Table 4 Summary of 3 included synbiotic studies

Chouraqui 2008²⁴

France (Marseille)

37 – 42 weeks, gestation, ≤ 14 days singletons, 2500 – 4500g birth weight

1) Probiotic group: Bifibacterium Longum BL999 1.29 × 10⁸ cfu/100 ml formula, L.Rhamnosus 6.45 × 10⁸ cfu/100 ml formula, n=60

4 months, observation: 16 – 52 weeks

Growth: Length, Head circumference Stool frequency, consistency, Incidence of diarrhea during treatment period Frequency of infections

2) Synbiotic group 1: Bifibacterium.Longum BL999 1.29 × 10⁸ cfu/100 ml, L Rhamnosus 6.45 × 108 cfu/100 ml, 90% GOS, 10% ScFOS 0.4 g/100 ml n=54

3) Synbiotic group 2: Bifibacterium Longum BL999 2.58 × 10⁸ cfu/100 ml, LParacasei 2.58 × 10⁸ cfu/100 ml, 90% GOS, 10% ScFOS 0.4 g/100 ml, n=60

4) Placebo group: Conventional infant formula no probiotic or prebiotic, n=53

Puccio 2007²⁵

Palermo Italy

Healthy Full term infants with gestational age 39 weeks

1) Synbiotic group: Bifibacterium Longum BL 999 2 × 10⁷ Cfu/g powder, GOS 90% FOS 10% at 4g/L, n=42, n=67

112 days

Growth: Weight, length, head circumference

Stool frequency (evacuations/day)

2) Conventional infant formula no synbiotic, n=55

Crying, restlessness, colic, spitting and vomiting

Volume of feed tolerated

Frequency of respiratory tract infections

Vlieger 2009²¹

Niewegein, Netherlands

Healthy Full term infants with gestational age > 37 weeks, < 7 days, formula fed

1) Synbiotic group: Bifibacterium animalis ssp Lactis 1 × 10⁷ Cfu/g powder, Lactobacillusn paracasei 1 × 107 Cfu/g powder, GOS 0.24 g/100 ml, n=67

6 months

Growth: Weight, length, head circumference

2) Placebo group: Prebiotic infant formula GOS 0.24 g/100 ml, n=59