Introduction:

Prebiotics are living microorganisms that provide benefits to the host through various mechanisms of action. They have been a source of study in various pediatric pathologies showing some promising results.

Objective:

To prepare a review on the mechanisms of action and current evidence that prebiotics have on child health.

Materials and methods:

A narrative review of the literature was carried out with a systematic literature search strategy with MESH terms about the mechanisms of action of probiotics and their use. Meta-analyzes, systematic reviews, and randomized clinical trials were included.

Results:

Probiotics are a new therapeutic tool used to improve children's health. A beneficial effect has been found in diarrhea, in necrotizing enterocolitis with a significant decrease in mortality and significant evidence has been shown in the hours of crying in colic in infants.

Conclusion:

The trials reviewed offer a promising picture, but the choice of a probiotic must be customized according to the age, disease, bacterial strain and dose, since each one has different action mechanisms and clinical effectiveness. More studies are required in some allergic and inflammatory diseases.

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