Strain-Specific Probiotics: Enhancing Children's Health Through Targeted Clinical Research

The field of probiotics and their impact on children's health has garnered significant attention in recent years, particularly concerning their potential therapeutic effects on gastrointestinal, respiratory, allergic, and metabolic diseases. Despite the proliferation of market-oriented probiotic products, there remains a substantial gap in robust, evidence-based research supporting their efficacy in improving children's health. The strict definition of probiotics necessitates that clinical studies be strain-specific, yet many products lack this precision in their claims. International professional bodies have emphasized the importance of using only those probiotic strains with proven clinical efficacy, administered in appropriate dosages, as adjuvants in treating children's health issues. While bifidobacteria and lactobacilli dominate the market, the diversity in strain composition, colony-forming units (CFUs), and biological activity among products is vast. Currently, there is a dearth of research on how specific probiotic strains, with precise CFUs and intervention durations, influence the gut flora and, consequently, the health of developing children. Although randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for establishing causal relationships, such studies, especially in the context of developing children, are notably lacking.

This research topic aims to bridge the gap in clinical studies by exploring how specific probiotic supplementation alters the gut microbiota's composition and functional activity in children with specific diseases, such as gastrointestinal, respiratory, or allergic conditions. The objective is to provide evidence-based recommendations for consumers and healthcare professionals by focusing on the specific strains used, dosages, intervention durations, and targeted diseases. By identifying effective strains through clinical studies, this research will contribute to improving children's health with strain-specific probiotic products.

To gather further insights into the strain-specific impacts of probiotics on children's health, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- The efficacy and/or effectiveness of strain-specific probiotic supplements for specific diseases in children, such as gastrointestinal, respiratory, and allergic diseases, through clinical trials and case reports.
- Comprehensive comparative analysis of different specific strains of probiotics on the same developmental disease in children or the same probiotic strain on different diseases, considering supplementation methods, doses, and duration, through narrative and/or systematic reviews.
- Review of the possible mechanisms by which specific bacterial strains can effectively assist in treating specific diseases in childhood.

Keywords: children, specific disease, microecology, clinical trial, probiotic strains

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.