Healthy Immunity in Children at Childcare Using Probiotics (HICCUP) Study

Abstract

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are prevalent in children under five years of age, globally, and in New Zealand. URTIs are one of the most prevalent acute self-limited and benign illnesses seen in paediatric clinics, as well as the main cause of missed childcare days. Children who attend childcare are three times as likely to suffer from a URTI in comparison to those cared for at home. They are more susceptible to illnesses since their immune systems are still maturing. Probiotics modulate the composition of gut microbial species by maintaining a healthy balance and inhibiting the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The positive effects of probiotics have been widely employed to improve host health and treat a variety of infectious and non-infectious diseases. They may be a possible nutritional strategy to combat URTIs due to their favourable effects on the human immune system. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis HN019 (HN019), versus placebo, in reducing the number of days of URTIs symptoms in children aged 12 months to 5 years attending childcare in New Zealand. The HICCUP study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 160 children were randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving capsules containing probiotic HN019, in a dose of 9×109 colony forming units, or the placebo group, who received placebo capsules every day for 12 weeks. There was no significant difference in average number of illness days per week between the probiotic group (M = 1.20, SD = 1.07) and the placebo group (M = 1.19, SD = 1.01); t(df) = 131, p = 0.96. Consumption of HN019, in a dose of 9×109 colony forming units per day did not reduce the number of days of URTIs in children aged 12 months to 5 years attending childcare in New Zealand. However, the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown reduced the number of circulating viral illnesses, which may have contributed to the lack of a significant finding in this study. Keywords: URTIs, Children, Childcare, Probiotic, Microbiota-Gut Brains