Prebiotics

Are prebiotics safe in pregnancy and for children?

Updated 4 Nov 2026

Short answer

In pregnancy and breastfeeding, no serious safety signal has appeared, but data are limited. A 2021 review of probiotics and prebiotics found no serious health concerns for mother or baby.[1] An earlier review found only 1 prebiotic study among the 27 studies in pregnancy.[2]

In infants, a 2013 Cochrane review of 4 studies with 1218 babies found less eczema with prebiotics in formula (risk ratio 0.68). All these studies had a high risk of attrition bias, meaning that many babies dropped out, and the authors said more research is needed before routine use.[3] Anaphylaxis to GOS in milk formula has been described in people with allergies in South-East Asia.[4] Kenyan infants received 3 g or 7.5 g a day of GOS and FOS in cereal for 3 weeks,[5] and adolescents received 8 g a day of inulin-type fructans for 1 year.[6] Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use in pregnancy or for a child.[1][3]

Sources (6)

  1. Are Probiotics and Prebiotics Safe for Use during Pregnancy and Lactation? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sheyholislami H, Connor KL Nutrients, 2021. PMID 34371892
  2. Pregnancy outcomes in women taking probiotics or prebiotics: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Jarde A, Lewis-Mikhael AM, Moayyedi P, Stearns JC, Collins SM, Beyene J, et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2018. PMID 29310610
  3. Prebiotics in infants for prevention of allergy. Osborn DA, Sinn JK Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2013. PMID 23543544
  4. Anaphylaxis to galacto-oligosaccharides--an evaluation in an atopic population in Singapore. Soh JY, Huang CH, Chiang WC, Llanora GV, Lee AJ, Loh W, et al. Allergy, 2015. PMID 25951913
  5. Prebiotics increase iron absorption and reduce the adverse effects of iron on the gut microbiome and inflammation: a randomized controlled trial using iron stable isotopes in Kenyan infants. Mikulic N, Uyoga MA, Stoffel NU, Derrien M, Nyilima S, Kostopoulos I, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2024. PMID 38042412
  6. A combination of prebiotic short- and long-chain inulin-type fructans enhances calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents. Abrams SA, Griffin IJ, Hawthorne KM, Liang L, Gunn SK, Darlington G, et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005. PMID 16087995

More about prebiotics

What are prebiotics?Do prebiotics change your gut bacteria?How long do prebiotics take to work?Which foods contain prebiotics?What are prebiotics used for?Is a synbiotic better than a prebiotic alone?

For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.