In research conducted at Harvard Medical School located in Boston, scientists observed that giving probiotics to very low birth weight newborns can lower the risk of a troubling intestinal condition called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The study did not show a reduction in sepsis or death. The findings appeared in a major medical journal and reflect data gathered from a large national cohort.
Researchers examined information from roughly 308,000 newborns with birth weights under 2,500 grams across eight hundred seven hospitals in the United States. The analysis looked at how probiotic use changed over time, specifically between 2012 and 2019. During this period, the share of VLBW infants receiving probiotic therapy after birth rose from about four percent to just over twelve percent. By 2019, a little over three-quarters of these infants in neonatal intensive care units had started probiotics after admission. Importantly, the intervention did not correlate with fewer bloodstream infections or lower mortality rates, yet it did associate with an 18 percent reduction in NEC incidence among those affected by the condition. These results contribute to a growing body of evidence about potential preventive strategies for NEC in vulnerable populations and help clinicians weigh benefits and risks for individual patients. (Citation: Harvard Medical School / JAMA)
Necrotizing enterocolitis remains a serious intestinal illness that primarily affects preterm infants. While NEC represents the majority of cases in the newborn period, the outcomes can vary widely. In some forms, mortality rates are substantial, underscoring the need for careful monitoring and timely intervention for at-risk babies. The study’s implications emphasize a cautious but hopeful path forward: probiotics may offer meaningful protection against NEC for many infants, even as broader effects on infection and survival require ongoing study and context-dependent clinical judgment. Health care teams continue to balance potential benefits with considerations such as probiotic strain selection, dosing strategies, timing of administration, and the overall health status of each newborn. This evolving evidence base helps families and clinicians have informed conversations about care plans in the delicate early days of life.