Impact of Probiotics on Children with Acute Gastroenteritis: Results from an Umbrella Meta-Analysis
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Probiotics have been suggested as therapeutic agents for acute gastroenteritis (AG) in children. However, the optimal probiotic strains, doses, and durations of supplementation remain unclear.
OBJECTIVE
This umbrella meta-analysis was conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of different strains of probiotics on AG.
METHODS
To gather pertinent evidence, a search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus from their inception up to October 12, 2025. Standardized mean difference and relative risk with their 95% confidence interval were used as the metrics for assessing treatment effects on continuous and binary outcomes, respectively.
RESULTS
A total of 36 eligible meta-analyses (MAs), including 107,541 participants, were included. The analysis showed that probiotics may help prevent the incidence of AG and decrease the duration of diarrhea, vomiting, fever, length of hospital stays, as well as the frequency of stool and the presence of diarrhea on specific days post-treatment. However, the effects were found to be strain-specific and, for certain outcomes, were influenced by the dose (colony-forming units) and duration of treatment. Overall, the most effective probiotics in terms of efficacy on AG symptoms were Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (formerly Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG; ATCC 53103), Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 (formerly Lactobacillus reuteri), Lactiplantibacillus acidophilus, Bacillus clausii O/C, Bifidobacterium…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 107,541 participants or records.
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