title: Probiotics' preventive effect on pediatric food allergy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the preventive effect of probiotics on pediatric food allergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  From MEDLINE bibliographical database, we searched and reviewed all randomized controlled trials on the preventive effects of probiotics on pediatric food allergies up to September 2013 and excluded the studies that do not meet inclusion criteria and extracted the data. Meta-analysis for the results of homogenous studies was performed using RevMan 5.0 and the co-effect was pooled by using fixed-effects model of relative risk (RR) ratios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten trials published between 2007 and 2012 including 2701 cases were included. Meta-analysis based on included data showed that the preventive effect of prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation on food allergies was not significant with the RR=0.88 (95% CI: 0.76-1.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Present evidences cannot show in unequivocal terms that prenatal and postnatal probiotic supplementation will prevent food allergic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Xiang-yi
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Ren-zhi
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017594:Publication Bias; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic