{
  "id": 9784685,
  "title": "Probiotics Linked to Fewer Deaths in Babies Born Prematurely",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/probiotics-linked-to-fewer-deaths-in-babies-born-prematurely",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-25T15:50:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/probiotics-linked-to-fewer-deaths-in-babies-born-prematurely-12488490"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A recent study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that probiotics may reduce the risk of severe bowel disease and death in babies born prematurely. Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden analyzed outcomes among very preterm infants and found that those given probiotics were less likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or die compared to similar babies who did not receive the supplements. The study, which compared outcomes before and after the introduction of probiotics nationally across Swedish neonatal intensive care units, focused on infants born between 28 and 31 weeks gestation. Probiotics are supplements already used in some neonatal units and have previously shown benefits for preterm infants in numerous randomized trials and meta-analyses. The study's corresponding author, Ayoub Mitha, MD, PhD, noted that the magnitude of the association, particularly for the most severe forms of NEC requiring surgery, was striking. The research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting probiotics may help support the development of a healthy gut microbiome in babies born prematurely. However, independent expert Thao (Tina) Ho, associate professor and chief of neonatology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, cautioned that the study's observational nature means it cannot prove that probiotics directly caused the improved outcomes.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}