In a trial sponsored by Cultech and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers have concluded that daily supplementation with vitamin C plus probiotics can reduce the incidence of flu as well as missed school days.
The pilot study investigated the efficacy of a probiotic combination, Lab4, in conjunction with vitamin C on the prevention of respiratory tract infections in children attending preschool facilities.
57 children aged three to five were given vitamin C as well as the probiotic strains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and observed for six months. The results showed that incidence of flu was reduced by 33% and absence from school by 30%.
Cultech MD and research leader Nigel Plummer commented: “The conclusion of that analysis was that probiotics led to a decrease in intensity and duration of 30%. That’s quite a consistent effect and I don’t think the traditional combination of vitamin C and zinc, for instance, achieves that kind of consistency.”
Cultech planned the trial to support a new children’s supplement called Fit for School, using the same combination of probiotics and vitamin C.
