night awakening frequency at different time points (baseline, week 1, week 2 and week 4) (all P<0.05). The total score of intestinal comfort at week 2 and 4 was 12.0 (10.0, 13.0) points and 10.0 (9.0, 10.0) points, which was significantly lower than that at baseline[17.0 (15.0, 21.0) points, P<0.05]. The total score of intestinal comfort at week 4 was significantly lower than that at week 1[13.0 (11.0, 15.0)points] and week 2 (all P<0.05). At week 4, all children had an ideal stool consistency (type 3-4). At week 4, 33 (84.6%) of the children woke up 0 times, and 6 (15.4%) of the children woke up once or twice.The PO-SCORAD scores at week 1, 2 and 4 were 10.2 (6.5, 14.7) points, 8.2 (5.5, 14.2) points and 5.5 (4.5, 9.0) points, respectively, which were all significantly lower than that at baseline[18.3 (11.6, 25.3) points, all P<0.05]. The total PO-SCORAD score at week 4 was significantly lower than that at week 1 ( P<0.05). Conclusions:After eating yoghurt supplemented with Bifidobacteriumlactis BL-99 and Bifidobacterium infantis YLGB-1496 for 4 weeks, the children′s intestinal comfort and stool consistency, night awakening and skin sensitivity are improved.