Probiotics could lower the risk of premature birth, says new study

A new study has revealed another benefit of taking probiotics during pregnancy.

According to research that looked at data from more than 70,000 expectant mothers, taking probiotics during pregnancy could lower the risk of pre-eclampsia and premature birth. The study done by the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study assessed information on the women’s diet, lifestyle, medical history and other factors at 15, 22, and 30 weeks of pregnancy. One thing that was noted was the consumption of probiotic products, which is more common among older, richer, better-educated mothers who were expecting their first child. The research found that 23 percent of mums-to-be consumed probiotic milk products before their pregnancy, 37 percent did in the early stages of their pregnancy and 32 percent later on. The results showed that those who were consuming probiotic milk late in their pregnancy were significantly associated with a lowered risk of pre-eclampsia. In comparison, probiotic intake during the early stages of pregnancy was significantly associated with a lowered risk of having a premature birth. Researchers say that while this study was simply an observational one with no firm conclusions made on the cause and effect of probiotics, if there are further trials that finds links between probiotics and the lowered risk of pre-eclampsia and pre-term births then “recommending probiotics would be a promising public health measure to reduce these adverse pregnancy outcomes”.