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Probiotics (bacteria or yeasts) were defined by the Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) joint report as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts (in food or as a dietary supplement) confer a health benefit on the host. The best-demonstrated potential clinical benefits of probiotic agents, specifically in the pediatric population, are in the prevention and management of acute diarrhea, antibiotic associated diarrhea, and evidence is mounting on their potential benefits in atopic disease, inflammatory bowel conditions, and necrotizing enterocolitis. Their beneficial effects seem to be strain specific, thus, pooling data from different strains may result in misleading conclusions. Because there was no international consensus on methodology to assess efficiency and safety of probiotics, in 2001 the FAO/WHO undertook work to compile and evaluate the scientific evidence on functional and safety aspects of probiotics. International criteria have been developed to formulate unequivocal criteria for probiotic bacterial strains and products that contain them. More recently, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) highlighted as critical factors for probiotic health claim submissions genetic typing, internationally recognised naming protocols and evidence of consistency in the final product.

The natural history of allergic disease and its potential for prevention merit close examination because of the explosive worldwide increase in the prevalence and morbidity of atopic disorders. In infants from ''high-risk'' families (i.e. those with one or two parents and/or a sibling with food allergy, eczema, asthma or allergic rhinitis) food allergen avoidance has been advocated as means of preventing the development of atopic disease. The aim of this review was to evaluate the allergy preventive potential of partially or extensively hydrolyzed formulas. When breast-feeding is not possible or supplemental feeding is needed, infants from atopic families should be given a hydrolyzed infant formula for the first 6 month of life. High-risk infants without a history of eczema in a primary relative will receive the protective effect from the less expensive partial hydrolyzed formula (p-HF); whereas those infants who have first-degree relatives with eczema should receive the extensively hydrolyzed formula (e-HF).

Evidence on the efficacy of standardised phytoterapic extracts for the prevention of recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in children is reviewed. Echinacea extracts are widely used in European countries and in the United States as immune-stimulating agents. However, further prospective, appropriately powered clinical studies are required to confirm their benefits in reducing duration and severity of RRTIs.