MINI REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
Health benefits of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 in infants and children
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City, Mexico
- 2Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, Bogotá, Colombia
- 3Opella, Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France
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The colonization of the infant gut microbiome during the critical window of 0–3 years is influenced by a multitude of prenatal, environmental and host factors, and may be crucial for life-long health. The infant gut microbiome is highly dynamic, with bifidobacteria-dominance generally established during birth and lactation, followed by transition to a more stable and adult-like composition reached around 3 years of age. Bifidobacteria-dominance in infancy is considered protective as they not only display both anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects but also foster the establishment of other beneficial species via cross-feeding interactions. As predominance of bifidobacteria is considered the marker of a healthy breastfed infant, the use of bifidobacteria-based probiotics for the prevention of gut dysbiosis and related conditions has been investigated. Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, BB-12® (BB-12), a well-studied probiotic added to baby formulas, dietary supplements, and fermented milk products, displays several attributes, including acid and bile tolerance, strong adherence properties, pathogen inhibition, and immune modulation. Conclusions: Clinical studies have not only demonstrated the safety of BB-12 in infants and children but have also highlighted the beneficial effect of BB-12 supplementation on multiple disorders, including infantile colic, gastroenteritis, respiratory infections and atopic diseases.
Keywords: Bb-12, Bifidobacterium, Digestive health, Gut Microbiota, gut-brain disorders, probiotics in children
Received: 22 Dec 2025; Accepted: 28 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Bueno, Carias Domínguez, Guyonnet and Pouteau. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Denis Guyonnet
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