SynthesisPediatric research2026
Probiotic supplementation is associated with higher faecal secretory IgA (sIgA) in healthy full-term infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Nutritional regulation of gut-brain immune crosstalk across the lifespan.Gut microbes · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEarly probiotic supplementation influences infant immune development, but effects on specific immune biomarkers remain unclear.
methodsWe searched six databases (2000-2025) for randomised controlled trials of oral probiotic supplementation initiated before 2 years of age that reported faecal secretory IgA (sIgA) and/or cytokines. For sIgA, quantitative synthesis was restricted to healthy full-term infants. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted for outcomes reported as means, and a quantile-estimation approach was applied to studies reporting medians. Risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2 tool.
resultsThirty-nine randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-four trials reported sIgA, 18 reported cytokines, and three reported both outcomes. Seven sIgA trials in healthy full-term infants (440 probiotic, 414 control) were meta-analysed. Probiotic supplementation was associated with higher faecal sIgA, with a pooled mean difference of 435 µg/g stool (95% CI 196-674; I² = 0%). Larger effects were observed when supplementation began at or before 4 weeks of age. Cytokine outcomes were derived from a broader, clinically heterogeneous evidence base, and pooled analyses showed no consistent effects.
conclusionProbiotic supplementation in healthy full-term infants is associated with higher faecal sIgA, whereas effects on cytokine outcomes remain uncertain. IMPACT: Probiotic supplementation was associated with higher faecal sIgA in healthy full-term infants, with a pooled mean difference of 435 µg/g stool (I
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Registered trials
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