Among adults and children taking antibiotics, the use of probiotics reduced the risk of developing Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), according to a recent Cochrane review. The review included 39 randomized clinical trials with a total of 9,955 participants. 31 studies with 8,872 participants assessed the effectiveness of probiotics for preventing CDAD among participants taking antibiotics. Among the findings:

• When probiotics were given with antibiotics, the risk of developing CDAD was reduced by 60% on average.
• The benefit of probiotics was more pronounced (70% risk reduction) among participants at high risk of developing CDAD.
• Taking probiotics did not increase the risk of developing adverse events.