News: Probiotics may cut severe bowel disease in premature infants, study finds

Premature infants who receive probiotics may have a reduced risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and dying, adding evidence supporting the use of live microorganisms, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

The study found that Swedish infants born between 28 and 31 weeks of gestation who were given probiotic supplementation had lower risks of developing NEC. The country’s national neonatal society recommended probiotic supplementation for very premature infants in 2020 to observe outcomes before and after the practice was implemented.

The probiotic regimen consisted of three bacterial strains—Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Streptococcus thermophilus−administered once daily before day four of life and discontinued at postmenstrual week 34.

Out of the 4,600 infants, roughly one third received probiotics. NEC occurred in 0.6% versus 2.5% of infants who received probiotics vs who did not, while death occurred in 0.3% and 1.4%, respectively. Researchers also found infants who received probiotics had a lower risk for surgical NEC. Up to 50% of babies with NEC need an operation to remove perforated or dead tissue.

The study echoes previous study results that suggest probiotics, particularly multistrain preparations, can reduce NEC in premature infants. A 2025 review of 60 trials involving more than 11,000 infants reported a 46% lower risk for NEC with probiotics.

In terms of what this means for United States neonatal intensive care units (NICU), a single-agent probiotic supplement made by Infant Bacterial Therapeutics (IBT) is currently under FDA review.

Editor’s note: To read the full study, click here. To read additional coverage from Medpage Today, click here.