The findings, recently presented at the International Celiac Disease Symposium in New Delhi, suggest that Probi’s patented probiotic strains have a ‘surprisingly consistent’ effect on suppressing coeliac autoimmunity and may delay the onset of the disease in children who are genetically pre-disposed to the condition.
“To our knowledge this is the first time a probiotic study has been performed on this specific population and the results show immune-supporting properties of these probiotics as well as a potential preventive effect on the development of CD,” said Dr Daniel Agardh of Lund University.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial lasted six months and found that disease-related antibodies were significantly reduced in the probiotic group and significantly increased in the placebo group during the course of the study.
In addition, several significant differences were observed between the groups on a cellular level indicating that the probiotic may counteract coeliac disease-associated ongoing immunological and inflammatory response.
“This is an excellent example of a well working collaboration between academia and the industry” commented Probi CEO Peter Nählstedt. “We see a growing interest in children’s probiotics and these results enable Probi to build a product platform for children.”
Study details
Agardh and colleagues identified and recruited 78 children with a genetic pre-disposition to coeliac disease. The children were as a subpopulation in a multinational and multiyear autoimmunity study with thousands of children.
As part of the trial 40 children received a combination of L. plantarum HEAL9 (DSM 15312) and L. paracasei8700:2 (DSM 13434), provided by Probi AB, at a total dose of 1010 colony forming units (CFU) per day. Meanwhile, 38 children received a maltodextrin placebo.
Results show that the probiotic strains had a suppressing effect on celiac autoimmunity and may delay the onset of the disease – with tissue transglutaminase autoantibodies (tTGA) decreased in the treatment group, but increased in the placebo group.
The authors concluded that the probiotic strains may block celiac autoimmunity in genetically at risk children, indicating a possible preventive application of probiotics in celiac disease.
The results from the study was presented at the International Celiac Disease Symposium in New Delhi, India, on September 10, 2017.