A study that was published in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine (2015 May;9(5):1593-1596. Epub 2015 Feb 17) looked at probiotic supplementation and its effect on infantile eczema. It looked at changes in Bifidobacteria levels and severity of eczema as measured by the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index.

In 40 infants the SCORAD index was evaluated along with the amount of Bifidobacterium bifidum in the stool. They were divided into two groups. One group was given B. bifidum triple viable capsules for four weeks and the other group was used as a control.

Following treatment, the levels of Bifidobacterium bifidum in the stools of the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the stools of the control group and the SCORAD index was significantly lower as well. The researchers concluded that probiotic supplementation has a positive effect on the prevention and treatment of infantile eczema.

An earlier meta-analysis of 16 studies (from 1945 to 2013), involving 2,797 patients looked at the relationship between probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and the development of infant eczema. It was published in Mil Med  (2014 June; 179(6): 580-92). The authors concluded, “Probiotic supplements taken during pregnancy and/or during infancy produces a significant decline in the incidence of eczema.”