Probiotic review found no clear improvement in childhood asthma symptoms
Some immune markers changed, but symptom scores and lung function did not show statistically significant benefits; the evidence was rated very low certainty.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across the included trials, probiotics did not significantly improve daytime or nighttime asthma symptoms or measured lung function. Changes in immune markers did not establish a clinical benefit, and additional statistical checks found those findings inconclusive. The authors concluded that the available evidence does not support routine probiotic use as an added treatment for childhood asthma.
Every outcome was rated very low certainty, and funnel plots suggested possible publication bias for immune-marker results. All trials came from China; the abstract does not specify treatment durations or comparison treatments.
Markers and symptoms answer different questions
The researchers assessed daytime and nighttime symptom scores, several lung-function measures and immune signals. These outcomes answer different questions: a change in an immune marker does not itself demonstrate better asthma symptom control.
Why additional checks mattered
Trial sequential analysis was used to check whether the accumulated evidence was conclusive. Despite statistically significant changes in selected immune markers, that analysis did not confirm firm evidence for those changes.
The original publication
Efficacy and safety of probiotics in the treatment of pediatric asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hu G, Liao K, Yu Y et al.
Front Med (Lausanne) · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41561940
- Record checked
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