CALGARY- Every year, thousands of Canadian children are brought to the emergency room, suffering from the stomach flu. While there is little doctors can do, a new study is looking at if probiotics might help.
Probiotics are live bacterial agents that are thought to help with digestion, and are commonly added to products like yogurt and milk. However, they may also help treat the flu.
“We’re looking at it now, because there has been some preliminary data from elsewhere, where it’s shown to be beneficial,” explains Dr. Stephen Freedman, from the Alberta Children’s Hospital. “What we’re looking at is whether a probiotic supplement, when administered to children with diarrhea when they come to the emergency department, can actually reduce the burden of disease on the child.”
Studies out of Europe have found hospitalized children showed improvements after receiving probiotic supplements. The Canadian research will focus on the probiotic called Lacidofil, and involved 900 children aged three months to four years.
Rylan Smith is taking part in the study, after he ended up in the emergency room.
“He had been vomiting and diarrhea for about five days, which was quite a bit longer than either of my children had normally been sick for,” explains his mother, Jaime.
Smith took part in a pilot study involving 125 children from Calgary and Toronto. The new study will kick off this fall, and run for three years.
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