Table 3 Summary of 12 included prebiotic studies

Bettler 2006³⁷

USA

<14 days postnatal age, birth weight and current weight between 10–90 percentiles for age

1) Prebiotic group: FOS 1.5 g/L n=72

12 weeks

Growth: Weight, length, Head circumference

2) Prebiotic group: FOS 3.0 g/L n= 74

3) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula no prebiotic, n=66

Bruzzese 2009³⁹

Milan, Napoli, Verona Italy

37 to 42 weeks gestation, > 2500g birth weight, 4 to 6 months old

1) Prebiotic group: GOS, FOS (ratio 9:1) 0.4 g/100 ml n= 96

12 months

Growth, Weight, length. Stool consistency

2) Placebo group: conventional formula with no prebiotic, N= 105

Infections: diarrhea episodes / child 12 months, episodes of acute diarrhea, episodes of URTI, antibiotic use

Costalos 2008⁴¹

Greece

Birth weight between 10th and 90th percentiles, no breastfeeding after age of 14 days

1) Prebiotic group: 90% G0S 10% LcFOS 0.4 g/100 ml n=70

6 weeks

Growth: Weight gain, length and head circumference gain

2) Placebo group: Conventional formula no prebiotic n=−70

Stool frequency, consistency. GI Microflora: Bifidobacteria, E coli

Fanaro 2005⁴²

Ferrara, Italy

Healthy full term infants, without antibiotic treatment

1) Prebiotic group: Acidic Oligosaccharides 0.2 g/dl, Maltodextrin 0.2 g/dl n= 16

6 weeks

Growth: Weight and length gain. Stool consistency

2) Prebiotic group: Acidic Oligosaccharides 0.2 g/dl, Neutral GOS FOS 0.6 g/dl n= 15

Crying, regurgitation and vomiting episodes

3) Placebo group: Maltodextrin at 8g/dl n=15

Gi Microflora

Fanaro 2008⁴³

Ferrara, Turin Italy, Las Palmas, Seville Spain

Appropriate for gestational age, birth weight > 1500g, 4 to 6 months old

1) Prebiotic group: GOS 5 g/L n= 56

18 weeks

Growth: Weight, length

Stool frequency, consistency

GI microflora: Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Bacteriodes,

Clostridia, Enterobacteriacae

Moro 2002³⁵ (Moro 2003, considered as one study)

Milan Italy

39 to 40 weeks gestational age

1) Prebiotic group: GOS, FOS 0.4 g/dl n=30

28 days

Growth: Weight and length gain

2) Prebiotic group: GOS FOS 0.8 g/dl n= 27

Stool frequency, consistency

3) Placebo group: Maltodextrin at 0.8g/dl n=33

Crying, regurgitation and vomiting

4) Reference group: Breast milk n=15

Feeding volume

GI microflora: Bifidobaceria, Lactobacilli

Moro 2005⁴⁷

Italy

Healthy full term infants, appropriate for gestational age

1) Prebiotic group: GOS 0.8g/dl, n= 16

28 days

Growth: Weight, length gain

2) Placebo group: Maltodextrin at 0. 8g/dl n=16

Feeding volume

GI microflora

Moro 2006³⁷ (Arslanoglu 2007, Arslanoglu 2008 considered as one study)

Milan Italy

37 - 42 weeks gestational age

1) Prebiotic group: ScGOS Lc FOS at 8g/L, n= 104

6 months

Growth: Weight gain, length gain, head circumference

2) Placebo group: Maltodextrin at 8g/L, n=102

Stool frequency, consistency

Crying, regurgitation and vomiting

GI microflora: Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli

Infectious episodes: Overall infections, URTI, Otis Media, GI infections, UTI, antibiotic use

Schmelzle 2003⁴⁹

Griefswald Germany

37 to 42 weeks gestational age, birth weight between 10 to 90 percentiles, exclusive formula feeding by age 14 days old

1) Prebiotic group: 90% GOS, 10% FOS 0.8/100ml n=76

12 weeks

Growth: Males - Weight gain, length gain, head circumference

2) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula, no prebiotic, n=78

Females - Growth: Weight gain, length gain, head circumference

Volume of feed (formula)

GI microflora: Bifidobacteria

Xiao-Ming 2004⁵³

Nanjing China

Healthy full term infants

1) Prebiotic group: Galactooligosaccharide 0.24 g/ dl n=69

6 months

GI Microflora: Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, E coli

2) Prebiotic formula with Human milk n= 124

3) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula, no prebiotic, n=52

4) Reference group: Human milk n= 26

Xiao-Ming 2008⁵⁴

Nanjing China

> 38 weeks gestation, Birth weight > 3kg

1) Prebiotic group 1: Galactooligosaccharide 0.24 g/ 100 ml n=37

3 months

Growth: Weight gain, length gain

Stool consistency

2) Prebiotic group 2: Prebiotic formula with Human milk n= 58

Crying, regurgitation and vomiting scores

Volume of feed

3) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula, no prebiotic, n=45

GI Microflora: Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, E coli

4) Reference group: Human milk n= 24

Ziegler 2007⁵⁶

USA

> 37 weeks gestation, Birth weight 2500g, solely formula fed

1) Prebiotic group 1: Polydextrose, Galactooligosaccharide n=58

120 days

Growth: Weight gain, length gain, head circumference

Stool frequency, consistency

2) Prebiotic group 2: Polydextrose, Galactooligosaccharide, Lactulose n= 48

Intolerance to formula: Vomiting, diarrhea, excessive spitting, colic

3) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula, no prebiotic, n=58