The Probiotic LGG and Its Benefits to the Immune System

The first 1,000 days are a critical period for maternal, fetal, infant, and toddler nutrition. A good microbiome allows for a healthy immune system. Renowned professor of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, and endowed chair in pediatric research, Fayez K. Ghishan, MD, discusses the important role gastrointestinal microbiota plays in the development of immune function. The properties of probiotics are strain-dependent and are not all formulated the same. Dr. Ghishan discusses the mechanisms and other factors that influence probiotics’ clinical benefit to gut health and the immune system of newborns. He explains the unique properties of the probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and its impact on tolerance to cow’s milk protein. Dr. Ghishan also reviews the most recent and pertinent studies of LGG®, while discussing the role of LGG® in the future of allergy management.

• Profile

  Fayez Ghishan, MD

  ×

  Fayez K. Ghishan, MD, is a professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, and director of the University’s Steele Children’s Research Center in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Ghishan received his medical degree from Ankara University in Turkey, completed a residency in pediatrics at Pennsylvania State University, and conducted postdoctoral research in pediatric gastroenterology at the University of Iowa.

  An internationally renowned expert in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, Dr. Ghishan’s clinical interests include inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and autoimmune disorders.  The majority of these conditions are also the focus of his research, much of which is funded, on an ongoing basis, by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  Dr. Ghishan’s work has been recognized with numerous awards including the NIH’s prestigious MERIT Award for “Consistent and Excellent Contributions to Scientific Knowledge.” The award, which Dr. Ghishan has received twice, is designed to provide stable, long-term funding support to outstanding investigators whose productivity is deemed superior. 

  Dr. Ghishan’s current research projects include the study of a probiotic-derived protein to regulate epigenetic programming in intestinal epithelial cells for long-term prevention of colitis, bile acids in necrotizing enterocolitis, a novel therapeutic delivery system for pediatric IBD, modulation of dendritic cell function in the pathogenesis of IBD, and novel roles of sodium hydrogen exchanger 8 in mucosal homeostasis.

  Among Dr. Ghishan’s major scientific contributions are cloning the gene responsible for absorbing sodium in the GI tract, thereby advancing the understanding of diarrheal disorders and their relationship to zinc deficiency. His discovery led to World Health Organization recommendations on zinc supplements which continue to guide the treatment of diarrheal disorders globally. 

  The author of more than 500 articles, abstracts, book reviews and chapters, Dr. Ghishan has also made significant contributions to a number of textbooks in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. He was an associate editor of the highly referenced resource, Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, now in its sixth edition.

  Close
  

  Fayez Ghishan, MD

  Alan and Janice Levin Family Endowed Professor of Pediatrics
  Medical Director
  Clinical and Translational Sciences Research Center
  The University of Arizona Health Sciences
  Tucson, Arizona