Will GiveWell fund probiotic supplementation for preterm newborns by 1st January 2027?
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23rd Oct
Josh Hart 13:48
GiveWell has recommended grants to over 10 charities over the years. They are currently investigating 12 charity areas with other areas of research in the pipeline including probiotic supplementation for preterm newborns
Mortality rates are high among preterm newborns. Two causes of death in this population are necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. Supplementation with probiotics (bacteria that are thought to confer health benefits) has been hypothesized to prevent NEC and sepsis and to reduce all-cause mortality among preterm newborns by suppressing the growth of disease-causing bacteria, limiting the spread of these bacteria outside of the intestine and enhancing immune function.
There have been a large number of small-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the impact of probiotic supplementation for preterm newborns on all-cause mortality in low- and middle-income countries, as well as higher-income countries. These provide strong evidence that probiotic supplementation lowers all-cause mortality among preterm newborns and that this may occur through its impact on NEC and sepsis.
GiveWell has recommended grants to over 10 charities over the years. They are currently investigating 12 charity areas with other areas of research in the pipeline including probiotic supplementation for preterm newborns
The following sections are quoted from GiveWell’s explanation of the topic:
Mortality rates are high among preterm newborns. Two causes of death in this population are necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis. Supplementation with probiotics (bacteria that are thought to confer health benefits) has been hypothesized to prevent NEC and sepsis and to reduce all-cause mortality among preterm newborns by suppressing the growth of disease-causing bacteria, limiting the spread of these bacteria outside of the intestine and enhancing immune function.
There have been a large number of small-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the impact of probiotic supplementation for preterm newborns on all-cause mortality in low- and middle-income countries, as well as higher-income countries. These provide strong evidence that probiotic supplementation lowers all-cause mortality among preterm newborns and that this may occur through its impact on NEC and sepsis.
For more information, it may be worth reviewing: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5728295/pdf/bmjopen-2017-017638.pdf