RESEARCH carried out by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) could pave the way for the use of probiotics to treat abdominal medical conditions in children.

Dr Morris Gordon, reader in evidence synthesis and systematic review, found that certain types of probiotics are effective in not only maintaining normal gut function, but also as a method of treating conditions.

Dr Gordon’s analysis of the current published data found that among 13 studies completed over the past two decades, patients responded well to treatment for abdominal pain using probiotics, in comparison with non-treatment or placebos.

Dr Gordon, who is also a consultant paediatrician for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has now published his findings and is due to speak at the World Congress of Gastroenterology (WCOG) in Florida, where his paper has been selected for the conference’s Paediatric award.