Impact of probiotics during weaning on the metabolic and inflammatory profile: follow-up at school age

We hypothesised that feeding the probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei F19 (LF19) (dep. nr LMG P-17806) during weaning would program the metabolic and inflammatory profile and studied its association with previously assessed body composition. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 179 infants were randomised to daily feeding of cereals with or without LF19 108 CFU from 4 to 13 months of age. At age 8–9 years, 120 children were re-assessed. Using high-sensitivity multiplex immunoassay technology and ELISA, we found that overweight/obese children had increased plasma C-peptide, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, leptin and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) after overnight fasting compared with normal weight children, independently of LF19. After excluding the obese, leptin and hsCRP were still increased, revealing an aberrant metabolic and inflammatory state already in overweight, pre-pubertal children. Higher body mass index z-score, sagittal abdominal diameter, truncal and total body fat % were associated with an aberrant metabolic and inflammatory profile, emphasising the need for early prevention strategies although no programming effect of LF19 was observed.