Prebiotic Supplementation and Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Infants: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a common and serious disease among premature infants. That is why a lot of studies have been done to know the etiology and prevent, and a lot of researches to assess the preventive effect of prebiotics on it. The aim of this study was to provide clear picture of the relationship between the consumption of antibiotics and NEC in premature infants. This was a type of secondary study that done according to a systematic review. This review included clinical trial studies considered the preventive effect of prebiotic supplements on NEC in premature infants. After searching the keywords, 1358 articles were found in databases in which 9 articles were related to the current research. Finally, by omitting systematic reviews and analytical descriptions, only 5 articles were included in this systematic review. After the final analysis, it was found that the consumption of prebiotics did not have any significant effect on the prevention of NEC. More researches are suggested due to insufficient related articles, and few number of premature infants included in these studies.