Globally, eczema is increasing with associated rises in health expenses and decrease in quality of life. Several factors are predicted to interact in the development of eczema that also includes genetics and environmental exposures. Preventing the development of eczema might avoid the further development of food allergies and asthma. This perception has encouraged a variety of research into the area of primary prevention of eczema in infants. The consideration includes an increasing research examining infants who are supplemented with probiotics, prebiotics, or both (synbiotics) generally compared with their breastfed counterparts. The goal of this study paper is to evaluate the evidence for manipulating the microbiome in the prevention of eczema. Numerous strains of probiotics, compositions of prebiotics, and diverse combinations of both are commercially available. Evidence supports modifying the microbiome in infants at high risk of atopy and who are not able to breastfeed are given Lactobacillus strains both prenatally for prolonged use (> 6 months) post-natally for the primary prevention of eczema. Prebiotics, also have shown favorable effects for primary prevention of eczema in formula-fed infants with prolonged use > 6 months. These outcomes are in observance with the World Allergy Organization (WAO) recommendations, which support interventions to manipulate the microbiome with both probiotics and prebiotics.

Source: Szari S, Quinn JA. Supporting a Healthy Microbiome for the Primary Prevention of Eczema.Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2019 Oct; 57(2):286-293