PhD defence: The Effect of Probiotics on Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Infections in Children Attending Daycare

Rikke Pilmann Laursen

PhD thesis

Respiratory and gastrointestinal infections are common during childhood, especially in young children aged 0-2 years, and most pronounced within the first months after enrolment to daycare.

The main objective of this PhD thesis was to examine the effect of probiotics on absence from daycare due to respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in Danish infants during their first months in a daycare setting, and to examine potential risk factors of infections.

The thesis is primarily based on data from the ProbiComp project, which is a large intervention study where 290 Danish infants received probiotics or a placebo product daily for a period of 6 months from the age of 8-14 months.

2018, 124 pages.

Time

6 April 2018, 13:00

Place

Auditorium A2-70.03, Marmorhallen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiksberg

Opponents 

Associate Professor, Thomas Meinert Larsen (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Associate Professor, Chief physician, Christina West, Department of Clinical Sciences, Umeå University, Sweden.

Chief physician, PhD, Anja Poulsen, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

Supervisors

Professor Christian Mølgaard, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Associate Professor Christian Ritz, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.