[Photo by Chen Xiaogen/Asianewsphoto]

A new study finds that there is no clear evidence that probiotics, the "friendly" bacteria strain of lactobacillus, prevent eczema, a frequent precursor to asthma.

Published in the journal Pediatrics and made available online Monday, the study further fuels the debate over whether probiotics, sold as dietary supplements, have protective effects against colds, tummy bugs and more serious conditions.

First author Michael Cabana, director of the division of general pediatrics at University of California, San Francisco, Benioff Children's Hospital, worked with his colleagues to see if the probiotic would work among infants who were at high risk of developing asthma, due to one or both parents having the condition, which is caused by both hereditary and environmental factors.

Exactly half of the 184 newborns received capsules of the probiotic for the first six months of life, while the second group of 92 newborns received placebo capsules with the same look and feel as the probiotic.

The results showed little difference: at age 2, 30.9 percent of the placebo recipients were diagnosed with eczema, versus 28.7 percent of the probiotic group.